Submitted by Adam Wang

The Nature Vancouver 2025 Annual Photo Show was a spectacular celebration of nature’s beauty and the artistic talent within our community. This year’s event was nothing short of inspiring, with 147 breathtaking photographs submitted by 38 passionate members. The engagement was truly remarkable, as 48 members cast a total of 276 votes, carefully selecting their favorite images from an outstanding collection.
 
Event Timeline and Presentation
The submission window, open from February 1 to February 28, saw an influx of stunning imagery that highlighted the beauty and diversity of the natural world. Members then had the opportunity to view and vote for their favorites between March 1 and March 16. The highlight of the event was the Nature Vancouver evening showcase on Thursday, March 27, held live on Zoom. This virtual gathering brought our community together in an engaging and immersive experience, where members had the chance to appreciate and celebrate the stunning work submitted this year.
 
Expert Insights
Adding to the richness of the event, this year’s photo show featured commentary on 35 photos from Philip Edgell and Ron Bradner, two longtime photography enthusiasts and friends who frequently critique each other’s work. Phil, a Nature Vancouver member since 1958 and a recognized conservationist, has had his photography published in multiple field guides, while Ron shares his passion for capturing and analyzing stunning nature images. Their keen insights and deep expertise brought a new dimension to the appreciation of the submitted photographs, highlighting the artistic vision, technical mastery, and storytelling power behind each image. Their feedback offered invaluable inspiration to both seasoned photographers and newcomers alike.
 
Members’ Choice Awards
This year’s Members’ Choice voting brought an exciting twist—a three-way tie for 5th place, resulting in seven extraordinary top selections. These winning photographs captivated viewers with their dramatic compositions, technical brilliance, and compelling narratives:

“Pyro Cumulonimbus Cloud” by Murray Hendren – 16 Votes

“Red Sea Star” by Loring Pollack – 16 Votes

“Blue Dragon” by Rick Stokes – 14 Votes

“Wasp and Shadow on a Water Bath” by Rosemary Taylor – 11 Votes

“Mandarin Duck” by Man-kay KOON – 10 Votes

“Hoarfrost & Animal Tracks” by Teresa Gagné – 10 Votes

“Can You Hear Me Mother” by Rick Stokes – 10 Votes

Each of these images tells a powerful story, drawing the audience into a moment of wonder, curiosity, or admiration for the natural world.
 
Photo Access
All submitted photos are now available for viewing at the following link: Nature Vancouver 2025 Photo Show. We encourage everyone to take the time to explore the collection and relive the magic of this year’s show.  For best viewing of the photos in this Google Drive folder, we recommend sorting by name.  First click on 3 bars icon (in the upper right hand corner) to view file names as list, and then on “Name” to sort; then click on 4 squares grid icon (in the upper right hand corner) to view a grid of photo thumbnails.

The video recording with Phil and Ron’s commentary will be linked here soon.
 
Looking Ahead

The Nature Vancouver Annual Photo Show continues to be a highlight of the year, fostering a strong sense of community, creativity, and appreciation for the natural world. Each year, we witness an incredible display of talent and passion, reminding us of the profound connection between photography and nature. A heartfelt thank you goes out to all participants, voters, and volunteers who made this event possible. We look forward to another year of awe-inspiring imagery and nature appreciation in 2026!

You can read more about the Photo Show process, past shows and other activities at Photography Section page.

A few audience comments

We asked a few audience members to share their thoughts about the show.

“The show was again fantastic enjoyed from my armchair. Beautiful work and commentary. I love looking at good photography.”

“… divided into ‘art type’ photos where camera club rules of thirds, triangles, squares etc were the source of comments, and others which I refer to as ‘purely nature photographs’ where something is happening but the main thought is not always the composition […] how very pleased I am that the element of competition has been removed, so members can show their favourite photos for everyone to enjoy. And it was also interesting to note how phone cameras beat out other conventional cameras as the phone cameras are getting so good”.

“Submitting photos worked well and the voting was a fun experience. But what we most enjoyed was the Photo Show itself, viewing all the lovely photos submitted and especially the thoughtful comments by the two reviewers that drew attention to several of the photos and the details that enhanced the impression created by each photo and its appeal.”

“Adam did a great job of organizing and presenting the images within the various categories. […] We had a quiet few moments to view each image and decide for ourselves on their merits, what tweaked our interest or wonder, how they could be even better. The contributions and critiques from our 2 photographers were thoughtful, constructive, and respectful and focussed on the classical features of what makes a good photo, and also where we can sometimes make exceptions to the usual rules of composition, colour, and content etc. I appreciated the fact that they as friends get together frequently to critique their own photos. One can never be complacent about an image, there is always something to learn from and improve one’s photographic eye and skills. I appreciated very much their “thank you” to each photographer whose photo they commented on, and would like to return a big thank you in turn to Phil and Ron for their time and enjoyable, measured commentaries at this photo show. “