The Crestock Photo Contest 2007: Interview with the final winner Nico Smit

On a poor phone connection from somewhere in the South African bush, ecologist Nico Smit reacted with immense surprise and joy when we phoned him to let him know that his third round entry, entitled "Sprinting greyhound" came out victorious after the final tally of the public and jury votes had been made.

Having last visited the contest pages yesterday, he had started to loose his hope of winning, after seeing what he was up against, but upon receiving our call today, he called it "The best news I've ever had" (let's hope for his sake that he doesn't have a wife and kids!)

The winning photo, shot on film with a Canon EOS 3 and a 400mm f/2.8 lens, was captured at an illegal dog race, held in public as means of gaining publicity for such events and their legal status.
- These events are ideal for perfecting your photography skills, getting the focus right is especially hard.

Nico, better known to Crestock users as "EcoShow", is an ecologist by profession, giving lectures in grassland ecology at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa. His position includes much field work, which he combines with his love for photography, resulting in a portfolio filled to the brim with superb photos of animal life on the savanna.

I'm afraid I'll wake up and realize that winning this camera was all a dream.
- Nico Smit