Hi Guys and Girls,

I hope everything is all well in DSLRU land (It's Friday! Yippee! ). I am dipping into the vast pool of creative talent to ask for submissions for a feature in a forthcoming issue.

I am looking for the top 20 locations in the UK for shooting the country's natural beauty. From the stunning rock formations at Nash Point, to the arch at Durdle Door, a vast swathe of meadowland or sand dunes. I am planning a big feature, which is esentially a location guide, to Reader's faves.

The subject matter can be anything in the natural world – including amazing places for wildlife - both flora and fauna – rock formations, tarns, woodland, rare habitat or simply the best spot to sit and watch light play across the landscape...

Not only will I need an image or two, but a reason for why you think the location so great. Please email me directly with your ideas. Those chosen 20 will also need to send me a picture of themselves too. You can suggest more than one, but I'd like to try and get 20 different readers/submissions.

So please start raiding your library for suitable images and locations up and down the land. Oh, BTW, I will PAY you for using the images. Not enough for a D3s, before you ask , which I'll discuss with those chosen.

On your marks... get set...

Adam
Editor
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Hi Everyone,

We have had a few issues with the first round of this month's competition, which have meant entries by post have been delayed and not reached us in time; the weather and staff shortage (due to the weather) have meant some post wasn't here or opened in time. This, of course, is not fair to round one entrants who, theoretically, should be disqualified. Not fair...

So, with this in mind, I need to change the rules of the competition, for everone, to open it up completely. It seems pointless to open it up just for one round...

The new rules, which I will publish in the April issue of the magazine as well, will be as follows: There will still be four rounds for readers to enter, but there will now only be one deadline, that of the final portfolio entry of the 9th April. So as long as each entrant has one image in each of the four rounds, that portfolio of four images can be considered for the final prize. The strongest portfolio of four images judged by John and I to be the strongest, plus the two runners up, will be the winner of the trip. Each month John and I will choose our FAVOURITE three images, grading them one, two and three, from each round, but it will still be judged the final portfolio of four images that the eventual winners will be chosen. So, yes, it means if you haven't entered round one yet, you now can.

I am sorry for the confusion and the mid-competition change, not only is the prize worth it, but I really do want to be fair to everyone taking part and give them a decent chance of going forward.

Many thanks,

Adam

Editor, DSLR User

Official statement from the WPOTY:

“It saddens us to confirm that after a careful and thorough investigation into the image, the storybook wolf, the co-owners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine have disqualified the winning entry of the photographer José Luis Rodríguez. The judging panel was reconvened and concluded that it was likely that the wolf featured in the image was an animal model that can be hired for photographic purposes and, as a result, that the image had been entered in breach of Rule 10 of the Competition.  The judging panel looked at a range of evidence and took specialist advice from panel judges who have extensive experience of photographing wildlife including wolves.  They also considered the responses to specific questions put to the photographer José Luis Rodriguez.

The competition rules clearly state that photographs of animal models may not be entered into the competition and that images will be disqualified if they are entered in breach of Rule 10. Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition rules are available to all entrants including versions translated into several languages.  

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the world’s most prestigious photography competition of its kind. Any transgression of the competition rules is taken very seriously and if entries are suspected of breaching the rules they are disqualified.  José Luis Rodríguez’s image will be removed from the exhibition and tour.

Mr Rodriguez strongly denies that the wolf in the image is a model wolf.”

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