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2007 Banff Mountain Photography Competition
Special Mention

Paul Horsley: American Porcupine

“On a cold winter’s day, driving round central Alberta while exploring ghost towns and abandoned buildings, my partner and I spotted this porcupine slowly making its way across a snow-covered field. I quickly pulled over, grabbed my camera and lens and proceeded on a course that would allow the porcupine to walk towards me. Walking and then crawling through the knee-deep snow wasn’t as easy for me as it was for the porcupine, but I eventually got into position lying down in the snow for a better angle and waited. As the porcupine got closer, it would stop and stand up on its hind legs to get a better look at me, walk a bit further, then stop and look again. This continued for several more minutes while the porcupine slowly made its way towards the safety of the nearby trees. As I checked my images, still lying in the snow, I knew I had the shot with the porcupine looking straight at me.”

Originally from England, Paul Horsley has been based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, for five years. He developed a passion for wildlife at an early age, but it wasn’t until his arrival in Canada and his first visit to the Rocky Mountains that his passion for photography really blossomed. Each time he goes out, he strives to capture something unique — a new angle, alternative behaviour. In contrast to the wildlife in the U.K., Canadian wildlife is relatively easy to find and observe, but it is not necessarily easier to photograph. Paul’s work has been displayed in exhibitions and published in magazines and calendars in Canada.

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