"Goose Attack" by Josiah Launstein Awarded in 2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year
The moment Josiah squeezed the shutter release on his camera and captured this dramatic image, he knew he had a new favourite. What he didn’t know, but his father quickly suspected upon seeing the picture for the first time, was that it would become a favourite of some of the most respected wildlife photographers and editors in the business.
Selected from over 42,000 images submitted from nearly 100 countries, “Goose Attack” has been awarded in the 2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition (WPY51) put on by the Natural History Museum in the U.K. and BBC Wildlife. It joins Josiah’s “Snowy Snowy” as two of the top-100 images in the competition, and will be shown on exhibit in some of the world’s most highly-regarded museums and galleries in 70 countries. “Goose Attack” is also featured in the competition’s annual portfolio of the top images.
“Goose Attack” is available as a Fine Art Limited Edition print on 100% cotton rag baryta paper, artist’s canvas, archival metal sublimation print or acrylic. Scroll down to learn the story behind the shot as well as how you can purchase a print, of this compelling moment.
The Story Behind “Goose Attack”
Josiah joined his father, John, and sister, Jenaya, on a trip to the southwest coast of British Columbia in the spring of 2015 to photograph owls and waterfowl. While the three photographers had tremendous success with a variety of owl species, Josiah announced on the long drive home that his favourite time was photographing the ducks and geese on a quiet stillwater in Burnaby, BC. When John uploaded Josiah’s images a few days later, he could see why–amidst countless excellent waterfowl shots Josiah had captured was this remarkable image.
The trio arrived at the lake before dawn and was joined by two-time WPY Rising Star Portfolio Award winner, Connor Stefanison, who guided them around one of his favourite lakes for the morning. While Jenaya, John and Connor were chatting at the end of the morning, this goose caught Josiah’s eye. He quickly noticed how aggressively it was defending its territory, charging out at every goose that came near and even flying out at those about to land in the area.
Josiah climbed down from the dock to get to water level, adjusted his settings and began capturing the action. Although Josiah has several outstanding images capturing this dramatic behavior, it all came together in this frame, and both Josiah and John knew he had created a winner.
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To inquire about reserving an Artist’s Proof or one of only 50 Limited Edition Fine Art Prints of this dramatic image, give us a call or simply fill out the inquiry form below, or visit our Wildlife Art Gallery, located in the beautiful Crowsnest Pass in southwestern Alberta!
To learn more about Josiah and his growing list of accomplishments in wildlife photography, please drop by his bio page. You can also work through a short timeline of highlights in Josiah’s journey as a photographer on our About The Launstein Family page.
Finally, don’t forget you can follow the Launsteins’ photographic adventures on Twitter @LaunsteinFamily, as well as on Facebook at Launstein Imagery.