The San Diego Natural History Museum Presents the 2014 Best of Nature Photography Show

Cheryl Strahl Annas Hummingbird
October 21, 2014

The San Diego Natural History Museum will be opening the 2014 Best of Nature Photography Show, a new photography exhibition, this Saturday, October 25. The exhibition, free with paid admission, is a result of an international photography contest and will contain 74 nature-based works from extremely talented artists, both amateur and professional. The new photography exhibition will remain on view through February 1, 2015.

In July, amateur and professional photographers were invited to enter this juried photography competition for their chance to win prizes totaling $2,500. Landscape, wildlife, flora, and nature-based abstract/impressionistic images were considered by the judges. The winners will be announced at the opening reception on Saturday, November 1.

Mark Drawbridge's Tiger
The exhibition features the results of this juried competition - 74 stunning photographic nature-based works by 51 artists, chosen from nearly 1,000 entries. The images on display depict gorgeous landscapes and animals in their natural habitats. Featured photographers in the exhibition include Ann Collins, Brian Wright, Carol Parker, Cheryl Strahl, Cynthia Parnell, Jack Quintero, Ken Renk, Larry Moskovitz, Mark Drawbridge, Mary Zanotelli, Max Vuong, and Michael Shane.

“We received stunning photographs from artists around the globe, making selecting winners quite a challenge,” said Abe Ordover, owner of The Ordover Gallery in Cardiff, California, and curator of the exhibition. “Best of Nature has been curated in a way that allows visitors to experience an array of artworks that are sure to inspire them to go out and experience nature for themselves.”

Two rounds of judging took place to determine the winning entries. The first round consisted of three prominent professional photographers including: Sandy Zelasko, local photographer, wildlife specialist, and a frequent participant in past Best of Nature shows; Larry Vogel, Oceanside photographic artist, founder of the Digital Photo Exchange, and workshop leader; and Robert Barry, associate professor in photography at Palomar College. These judges received 923 images from 183 photographers, of which they selected 231 images. The second and final round of judging was done by Abe Ordover, who chose the 74 entries that will be featured in the exhibition.

All artwork in The Ordover Gallery at the San Diego Natural History Museum will be for sale, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Museum. For more information, visit sdnat.org/bestofnature or call (877) 946-7797.