With foxes and badgers bouncing on trampolines and David Attenborough making us gasp at the great Planet Earth, it seems we’ve all gone nature-nuts. So there’s no better time to take a trip to the Horniman Museum and Gardens in Forest Hill – the museum’s latest exhibition, European Wildlife Photographer of the Year, showcases the beauty and diversity of the natural world.
Lead image: Surprised newt by Pekka Tuuri
Opening on Saturday 26 November 2016, the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at The Horniman features all the winning photographs from the 2015 competition, on display for the first time in the UK.
With a total of 84 exceptional and eye-catching images, this exhibition highlights some of nature’s most dramatic, weird and wonderful moments. The overall winner, Shadow Walker, features a photographed urban fox taken by Surrey-based photographer Richard Peters in his back garden. The exhibition also captures heart-warming points in time, for instance a new-born seal’s first glimpse of the world.
‘Shadow Walker’ by Richard Peters, winner of European Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, Horniman Museum
This exhibition is one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to encourage people of all ages to connect with nature. A conversation starter and an eye-opener, exhibitions like this highlight the importance of staying informed on how our world and it’s surroundings continue to change at a scarily rapid rate.
‘There are photos here that will fascinate and delight any nature-lover, as well as some that remind us of the fragility of our world’, says Jo Hatton, Keeper of Natural History at the Horniman Museum and Gardens. ‘But above all visitors will be struck by the sheer beauty and wonderful variety of nature, captured by the artistry of some of Europe’s best photographers.’
Not only is the exhibition free to visit, the Horniman is also allowing the general public to vote for their favourite photograph, with the result being announced on its website on 20 January. The European Wildlife Photographer of the Year is open from Saturday 26 November to Sunday 15 January 2017.
100 London Road, Forest Hill, London SE23 3PQ; horniman.ac.uk
MORE ways to appreciate nature FROM AFAR
Natural History Museum
Another exhibition worth a visit is Wildlife Photographer of the Year at the Natural History Museum, South Kensington. Find yourself mesmerised by images presented with sleek back-lit panels for their most competitive competition to date. Attracting close to 50,000 entries from professionals and amateurs across 95 countries, this year’s exhibition features 100 specially selected images that reveal the astonishing diversity of life on our planet. For the 52nd year running, this exhibition will be available until 10 September 2017. With a curious fox cub, a hungry hornbill and an inquisitive orca all playing star roles, this exhibition is too touching to miss!
BBC Planet Earth II
At long last, our national treasure David Attenborough has returned for Planet Earth II. This well loved series explores how animals meet the challenges of surviving in the most iconic habitats on earth. Snuggled up in the very comfort of your own home, you’re able to see first-hand the extraordinary struggles natures inhabitants encounter. The, sometimes unbelievable, advancements of technology mean that crucial moments caught on camera can be seen closer and clearer than ever before, so what better way to educate ourselves on the planet’s most remarkable places.
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