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Stock Photo

Birds in the Human Env/Open

Judge: Shawn Carey

Monday, September 23, 2024

11:30 PM

Submission Deadline:

September 13, 2024

See Competition Rules

Hybrid Meeting (See Remote Meeting Instructions)

United Parish of Auburndale

64 Hancock St. 

Auburndale, MA


Although the general theme "Nature" is no surprise to long-term members, this year we are doing a special version; instead of avoiding the "hand of man" in your images, now we are looking for birds in the human environment. 

What qualifies? Think the inverse of the usual "no-hand-of-man"; your human environment might be as obvious as a pigeon on a park bench or as subtle as the suggestion of a human in the background. Maybe a seabird with a lobster pot in the image.


This approach should level the playing field, so to speak. From experience, we know that playing by the PSA rules generally gives photographers who can travel (and for birds, who have long telephoto lenses) the chance to shoot wildlife images that are much more impactful than (most) landscapes or local wildlife shots. But all of us in the middle of Newton can find "Birds in the Human Environment", so get out and shoot those bird images.

Did you take bird images expecting "no-hand-of-man"? Don't forget these great images still qualify for our "Open" category.

You may submit a total of three images, but only two in the any one category. Categories to use in your file names are Birds or Open.

Judge: Shawn Carey

Shawn Carey (Migration Productions) produces bird and wildlife related multi-media presentations, videos and photo workshops that have been presented all over the United States. Shawn moved from his home in Pennsylvania to Massachusetts in 1986 and started watching birds in 1988. His avid interest in photography was joined with a newfound passion for birding and he began to combine the two in 1991. By 1994, he and good friend Jim Grady started Migration Productions as a way to present their multi-image slide presentations to a live audience.


Migration Productions offers the finest quality bird and wildlife programs with stunning photographs, video, and soundtracks. They feature interviews with many people involved with bird watching and natural history topics. Since 1994, Migration

Productions has presented its programs to camera clubs and natural history and birding organizations including Mass Audubon, Eastern Mass Hawk Watch, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and countless others. 


Shawn’s photos have been published in the Boston Globe, New York Times, Mass Audubon Sanctuary magazine, Science magazine, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary magazine and many others over the last 20 years. In 1997, he started teaching bird photography workshops (Fundamentals of Bird Photography) for the Massachusetts Audubon and he is an instructor for Summer Fields Schools on Cape Cod for Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.


Shawn has two workshops scheduled in November with Mass Audubon.


Saturday November 9, 2024
Take Control of your Digital Photos: Adobe Lightroom Workshop with Shawn Carey


Saturday November 16, 2024
Bird Photography Master Class with Shawn Carey & Mike Milicia


Member of:

Mass. Audubon (Advisory Council)

Mass Audubon Museum of American Bird Art, Canton, MA (Advisory Board)

Eastern Mass Hawk Watch (Past President and current Vice President)

Nuttall Ornithological Club (Past Advisory Board)

Goldenrod Foundation (Advisory Board)

Brookline Bird Club (Past council member 7 years)

Bird Observer Magazine (Board of Directors)

South Shore Bird Club

South Shore Camera Club

American Birding Association

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary

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