Wilmington man wins statewide wildlife photo contest

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — A Wilmington man who used a drone to take an aerial view of the salt marsh in New Hanover County has won this year’s Wildlife in North Carolina photo competition.

Kevin Nestvogel, 25, is a video producer in the marketing department for Live Oak Bank in Wilmington. He also owns Nested Photography, which focuses on landscape and print photography.

“The photo was taken right behind Wrightsville,” said Nestvogel. “It’s so well-preserved. It’s like some remote place.”

Nestvogel competed against 1,800 or so entries to win.

“I have been droning for about two and a half years,” said Nestvogel. “I’ve never won a photo contest before. I briefly skimmed the [congratulatory] email. My heart started racing and I read it again. I was at the office and I felt like I needed to scream.”

His grand-prize winning photo was the first ever taken using a drone.

“Every year we have many amazing images submitted to the competition,” said Wildlife in North Carolina Art Director Marsha Tillett. “The winning photograph for this year grabbed the attention of all the judges. Maybe it was the unique perspective, a look at the world in a different way, or the well-utilized light. But we were all drawn to it. This photograph is dynamic. There is a lot of visual interest in this image but the elements are not competing. It is balanced and well-composed.”

All winning photographs, including Nestvogel’s, will be on exhibit at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh starting on Saturday and on the Commission’s website.