Wildlife Photo Contest: Open For Entries

Are you one of those people who love viewing Arizona wildlife and the challenge of photographing it?  The Arizona Game and Fish Department invites all shutterbugs to get out, take pictures of Arizona wildlife, and submit them for the third annual calendar photo contest.

Thirteen winning wildlife images will grace the 2009 Arizona Wildlife Calendar, and winners will receive cash prizes.  More than 117 people submitted 630 pictures last year, so the judging is tough! Here are some tips to help make your photos the best they can be:

• Shoot the light. Early-morning and late-afternoon light is soft and colorful, while light from the midday sun can be cold and harsh.
•  Photograph wildlife when they are most active. Take bird photos in early morning; take frog, toad and owl photos at night.
• Take photos of wildlife at their eye level if possible.
• The best photos are taken when the light is at your back and reflecting off the animal.
• For sharp images, use a tripod, especially when using a telephoto lens.

Pictures are judged in a blind judging so there is no personal information associated with the pictures when the winners are chosen.  New this year: All photos must be taken in Arizona, a photographer can only win twice, one best in show and one first place, and there is no theme for the calendar this year, all photos will be accepted.

Phyllis Picardi, the president of the Saguaro Camera Club in Mesa and a lucky winner last year said, “I encourage everyone to get out there; it’s a lot of fun to open a calendar page and see a photo that you took!”

All entries must be received by the deadline of 5 p.m. (MST) Monday, July 7, so share your vision of Arizona wildlife by entering today!  For more information, go online to www.azgfd.gov/photocontest.