Wildlife/Animals nominee

I shudder to think that I almost missed the opportunity to capture this breeding Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) enjoy his last moments of the day as I had initially gotten lost in my quest to get to Erin Bay, south Trinidad for sunset. Luckily, I arrived excitedly just as the sun was dropping behind the clay sand hills and in time to capture my friend standing quietly in the brackish water before flying off to find his bed for the night. Even though there was a slight wind and a few fishermen still on the beach, it was a very calming experience for me to observe this lone bird in the water. When he flew off, I felt immense gratitude to him for allowing me to be part of his sunset meditation. It reminded me that when we are open, nature is always there for us, in whatever way we need at that moment.

Marianne has spent more than 20 years exploring our planet with her beloved cameras. She firmly believes that photography is a powerful tool in education. She initially started capturing images of nature for volunteer environmental education projects and more recently, eco-tourism. Trinidadian by birth, she loves photographing scenes with the golden tones of evening light.

Awards- Society of Petroleum Engineers Trinidad & Tobago Energy Conference 2014 Photography Competition Winner; Art Society of Trinidad & Tobago (ASTT)November 2015 Members' Exhibition People Choice Award Winner; ASTT Sybil Atteck Award 2015

Exhibitions- Inaugural Photography (April 2014); ASTT's Members' Exhibitions (November 2014, May 2015, November 2015)

Publications - United Nations Climate Change Report (July 2013); Trinidad Express (December 2013); Discover Trinidad & Tobago (2014);Chilean Government Research Publication on Pine Trees (2014); Caribbean Beat (May/June 2015)