I had the pleasure of visiting the Natural History Museum’s exhibition of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year finalists on Sunday.

I’ve long been an admirer of photography; the dynamicism, drama and ‘wow factor’ of nature caught on film. It’s able to catch the imagination and attention in ways that much man-made art does not. The collection was sadly not available to purchase on any digitised format (a missed opportunity I feel), but there is a hardback book available. You can also view small copies of the images on the website. Entry to the exhibition is 5 (3 for most students or free for students of Imperial College London, and maybe some other London universities). It’s open until April and I cannot recommend enough that you go for a look around.

Naturally, I’m inclined to wonder most about the application and appeal of photography in design work and the Blogosphere is full of some more obvious examples: Jon Hicks stunning redesign is my personal favourite (and the previous version, for that matter). It features a vibrant, unique right-hand background image of a tree and a field (you may need to make your browser window much wider to see it in full). It’s a simple concept, but the effects of a) Its sideways-ness and b) the subtle white silhouette at the base make it a real eye-grabbing addition to the page.

There are many designs in the world that take inspiration or direct use of a sunset image, as well as Hicks-approved trees and leaves. It makes me ponder my redesign a lot. Currently the design is looking along the lines of something quite crisp and tidy, but I’m strongly drawn to try something with nature as well as the effect could be outstanding.