The results from our 2019 Wildlife Portraits photo contest.
- Winner: Arthur Veitch
Cougar at sunset
I am enthralled by the moody skies we experience during the summer months in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. Living relatively far north, I wanted to maximise the long summer days by capturing images of wildlife set against the Smoky River valley, with the cool cloud formations that usually gather overhead. On the evening this image was made, my wife and I looked at the sky, with its cool blues and bright pinks, and I said, "wouldn't it be great if a cougar walked through the camera trap right now." This young cat obliged. The image was made with a Sony A7iii, Rokinon 24mm lens, two Nikon strobes and a Camtraptions V3 PIR sensor.
- Runner-Up: Aayush Pandey
Wild Rainbow
Blue-throated Barbet couple in the jungle of Ranibari Community Forest.
- Runner-Up: Serge MELESAN
The Great White Shark
A male great white shark coming to the surface at Guadalupe Island.
- Highly Commended: Anupam Katkar
Rough-skinned Newt
I took this photo in a busy public park. Rough-skinned newts spend much of the year hiding under logs and shyly crawling out to feed. But once a year, for a few weeks in spring, they make an epic trek to their favorite water bodies to breed. I wanted to show how shallow these bodies of water are, and how close they need to be to the lush vegetation that provides cover for these newts. Lacking underwater housing for my camera, I placed it in an inexpensive fishbowl and lowered it as far as I could go without flooding it. I used a fish-eye lens to get the above/under shot that I had been envisioning for over a year.
- Highly Commended: Michal Krause
Marsh Frog
Marsh frog males have highly flexible vocal sacs (resonators) that enable them to make a distinct sound for attracting females.
- Highly Commended: ARUN MOHANRAJ
Glass frog (Centrolene ballux )
This photo was taken in the Andean cloud forests of Ecuador during my trip last year. It is thought that glass frogs have evolved in this way so that when they are sitting on a leaf, illuminated from above, their silhouettes are less obvious to any potential predators. They are easily prone to the change in environmental conditions due to their semi-permeable skin that is easily permeable to toxins.
- Highly Commended: Taylor Albright
Spirit of the Rainforest
The Kermode bear or "Spirit Bear" is a subspecies of the black bear with a recessive gene that causes its fur to be white/cream. Bears with two copies of the gene appear white while bears with one or no copies appear black.
- Highly Commended: Paul Smith
Hoopoe with Large Caterpillar
This hoopoe had young to feed so sat regularly on this perch before taking food to its young.
- Highly Commended: Nayan Khanolkar
The Urban Big Cat
The startling harmony between man and leopard is yet another instance of how Mumbai is unlike any other city in the world. This is perhaps the only metropolis in the world with big cats living right in the middle of the city. The urban leopards of Mumbai have adapted very well to the residents of Mumbai. Usually, they avoid interactions with humans and move silently at night when human activity decreases. Here one of the leopards is seen on its nocturnal prowl through houses of Warli tribals who show great tolerance towards big cats. Equipment used- Nikon D7000 camera, 18-105mm Nikkor lens, Nikon flashes, Trailmaster infra red triggers, home made camera and flash housing. Subject- Leopard, Panthera pardus IUCN Status – Vulnerable
Congratulations to the featured photographers and a big thank you to all who entered! Thank you also to the generous support of our contest sponsors:
