On Tuesday evening (27th Oct.) I went to a preview of the 2009 Wildlife Photographer of the Year at the Natural History Museum. This year the exhibition has been moved to a new larger gallery, which makes it much easier to stand back from the crowds and enjoy the images. The photos are beautifully displayed as large backlit transparencies. Coupled with the low level blue lighting, which gives the space the appearance of a fancy wine bar, the exhibition is real treat. My only criticism would be the layout, which in the low lighting makes it hard to be certain you have seen every thing. The overall winner was a technically brilliant picture of an Iberian wolf leaping over a gate. The picture by José Luis Rodríguez has the air of an image from a storybook or fantasy film. My personal favorite is the winner of the wild places category. Carsten Egevang captured this fantastic picture of little auks (below) flying between their summer breeding colonies and their feeding grounds out at sea, in Scoresbysund Fjord, northeast Greenland. This picture shows these birds surviving in a vast, breathtaking environment at very the edge of subsistence. I have only had to opportunity to see Greenland from the air, when flying to the US. It is a country I've always dreamt of visiting and I seeing this picture make me even keener to visit.

Tickets to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition are on sale now, and the exhibition is on until 11th April 2010.