16/10/09 Highly Honored Winner!

My Vervet Monkey image 'Upside down' has been chosen as a Highly Honored Winner for the Animal Antics Category in the 2009 Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards!

The information below will appear on the plaque accompanying my photo at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in the annual Awards Exhibition open from November 12, 2009, through May 2, 2010. This is a one-of-a-kind, large-format print display, viewed by millions of museum visitors.


Vincent Grafhorst, Gaborone, Botswana

Vervet Monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops)

Moremi Game Reserve, Okavango Delta, Maun, Botswana

"Vervet monkeys like to visit the campsites in Moremi where they harass campers and steal food. Despite their bad habits I actually love them, especially the youngsters. Determined to get some close-up shots  I tried some alternative framing to the usual straight portraits. Here I got on my knees to be at eye level with my subject. This baby was hanging upside down from its mother's belly. I framed it to exclude the adult's head, creating an image that may make the viewer look twice to understanding what is happening."

Canon EOS 40D; 500mm f/4L lens; 1/400 sec at f/4.5; ISO 250; handheld.


I quote Nature's Best Photography Director Brianna Potter:
'Your image was judged against tens of thousands of entries for this prestigious recognition and we applaud your determination and skills to capture and share these incredible moments in nature with the general public. Together, we can make a difference in how people view, appreciate, and conserve the wild.'        


For more information about Nature's Best Photography Magazine and the competition please visit:
www.NaturesBestPhotography.com
www.naturesbestblog.com