Bandon photographer awarded in national contest

BANDON — A harbor seal pup at Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge was the 2015 third place winner in a photography contest seeking to highlight the diverse, natural beauty found in the National Wildlife Refuge System, the world's largest network of conservation lands and waters. 

Taken by Steve Dimock of Bandon, the image depicts the young seal sunbathing in the Coquille Point section of the refuge. The announcement was made on Dec. 18.

Dimock and his wife Susan, who run the La Kris Inn in Bandon, are both avid and award-winning nature photographers. They run a bird photography website that promotes photography in the area and draws individuals and groups interested in birding photography from all over the world. The Bird Photography group on Google Plus, with almost 32,000 members, can be found by searching “Google Plus Bird Community."

The couple also co-authored “Better Birds: A Photographer's Guide” available on Amazon and both have websites and Facebook pages. They have a permanent display of their photographs on display for viewing and purchase at the Bandon Best Western Inn at Face Rock lobby.

"I began practicing photography when I was still a young child," Steve Dimock said. "In my early years, my father would turn me loose on the world with a twin-lens reflex camera and a roll of film. When I had exposed the film, seldom taking more than a day, he would take me into the darkroom and we would develop the film to see what I had made."

Conducted by the National Wildlife Refuge Association, an independent nonprofit that promotes the Refuge system, the Wildlife Refuge Photography Contest highlights the stunning scenery and wildlife found on more than 560 national wildlife refuges.

“America's national wildlife refuges are outstanding places to capture the beauty of nature and the wonder of wildlife,” said David Houghton, president of the National Wildlife Refuge Association. “Nature photography is a growing passion on our wildlife refuges. We're excited to showcase the skills and talents of the photographers who visit our refuges to visually tell the stories of the wildlife and people that make these places special.”

For his third prize-winning photo, Dimock will receive a backpack from Orvis and birdfeeder from Wild Bird Centers.

Resource: http://theworldlink.com