A delightful email arrived in my in-box yesterday, from Nature's Best Photography, an annual exhibition at the Smithsonian Museum that features their best winning images from around the World.  Over 25,000 submissions is normal for this annual event, and to even make the semi-finals is considered an honor.  To make the finals means your print is exhibited at the Smithsonian Museum and included in their publication that acknowledges the winners.  Last year, I had the honor to have had one image make it to the semi-finals, though it did not go any further.  Yesterday, I was notified that two of my images were selected for the semi-finals...one of which is depicted on this blog post.  The finals will be announced later in the year, and my fingers will be crossed for this coveted award.  

The image depicted herein was taken in the Lake Kussharo region of Hokkaido, Japan, this past March.  It captures the story of a flautist that has been serenading these Whooper swans at sunset for over 30 years.  I just happened to be here, set up with my camera for a sunset shot of the swans, which fly into these thermal hot springs to stay warm through the cold winter night.  This gentleman walks down through the woods and sits right in my shot, and pulls out, what I thought was a sandwich at first.  I thought, "Gee thanks Mr., you have just ruined my sunset shot."  I am laying on my stomach on the cold frozen ice of the lake attempting to take this shot at the eye level of the swans, and as this gentleman began playing his flute, these squawking swans, which had been noisily horrendous for hours, suddenly became very quite and still.  It was as if they had flown in for this nightly performance, and how ironic this image would make it into the semi-finals of what is arguably, the greatest nature photography competition in the World.  Fingers remained crossed.