The magazine Eesti Loodus and RMK invite you to visit their exhibition of stunning images of nature  18.03

“The Eesti Loodus Photo Contest stands out among other competitions because of its focus on images of different species,” explained Toomas Kukk, editor-in-chief of Eesti Loodus. “Every photographed animal, plant or fungus needs to be clearly distinguishable; the photographer must provide a short backstory of how the picture was captured and name the organism as precisely as they can. The generic landscape photo category is not represented in the Eesti Loodus Photo Contest.”

The magazine Eesti Loodus has been organising the photo contest for 16 years; with the pictures previously having been published in the magazine and online. This is the first joint exhibition featuring 50 of the most expressive examples from among the prize-winning works of the last three years.

Usually 25-30 prizes are awarded in a single contest: the main prize and the first prize for the best animal, plant and fungus photo, both in the youth and general categories, and also special prizes – for instance, interesting animal behaviour, aquatic animal and aquatic plant, small animal and plant (macro), bird of the year, etc.

The 2016 photo contest will be announced at the end of March. Submissions to the competition may be uploaded throughout the month of September. Winners will be announced and awards presented in November. Additional information is available on the web page www.loodusajakiri.ee.

The exhibition will be open in the atrium of RMK’s Tallinn office (Toompuiestee 24) until the end of May, after which a tour of other RMK nature centres will begin. The exhibition is free and open from Monday thru Friday, from 9-18.

Additional information:
Toomas Kukk, editor-in-chief of Eesti Loodus
tomkukk@gmail.com, 518 9420

Katre Ratassepp, Head of the RMK Communications Department
katre.ratassepp@rmk.ee, 509 6650

Five photos from the exhibition are added to the letter, along with explanations. Photos can be re-published with reference to the Eesti Loodus photo contest.

Author: Joosep Käba
Author’s explanation: Mother raccoon has her hands full with her offspring.
Prize: Eesti Loodus 2013 Photo Contest, Estonian hunters’ special prize


Author: Kenno Kaupmees
Author’s explanation: Sleep did not get the best of me this morning, and so it was that I headed out again. When looking outside, there was no hope of getting a picture. I only knew that a strong wind can create unexpected situations, as it interferes with animal senses, meaning that an encounter would be more likely. At one point, I spotted a log floating downstream, which suddenly crawled to the bank with a river lamprey in its mouth. What a day! The American mink Harju County, February 2015
Prize: Eesti Loodus 2015 Photo Contest, special prize for an aquatic animal photo


Author: Aimar Säärits
Author’s explanation: Eurasian Bluets laying eggs in a row. I was up to my neck in the water when taking the picture.
Prize: Eesti Loodus 2015 Photo Contest, special prize for a small animal photo


Author: Erik Mandre
Author’s explanation: The noble moose tend to spend most of their time in the reeds or bushes, away from the open. Sometimes they emerge from the bushes in the dusk to show off their glorious antlers. To make their crown of antlers even more imposing, they decorate it with what they find in the woods. If you ask me, however, this gentleman has gone a bit over the top with the decorations.
Prize: Eesti Loodus 2015 Photo Contest, Estonian hunters’ special prize


Author: Kaspar Arme
Author’s explanation: Idas Blue on the florets of wild angelica at the end of July, by the edge of Tuhu Marsh.
Prize: Eesti Loodus 2014 Photo Contest, special prize for biodiversity photo