2023 Judges
Michael Snedic
Michael Snedic professional wildlife photographer, writer and tutor. His photos and articles have been published in numerous publications both in Australia and internationally, since the year 2000. He has been photographing across Australia (and overseas) for the past 25 years and he has loved every minute of it!
Michael is a Nikon School tutor, in Queensland and was an Ambassador and judge for the Nature Conservancy Australia’s Photo Competition in 2015, 2016 and 2017. An experienced, professional photography tutor, he is also a writer of photographic articles for magazines such as ‘Australian Geographic’, ‘Wildlife Australia, ‘Australian Birdlife’ as well as various U.K. publications including ‘BBC Wildlife’, ‘Nature TTL’ and ‘WildArt’. Michael has also been a regular feature writer for Australia’s highest selling photography magazine, ‘Australian Photography’, since 2006.
As founder of ‘WildNature Photo Expeditions’, he has presented hundreds of photography workshops, to thousands of participants across Australia and the world, for the past 18 years.
Michael is very passionate about wildlife and nature photography and loves sharing his images and photographic knowledge with others. He is an advocate for ethical wildlife photography and his motto is ‘Take Only Photographs, Leave Only Footprints’.
Tim Van Leeuwen
Tim is a self taught photographer with a focus on photographing Australian birds.
Tim’s interest in bird photography began in 2009 on a trip to Canada/Alaska where he was bitten by the bird photography bug whilst photographing bald eagles. In 2014 Tim joined Birdlife Photography and since then has consistently won awards in the advanced photography section. In 2018 Tim won the Birdlife Photography Member of the year award.Tim has had a number of his images shortlisted in Australian photo competitions as well as having two of his images shortlisted in the BPOTY international bird photography competition.
Tim is the current President of BirdLife Photography and has had a focus on inspiring and supporting members through education and development initiatives.
Tim is retired and in between travelling with his wife and photographing birds, Tim loves spending time with his family which includes eleven grandchildren.
Josh Galicki
Josh is an award winning wildlife photographer based in Washington, DC. He spends the majority of his time out in nature locally and also visits remote and wild places whenever possible. He grew up in rural Pennsylvania, which provided the opportunity to observe and appreciate birds since he was a child. It began with songbirds in his backyard and later led to exploration in polar regions, cloud forests, deserts, and isolated islands across the globe. Josh constantly strives to bring the beauty of nature to life while being informative through his imagery. Some of the best natural experiences can be waiting out the back door and it’s his hope that more and more people are inspired to be curious and start observing what’s immediately around them.
Lia Bocchiaro
Lia is a Photo Editor at the National Audubon Society. Her interest in conservation began while working at the National Wildlife Federation during college. She graduated with a BFA degree in photography from the Fashion Institute of Technology in 2015 with a focus on fine art and has been with Audubon ever since. Each year she curates the Top 100 photos as well as several themed galleries for the Audubon Photography Awards contest. With her knowledge and passion for wildlife and photography, Lia began photographing birds herself with an emphasis on the birds’ habitats and well-being. She now contributes photography for Audubon publications with the goal of elevating Audubon’s conservation mission and advocating for ethical wildlife photography.
Georgina Steytler
Georgina is an Australian nature photographer with a passion for birds, ethics and conservation.
Her interest in photography became a passion over ten years ago when she began volunteer work with BirdLife Western Australia. Since then, she has been working to produce images for use by conservation organisations across Australia (for free), as well as teaching the art and ethics of bird photography through workshops, talks and articles.
She has won numerous awards, including winning the Invertebrates: Behaviour category in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2018, Bird Photographer of the Year 2020 (Portfolio Prize) and the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2016 (Portfolio Prize), among others. In November 2021 Georgina’s first book, For the Love of Birds, was published by Australian Geographic.
Charles Davis
Charles Davis has been photographing the amazing natural world around him for over a decade. Primarily focusing on Australian wildlife in and around his home in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Charles has a deep respect and love for the fauna of our country. The Davis family has owned a large sheep farm near Cooma, NSW, for six generations, and it is here that he finds much of the inspiration for his work. The knowledge and understanding gained about the Australian high country through generations of farming, hiking, and skiing, has been significant to understanding the animals and their habitats. Charles also spent many years travelling the world snowboarding, giving him the skills needed to travel safely through the mountains to places many never see. All of these life experiences have been pivotal to capturing the fantastic worlds seen in Charles’ photos.
The style of Charles’ work is a fine art approach, creating large, beautiful prints in very limitededition sets. As the moments he captures are fleeting and never seen again, so too are the number of prints created. Central to Charles’ artistic inspiration are his two aunts and his grandfather, who are all highly regarded award-winning landscape painters.
His photos have been published in magazines, books and publications over the years. Charles has also filmed and worked on many major nature documentaries for the BBC, ABC, and National Geographic working with the likes of David Attenborough. Charles’ works have been sold to private collectors around the world and have won numerous awards, both Nationally and Internationally.
Shelley Pearson
Shelley is an award-winning wildlife photographer with a passion for birds. She strives to capture bird behaviour in its environment, spending many hours observing behaviour and studying the natural light conditions. Her journey has changed over the years, from getting stock images to now looking for moments of “magic" that tell a story and evoke an emotional response from the viewer. She believes that her work can inspire people to appreciate and protect wildlife and their habitats. Shelley's photographs have been featured in various publications and exhibitions, showcasing her dedication to her craft. She hopes to continue using her photography as a tool for conservation and education.
Shelley does workshops around Mandurah and other areas of Perth. She hosts trips with David and Frances Pollock, owners of Wooleen Station, located in the Murchison area of Western Australia. She considers it a privilege to share the story of Wooleen and the conservation work at the station with other photographers. David and Frances share the story, history, and future of this unique and special outback station.