In October, an official jury awarded several photographers prestigious prizes during the competition Wildlife Photographer of the Yearorganized by the Natural History Museum of London. A panel of professionals selected the most spectacular nature photos, printing the beauty of the animal world on film. On November 27, the prestigious British institution is now highlighting the public’s favorite photos during the People’s Choice Award. The public chose twenty-five photos from hundreds sent from all continents, ten of which are presented to you below.
1. “Earth and Sky”, Francisco Negroni
In the south of Chile, near the town of Pucón, the Villarrica volcano regularly carries flows of lava and threatening clouds above its crater. Culminating at 2,860 meters above sea level, it is one of the most active volcanoes in the country. In this particularly pictorial photo, Francisco Negroni manages to photograph a double lenticular cloud giving a singular appearance to the giant of feufeuafter spending ten nights monitoring his activity.
2. “Watching the Kingdom,” Aaron Baggenstos
Still in Chile, but much further south, this photo transports us to the glacial expanses of Torres National Park of theof the Paine. A puma stands out against a seemingly austere mountainous background. The presence of these animals in the region is a sign of real success for the authorities. Cohabitation between pumas and local farmers, the “gauchos”, used to be complicated. But the development of ecotourism in Torres del Paine made them understand the importance of preserving this ecosystem.
3. “Attaque discrète”, Erlend Haarberg
On the surface of the icy waters of Svalbard, a northern fulmarnorthern fulmar goes about his business while in the background, a polar bear swims towards him. Strolling the shores of the polar archipelago, Erlend Haarberg photographed an adult female with her cubs before turning his lens towards this amusing scene. Because if thebirdbird does not seem to have noticed the little bear at first, a game of cat and mouse begins between the two animals. For several minutes, the bear kept trying to catch the fulmar, without succeeding. This predatory game is often observed in young bears.
4. “Evening song”, Christian Brinkmann
In the twilighttwilighton a background of lightslights artificial, the well-known silhouette of the European blackbird stands out. Sometimes you don’t need a pet exoticexotic to magnify the beauty of nature. With this shot, Christian Brinkmann offers a choice composition. The photographer explains that the bird was singing, sitting on a branch near Münster Castle, while music from a themed festival played in the background. The opportunity to capture a moment frozen in time.
5. “Unsold”, Jose Fragozo
A brutal paradox emerges in this photographyphotographythat of seeing a young cheetahcheetah obstructed and immobilized, near what appears to be a container. Captured in the expanses of Somalia, the predator now waits to be sold in Ethiopia, growling at every human being who passes in front of him. In this sector of eastern Africa, wildlife trafficking is a real problem. There biodiversitybiodiversity sees itself threatened for sales at high prices on the black market. Several speciesspecies are thus coveted: if the animals are not captured alive, they are killed and butchered. Several countries such as Kenya have adopted radical measures to combat poaching, although many abuses still escape the authorities…
6. “The Arrival,” Brad Leue
The strange picture that presents itself to our eyeseyes does not allow us to understand, at first glance, the almost surreal setting photographed by Brad Leue. A flight in helicopterhelicopter above Lake Eyre, in South Australia, made it possible to immortalize the arrival of floodwaters in this salt desert. Coming from Queensland, this body of water seems out of place, like an otherness in an arid and parched plain. The photo was a technical challenge to achieve: a ventvent powerful was blowing, while rain began to fall on the horizon.
7. « Meute de loups », Arvind Ramamurthy
In India, the wild world sometimes rubs shoulders with humans. Near the town of Bhigwan, in the west of the country, a pack of young wolves freezes, staring at the goal of Ramamurthy. The Indian wolf population has seen a sharp decline in recent years. It is currently around three thousand across the country. A low number given the size of India, explained by this cohabitation with humans and the harmful aspects of urban and polluted areas.
8. « Un courageux gecko », Willie Burger van Schalkwyk
It’s a battle lost in advance, and almost Dantesque: a small geckogecko stands facing his attacker, a singing goshawk much larger than him. This species of bird endemicendemic of southern Africa mainly hunts lizards, running on the ground to flush out their prey. Here, the gecko tries in vain to defend itself against aggression, a last stand in the face of a disproportionate enemy. The laws of nature are cruel, however, with the gecko not surviving this chance encounter.
9. “Dinner Adrift,” Noam Kortler
A dive in the waters bordering the island of Komodo, in Indonesia, allowed Noam Kortler to contemplate the strange ballet of the wildlifewildlife underwater. A crab illuminated by the flashflash of the camera is positioned on an ascidian. Almost motionless, it takes advantage of the current to try to grab the plankton passing nearby, which will be used to feed it.
10. “At the Edge of the Night,” Jess Findlay
By placing your device in front of the portesportes From a barn outside Vancouver, Jess Findlay was tracking a magnificent owl nestled in the building.
For several nights, the camera took long exposures, particularly when the bird nocturnenocturne took flight and left the barn. A ghostly portrait emerges, worthy of a fantasy film, paying honor to the majestic silhouette of the animal.
