EPI 2007: A Decade of Conservation

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02 September 2007 Written by  Richard McEnery
"Young Buddhist Monk" — Wangdue Dzong, Bhutan. Best in Category (Indigenous Cultures category) "Young Buddhist Monk" — Wangdue Dzong, Bhutan. Best in Category (Indigenous Cultures category)
© Oksana Perkins

Art Wolfe's Environmental Photography Invitational celebrates 10-year milestone

Known for his passionate advocacy for the environment, nature photographer Art Wolfe created a conservation-themed photo contest in 1997 as "an event for the advancement of photography as a unique medium, capable of bringing awareness and preservation to our environment through art." This year marks the 10th anniversary of Wolfe's annual photography exhibit, which has gone through some name changes and is currently known as the Environmental Photography Invitational (EPI).

Working with foundations, nonprofit organizations and industry-related businesses, EPI was able to award more than $10,000 in cash and merchandise this year to 30 different photographers. In total, almost 300 entrants from North America submitted more than 1,400 images for judging in nine categories: Landscape, Wildlife, Flora, Man in the Environment, Environment at Risk, Underwater, Student, Indigenous Cultures and Puget Sound at Risk.

The 2007 judges:

Gary Braasch, nature photojournalist

Danita Delimont, photographer agent

Steve Freligh, publisher/editor-in-chief of Nature's Best magazine

Howard Giske, curator of photography for Seattle's Museum of History and Industry

Darrell Gulin, nature and travel photographer

Kevin Schafer, natural history photographer

Robert Stahl, photographer and teacher

Stuart Westmorland, lifestyle and marine photographer

At the heart of EPI was the six-week exhibit at Art Wolfe's Seattle gallery, which displayed 100 of the best prints from this year's invitational. Here, we present some highlights from that exhibit.

To view the entire gallery, or for more information about EPI, visit epinvitational.com.

Richard McEnery
Story Author: Richard McEnery

Richard McEnery started photographing as an amateur in 1976 at rock concerts and sporting events in New York City. Today, he is a professional photographer specializing in sports, travel, nature, and underwater photography. His nature and underwater work has been featured at the Long Beach Aquarium and the National Museum of Wildlife Art as well as in Popular Photography, Outdoor Photography (UK), Sport Diver, Scuba Times, and Dive Travel magazines. He has also received a "Highly Commended" award in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. Richard has worked at the US Open as an assignment photographer for Tennis Times. He is also a regular contributor on digital photography subjects for PhotoMedia magazine.

Website: www.mceneryphotography.com/ E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it