Digital SLR Photography - UK (2019-12)

(Antfer) #1
© THOMASEASTERBROOK / WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE Y EAR

© ALEJANDRO PRIETO / WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE Y EAR

16 Digital SLR Photography December 2019


2 ) WINNER 2019, WILDLIFE PHOTOJOURNALISM: SINGLE IMAGE: Another barred migrant by
Alejandro Prieto, Mexico. Under a luminous star-studded Arizona sky, an enormous image of a
male jaguar is projected onto a section of the US-Mexico border fence – symbolic, says Alejandro,
of '"the jaguars’ past and future existence in the United States". Today, the jaguar’s stronghold is in
the Amazon but,historically, the range of this large, powerful cat included the southwestern US.
The image that Alejandro projected is of a mexican jaguar, captured with camera traps he has
been setting on both sides of the border and monitoring for more than two years. The shot of the
border was created to highlight President Trump’s plan to wall off the entire US-Mexico frontier.
3 ) WINNER 2019, RISING STAR PORTFOLIO AWARD: Frozen moment by Jérémie Villet, France.
Pushing against each other, two male Dall’s sheep in full winter-white coats stand immobile at the
end of a fierce clash on a windswept snowy slope. For years, Jérémie dreamed of photographing
the pure-white North American mountain sheep against snow. Travelling to the Yukon, he rented
a van and spent a month following Dall’s sheep during the rutting season. On a steep ridge, these
two rams attempted to duel, but strong winds, a heavy blizzard and extreme cold forced them into
a truce. So determined was he to create the photograph he had in mind that he continued
shooting, unaware that his feet were succumbing to frostbite, which would take months to heal.
4 ) WINNER 2019, PLANTS AND FUNGI: Tapestry of life by Zorica Kovacevic, Serbia/USA.
Festooned with bulging orange velvet, trimmed with grey lace, the arms of a Monterey cypress
tree weave an otherworldly canopy over Pinnacle Point, in Point Lobos State Natural Reserve,
California, U SA. This tiny, protected coastal zone is the only place in the world where natural
conditions combine to conjure this magical scene. Though the Monterey cypress is widely
planted, it is native only on the Californian coast in just two groves. Its spongy orange cladding is in
fact a mass of green algae spectacularly coloured by carotenoid pigments, which depend on the
tree for physical support but photosynthesise their own food.

1 ) WINNER 2019, BEHAVIOUR: BIRDS: Land of the eagle by Audun Rikardsen, Norway. High on a
ledge, on the coast near his home in northern Norway, Audun carefully positioned an old tree
branch that he hoped would make a perfect golden eagle lookout. To this he bolted a tripod head
with a camera, flashes and motion sensor attached, and built himself a hide a short distance away.
From time to time, he left road kill carrion nearby. Very gradually – over the next three years – a
golden eagle got used to the camera and started to use the branch regularly to survey the coast
below. Golden eagles need large territories and hunt and scavenge a variety of prey – from fish,
amphibians and insects to birds and small and medium-sized mammals such as foxes and fawns.

W


HEN IT COMES to major international photography
competitions, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year
awards, developed and produced by the Natural History
Museum, London, is arguably the biggest and best.
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year was founded in
1965 by BBC Wildlife Magazine, when the contest was simply called
Animals. The Natural History Museum joined forces in 1984 to create
the competition as it is known today. The competition is now solely
run and owned by the Natural History Museum. Open to all ages and
abilities, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition opens for
entries every October and aims to ignite curiosity about the natural
world by showcasing the extraordinary diversity and fragility of wildlife
on our planet. This year's competition proved the biggest yet, with
over 48,000 entries submitted from 100 countries.
Yongqing Bao, from the Chinese province of Qinghai, won the
acclaimed Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2019 title for his image
The Moment. The dramatic and humourous shot shows a standoff
between a tibetan fox and a marmot, seemingly frozen in life-or-
death deliberations. Chair of the judging panel, Roz Kidman Cox, says:
"Photographically, it is quite simply the perfect moment. The
expressive intensity of the postures holds you transfixed, and the
thread of energy between the raised paws seems to hold the
protagonists in perfect balance. Images from the Qinghai-Tibet
Plateau are rare enough, but to have captured such a powerful
interaction between a Tibetan fox and a marmot – two species key
to the ecology of this high-grassland region – is extraordinary."
Natural History Museum director Sir Michael Dixon comments:
"This compelling picture captures nature’s ultimate challenge – its
battle for survival. The area in which this was taken, often referred to
as the ‘third pole’, due to the enormous water reserves held by its ice
fields, is under threat from dramatic temperature rises like those seen
in the Arctic. At a time when precious habitats are facing increasing
climate pressures, seeing these fleeting yet fascinating moments
reminds us of what we need to protect." Fourteen-year-old Cruz
Erdmann was crowned Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2019
for his image of an iridescent big fin reef squid captured on a night dive
in the Lembeh Strait off North Sulawesi, Indonesia. The winning
images are among 100 being exhibited in stunning lightbox displays at
the Natural History Museum until 31 May 2020, before touring across
the UK and internationally to locations including the USA, Canada, Spain
and Australia. The images also feature in The Wildlife Photographer of
the Year Portfolio 29, published by the Natural History Museum and
priced £25. The 2020 competition is now open for entries and closes
on 12 December 2019. For further information, visit:
http://www.wildlifephotographeroftheyear.com

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