We're Back / Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2007

We're back, in a manner of speaking, and an email landed in our inbox today inviting us to enter the Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition 2007. If we do enter, I doubt we'll trouble the scorers, but one thing is for sure: if you don't enter, the odds are stacked against you.

Advice from Mark Carwardine: "Imagine you are a judge looking at thousands and thousands of photographs. Many are technically flawless - well exposed, perfectly sharp and pleasantly composed. After a while you take these key ingredients for granted. You become desperate for something really creative, fresh and surprising to leap out from the screen. The pictures that do leap out are the ones that win. So just repeat the mantra 'originality, originality, originality' first thing every morning and last thing at night and you'll be on the road to success."

Closing date is 23rd March - full details here.

The stunning snowy owl photo is from Vincent Munier - it's one of three brilliant shots that he got in the 2006 competition. He has a book out called White Nature - you can find more details at his web site.