When he woke on his birthday, conditions were so ideal he couldn't resist going out to take some photographs. "The air was so clear you could see the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro more than 25 miles away." Several elements came together to make his entry Elephants below Mount Kilimanjaro special: the clarity of the view of the mountain, the impressive cloud build-up and a line-up of elephants dusting themselves to keep cool as they travelled towards the swamps. Moments later, cloud obliterated the mountain, the line of elephants broke up, and the magic moment had gone. His winning photographs will appear in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London, and also in the November issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine. Martyn's masterpieces were chosen from nearly 17,000 entries to what organisers say is the world's largest and most prestigious wildlife photographic competition. Judges describe his work as a "spectacular image of an elephant family crossing the plain in the shadow of Africa's greatest peak". 'Clash of the bulls'
 | | Clash of the bulls (c) Martyn Colbeck |
One of his other entries, the Clash of the Bulls. was awarded runner-up prize in the same category. Martyn encountered the two huge males in Clash of the Bulls late one evening in Amboseli National Park and could tell immediately by their manoeuvring that they were sizing up and about to fight. He got ready for the inevitable, terrifying thud-and-clank of ivory, setting the camera at a low shutter speed to blur the action and create a sense of movement and power. The bull on the right stopped momentarily, preventing himself from being twisted off his feet. All 84 winning and commended images from the 2005 competition will be on show at the Natural History Museum from Saturday 22 October until 23 April 2006. It will then tour across the country and five continents after its London debut, visiting Bristol City Museum from 10 December 2005. The Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, organised by the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine is open to amateur and professional photographers, and this year a panel of wildlife and photography experts scrutinised entries from over 55 countries for their composition and originality. If you cannot make it to London then all the winning entries can be seen online. Visitor information: Dates: Saturday 22 October 2005 - Sunday 23 April 2006
Tickets: £6, £3.50 concessions, £15 family (up to five, minimum one adult), free to under 5s. Tickets are available on Fridays from 18.00 until 20.50. Opening hours: Monday to Thursday 10.00-17.50, Friday 10.00-20.50, Saturday 10. 00-17.50,
Sunday 11.00-17.50
Visitor enquiries: 020 7942 5000
Nearest tube: South Kensington
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