15th October 2021
Nature is an art form in itself, and capturing the flora and fauna on our planet is a challenging but rewarding profession. This week the finest wildlife photographers, picked from a crop of over 50,000 entries, were hoping to claim the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Hosted by naturalist Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin, a digital ceremony was held at the historic Natural History Museum. Over the course of two hours the category winners were announced before unveiling the grand overall winner.
Among the most memorable was the image 'Grizzly leftovers' taken by Zack Clothier of the USA. This photograph won the 'Animals in their environment' category, and it depicted a grizzly bear peering dubiously at the camera lens before a elk carcass.
The photographer, in his acceptance speech, provided some context for the image: “I discovered the elk carcass while out skiing in the woods near my home. I returned later on and set up a DSLR camera trap in hopes of capturing whatever animals showed up to scavenge the remains. After several weeks I returned to check the camera and I was thrilled to find that I had captured this chilling image of a grizzly bear.” He then described how images like these “continue to inspire me to pursue the art of camera trapping.” This form of photography is gaining popularity as an unobtrusive way to photograph animals, resulting in some excellent yet highly ethical photography.
In the photojournalism category, the winning image was taken by Adam Oswell in Australia, entitled 'Elephant in the room'. According to the Natural History Museum, this was a young elephant performing tricks at a zoo in Thailand. In addition, training for a show like the one photographed usually starts with a calf being taken from its mother and uses 'fear and pain-based punishment.' The image is devastating result of human-derived animal cruelty, and Packham described how “Asian elephants should be in the forests - they're ecosystem engineers...essential to the long-term maintenance of [their] forest. They're intelligent, long-lived social animals, they are not made for exploitation and performance… like this.”
The photographer Adam Oswell spoke on the emotional impact of the photo: “I think it really shows our disconnection with nature and with animals..how we manufacture nature and how we need to really start to consider how we live… with animals and other species.” The photo provides a distressing reflection on society, and reminds us how urgent it is for change to be implemented to protect wildlife. Speaking on the category as a whole, Packham observed the crux of the matter- “unless these photographers go out and show us what's going on in other parts of the world where we can't visit, we won't appreciate the plight of these creatures. We won't be motivated to do something about it.”
In the 15-17 year old category, Lasse Kurkela from Finland took the winning photo of a Siberian jay soaring above the trees, called 'High-flying jay'. The Natural History Museum shared that Kurkela used pieces of cheese to allow the jays to become comfortable with the remote-controlled camera and to 'encourage them along a particular flight path'. In his recorded speech Kurkela said he “wanted to photograph Siberian jays from a different angle” and to “highlight their incredibly scenic habitat, the old boreal forests.” He then explained the unconventional viewpoint of the photo: “this low-to-high angle creates a feeling of being in the forest, looking up at the trees, which I greatly enjoy.”
The former winner of multiple categories in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition in the 90's, Packham enthusiastically pointed out the wonderful features of the image: “that lovely little splash of colour, that rich tan [of the bird], all of the trees pointing at the jay, the wings so complementary- it is an absolutely delicious photograph.”
The night culminated with the announcement of the overall Wildlife Photographer of the Year - and the underwater category winner Laurent Ballesta of France clinched the title. His photo, aptly named 'Creation', presents what the Natural History Museum calls a 'spawning frenzy' taken in French Polynesia. Packham explained the science behind the mystical photograph. “A female grouper, under the light of the full moon, has swum up from the ocean floor where she has released all of her eggs and, the accompanying males, their sperm- leaving this poignant question mark.”
Ballesta described just how challenging the image was to take - “we spent (my team and I) five years in this place, we did 3000 hours of diving to get this particular moment of the grouper spawning. “[It takes] just half an hour in the full year, so you have to be in the right place at the right moment.” The photographer shared his passion for the image, and the intriguing symbolism lying within it: “I'm attached to this picture because of the shape of this cloud of eggs, it looks like an upside down question mark. “So it's a question... of the future of these eggs, [since] only one from one million will become an adult. “But it's maybe more symbolic of the future of nature.”
Speaking to Tammana Begum, Chair of the Jury Rosamund Kidman Cox said of the winning photo: “The image works on so many levels: it is surprising, energetic and intriguing, and has an otherworldly beauty.”
The results of this year's competition reminds us of the old adage on the value of patience - it takes wildlife photographers a great deal of time and energy to provide the magical images we see. Expect to wait hours on the ground, for perhaps no animal to show up; or to miss the split second to press your shutter and clinch the crucial moment of a bird taking flight. And to achieve success, practising your talent, getting out in nature and utilising your camera skills - is essential.
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