Stirling scuba snapper Elaine makes a splash at nature awards

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Stirling underwater photographer Elaine Whiteford is celebrating success in the 2021 Scottish Nature Photography Awards.Her image of a long-clawed squat lobster taken in Loch Fyne was awarded second place in the Environmental category and another of her images was shortlisted in the Wildlife Portrait category.Elaine, from Gargunnock, said: “I’m absolutely delighted that the photograph of the squat lobster has been placed by the judges.

I’m very lucky to be able to photograph some amazing creatures underwater so close to home.”The runner-up picture will be part of an exhibition of the prize-winning shots in each of the awards’ ten categories, and both photographs will feature in a book of shortlisted images due to be published later in the year.Elaine, who has been diving for 20 years and is a qualified scuba instructor, had one photograph shortlisted in last year’s awards and was also recently a contributor to a book on scuba diving in the UK.She said: “It’s great to have my work recognised, especially when it showcases our wonderful Scottish waters.”In recent years Elaine’s photography has been showcased on a number of fronts.Her first solo exhibition saw 50 of her underwater photographs featured in Stirling’s Smith Art Gallery and Museum.Elaine has also written for a range of publications including The Scots Magazine, Scottish Wildlife, Diver, The Undersea Journal and The Sea as well as being a contributor wildlife photographer to the Scottish Wildlife Trust.Her work has also featured in a number of exhibitions, such as the Royal Photographic Society’s Projected Image Exhibition, the Edinburgh International Exhibition of Photography and the Scottish Parliament’s Biodiversity Exhibition.She added: “The west coast sea