candidates for the Audubon photography contest
This is my first year as an amateur bird photographer but I'm going to submit a photo to the 2026 Audubon Photography Awards anyway. I don't think I'm going to win or even be accepted for that matter, but I believe it's important to have goalposts. Every year, I can improve my photography skills so I can submit a better photo than the year before. It gives me a consistent, scheduled measuring point (are my skills better than they were a year ago?) and an opportunity to reflect (why or why not?). For me, the purpose of a contest like this isn't the prize, it's the accountability for personal growth.
here are my top candidates thus far
if the Audubon contest were a little more artsy, I would consider submitting:
vintage woodpecker
This might be my favorite photo I've taken thus far. The exposure makes it look like a vintage photograph from the 70s or 80s, a photographic style that I absolutely adore.
hand-drawn owl
I overexposed the original shot so I tried to salvage it by throwing the settings WAY out of whack. It ended up looking like a pencil-drawn portrait, another style I love.
plumage standing out
I don't know if the photo quite conveys it, but I know what I felt in the moment. In a sea of black American Coot, the gorgeous black plumage of the Double-crested Cormorant stood out like a sore thumb. I remember thinking, if I wasn't paying close attention, the cormorant wouldn't have jumped out at me in the middle of all the ducks. It was an exciting and satisfying moment to notice something that blended in so well.
