February- Golden Eagle, Scotland
Since it was announced that the 2009 Wildlife Photographer of the Year has been disqualified - a story quickly seized upon by the sensationalist press - it seems that photographers everywhere are nailing their green colours to their green masts and proclaiming their worthiness to the world. But has anything really changed? No. People cheat, deceive, forge and falsify in every walk of life. It's not right but it happens and to bring the whole genre of nature photography - and the ethics that go with it - into question is, in my view, unmerited. There are two separate issues: First, the rights and wrongs of the lengths wildlife photographers will go to in securing their images - that's a discussion for another day. And then there's the simple matter of telling the truth about how an image was captured. That's easy and whether a publisher chooses to 'reveal' that information to the reader is something beyond the photographer's control. There will be some positive outcomes of this discussion, but I for one hope that a petty oneupmanship competition for the ultimate green halo, is not one of them.
For the record, this is a captive golden eagle photographed only metres away from a busy ski resort.
