CMA communications officer Maree Barnes said 297 photographs were entered and each was assessed for suitability to theme, composition, focus or sharpness of image, exposure and creativity. “The judging took place in Bourke this year and was comprised of the president of the Bourke Camera Club, Jenni Davis, professional photographer Sarah Crabtree, and the Western CMA’s Projects Co-ordinator and well-known Bourke artist Andrew Hull,” Ms Barnes said.

Jenni Davis said she found the photographs of a very high standard and praised the way people had used their imagination and thought outside the square to convey the theme ‘Living the Wild Life’.

“There were some great new perspectives and different ways of presenting certain aspects of life that we tend to take for granted,” Ms Davis said.

“It’s easy to get caught up in the everyday but a beautifully shot photograph makes you stop and think about the lives we live here in the country, which is very different from city life.”

Quite a few of the photographs featured wildlife from close-up views of caterpillars and flies to a wide range of lizards including the bearded dragon (Pogona barbatus), Bynoe’s gecko (Heteronotia binoei) and tree dtella (Gehyra variegata).

Jamie Chynoweth of Broken Hill won first place in the Open Colour section with his photograph of a caterpillar from the Anthelidae family, which are only found in Australia and New Guinea.

Former Cobar photographer Sheree Bamforth of Canberra won second prize and a highly commended in the Open Black and White section. Her photograph of the late Ken Grant with his favourite dogs took out the Highly Commended division.