VICTORIA — Walk in to the new exhibition at the Royal British Columbia Museum, and you enter a lush place populated by apes, geese, squirrels, sharks — and intrepid people with cameras.
The 2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest show, a collection of 100 winners and finalists, takes you deep into the oceans, deserts and forests of the world.
Some are urban; others are a long way into wilderness. And the entrants in this international photography competition — including preteens and teenagers — have brought back pictures that will stay bright in your memory.
In large, backlit displays, these photos fill one of the museum’s galleries, giving us a chance to see the top selections from a contest that attracted 42,000 entries from 96 nations. The 51-year-old event is showing its winners in Victoria for the fifth year in a row.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London, drawing entries from professionals, amateurs and young photographers.
With each image on display, the entrant provides a description of how he or she got the shot, along with technical details about the camera, lens, aperture and exposure.
The Royal B.C. Museum is noting that among the competitors from nearly every continent, three Canadians have won top honors. Dr. Don Gutoski of London, Ontario, is the overall winner of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest with his desolate photo, “Tale of Two Foxes,” taken at Wapusk National Park in Cape Churchill, Manitoba.
Connor Stefanison of Burnaby, B.C., is the Rising Star Portfolio Award winner for his collection of six images. They include “A Black Bear Looks In,” of a glossy beast Stefanison encountered while planning to photograph spotted skunks. There’s also “Raven Strut,” his picture of the black bird walking across a pristine snowscape.
The third Canadian honoree is 10-year-old Josiah Launstein of Alberta. He was named a finalist for two shots, “Goose Attack,” taken at Burnaby Lake in British Columbia, and “Snowy Scene,” a ghostly image of a snowy owl in Calgary.
Birds are big in this show. The winner of the age 10 and younger category, Carlos Perez Naval, captured an image of two emerald-green bee-eaters; there are also whooper swans, penguins, geese, egrets, storks, dippers and a pelican photographed with a pouch full of leaping fish.
Another aspect of this exhibition: the People’s Choice Award voting, on through Jan. 5.
The public is invited to choose favorites from a group of 25 photos from the competition’s shortlist, which includes dazzlers of birds, fish and other creatures around the globe. The voting site can be found on the Wildlife Photographer of the Year page on Facebook and at www.NHM.ac.uk. The winning image will be announced Jan. 11.
While this exhibition stays on display through April 4, the museum will offer related activities.
A “staff pick mingle,” in which visitors can converse with museum curators and specialists abut their favorite photos, is set for 1 p.m. Feb. 27 and March 15.
And two 45-minute gallery tours, guided by Stefanison, are offered at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. March 18. These are included with museum admission, which is $16 for adults and $11 for seniors, students and youth ages 6 to 18. Children 5 and younger are admitted free.
The Royal B.C. Museum, 675 Belleville St., is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Christmas and New Year’s Day.
For much more about the museum, its IMAX theater and other offerings, see royalbcmuseum.bc.ca or phone 1-888-447-7977.
