Document Tools

Talk about a bird in the hand: Martin Cooper’s intimate shot of a heron at rest in Burnaby’s Gray Creek took top prize at the recent Canadian Wildlife Photography Contest—and is now featured on a Canada Post stamp.

Cooper, a computer technician in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Simon Fraser University, has been photographing urban wildlife for more than 20 years.

The Burnaby resident came from the UK four years ago and was delighted to discover that “Canada still has wildlife.” He often rises at dawn to wander nearby streets and capture candid shots of local critters such as coyotes, squirrels, owls and raccoons.

Last year he entered the second edition of Canadian Wildlife photo contest sponsored by the Canadian Museum of Nature, Canadian Geographic, and Canada Post. It was the first time he had entered a photography contest and competition was stiff: more than 6,400 entries were submitted in five categories.

In addition to winning the $1,000 first prize in the bird category with his heron shot, Cooper also earned a $500 runner-up prize for a photo of a coyote in the urban wildlife category.

The five first-place photos appeared in the December ’09 issue of Canadian Geographic and in May, Canada Post issued stamps featuring the winning images.

Says Cooper: “It's a great feeling having my photo on a stamp; even better when I get mail with the stamp on the front of the envelope.”

Cooper will soon begin selling his photography through his web site: www.martincooperphotography.ca.

-30-

Comments