Diversion: Wildlife Photographer of the Year

My recent small hiatus was due to my staying in London for a couple of nights; whilst I was there, I visited the Natural History Museum to see the Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2012 exhibition. I cannot reccomend the exhibition enough, having attended it eagerly for the last few years.

To my eyes, it is a cumulation of excellence from many areas. Those interested in photography will appreciate the technical skill and patience of the award winners; those drawn in by wildlife and wild places will enjoy the range of species and landscapes on show. If like me, you are concerned about conservation, the 'World in our hands' category is, as always, poignant, and the rest of the images will remind you of the beauty you feel the need to conserve. I also think that for anybody interested in art, design or aesthetics generally, visiting an uniquely stunning building to see this incredible display is well worthwhile.

I always find it hard to choose favourites, but was particularly impressed by the 'Nature in black and white' category and the impossibly perfect composition of two cheetah mirroring each other atop a rock. The dynamic photos of penguins swimming (one of which is the overall winning shot of the competition) is fascinating in light of the recent discovery of the use of bubbles on the feathers to give the penguins speed.

As this is something I look forward to each year, held in a building I could easily lose myself in for the rest of the day, I thought I should share it so that if you haven't already enjoyed a visit of your own, you now know that you must go!

Here is a pick of the best, from the BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/19978529