This November Jenaya traveled to Washington DC to take part in the 2016 Nature’s Best Windland Smith Rice International Photography Awards and see her winning image, “Ramscape” on exhibit in the Smithsonian. In fact, Jenaya ended up being one of four photographers from BC & Alberta awarded in this year’s competition, including the Grand Prize winner, Daisy Gilardini! Western Canadian photographers are taking over! Here’s a peak with lots of pictures and a video tour of the exhibit!
Jenaya also had the opportunity to meet with several other young wildlife and conservation photographers and take in WiLDSPEAK, an exceptional conference put on by the International League of Conservation Photographers.
A group of passionate conservationists at WiLDSPEAK 2016 in Washington, DC: (Left to Right) Carolina Fraser, Jenaya Launstein, Steve Winter, Ashleigh Scully, David Rosenzweig, Brian Skerry.
The photographers in the above picture from WiLDSPEAK are gathering some serious accolades! Front and center is the legendary conservation and big cat photographer Steve Winter, recently awarded alongside Jenaya, Ashleigh Scully and David Rosenzweig in both Por el Planeta and Nature’s Best. Carolina Fraser was the Youth winner of the 2016 Audubon Photography Awards (Jenaya’s sister, Marlise, was named to the top 100 of this competition this year–see the story here). David has had quite a year after winning the youth award for Por el Planeta (Jenaya and her brother Josiah also awarded) and now being named 2016 Youth Photographer of the Year by Nature’s Best Photography (Jenaya received this honour in 2013, and Ashleigh has had multiple images awarded by Nature’s Best in the past 3 years). They are joined by pioneering underwater conservation photographer, Brian Skerry.
Following WiLDSPEAK, Jenaya and other awarded photographers gathered at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History for the Nature’s Best Windland Smith Rice International Photography Awards.
Jenaya Launstein at the Smithsonian National Musuem of Natural History in Washington, DC, for the opening of her work on exhibit with Nature’s Best Photography.
As mentioned earlier, Jenaya ended up being one of five western Canadian wildlife photographers awarded in this year’s Nature’s Best Photography competition, including Debra Garside, who co-owns and operates a wildlife and western art gallery in Longview, Alberta (just an hour and a half north of our own gallery in the Crowsnest Pass).
Jenaya Launstein (Pincher Creek) and fellow Alberta photographer Debra Garside (Longview), pose for a picture outside the Smithsonian before their work goes on exhibit.
The Nature’s Best Photography Awards at the Smithsonian are always an incredible experience, and certainly a tremendous honour for awarded photographers. I know I will never forget being there with Jenaya in 2013 when she was named Youth Photographer of the Year alongside Photographer of the Year, Art Wolfe (click here for a few pictures of that experience).
Inside the Smithsonian: the rotunda awaits the arrival of the 2016 Nature’s Best Photography awarded photographers and guests | Photo Credit: Copyright NBP Awards
Finally, the long-awaited moment arrives…
Steve Freligh, President of Nature’s Best, welcomes guests to the 2016 Awards beneath “Henry” the much-loved and stunning African Elephant feature in the rotunda | Photo Credit: Copyright NBP Awards
This year Nature’s Best presented not only the winners of their hallmark Windland Smith Rice International Photography Awards, but also the Audubon Photography Awards and their newest initiative, their Yellowstone Forever competition.
David Rosenzweig, 2016 Youth Photographer of the Year raises his award in celebration while our friends Connor Stephanison (left), Ashleigh Scully, Carolina Fraser and Jenaya look on along with an honoured member of the Windland Smith Rice family. | Photo Credit: Copyright NBP Awards
It’s fantastic to see such a talented crop of conservation-minded wildlife photographers from all over the globe awarded in this year’s event!
Jenaya and the other young photographers from around the world awarded in the Windland Smith Rice Awards, Audubon Awards and Yellowstone Forever competition, along with distinguished members of the Smith family (in bow ties) | Photo Credit: NBP Awards
Although nothing beats experiencing the Nature’s Best Photography Awards and seeing the exhibition in person, this year Nature’s Best asked our friends and fellow-Western-Canadian photographers Jess Findlay and Connor Stephanison to lead a video tour of the exhibition. This video tour does take a while, but it’s well worth the time and lets you experience the exhibition through the eyes of two of Canada’s professional wildlife photographers.
Thanks for letting us share Jenaya’s 2016 Washington DC experience with you! Of course, if you can’t make it to the Smithsonian to see Jenaya’s awarded “Ramscape” in person, we’d love to introduce you to it at our gallery in the Crowsnest Pass, or prepare it as a Fine Art Limited Edition Print or Canvas and send it to you to grace the walls of your home or office.
Jenaya Launstein from Pincher Creek, Alberta poses beside her award-winning image, Ramscape, on exhibit in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. Photographed in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada.
