The results from our 2018 Habitats & Landscapes photo contest.
- Winner: Kellie Netherwood
Swan Lake
As snow sweeps across Kussharo Lake, whooper swans seek warmth in a small section left unfrozen from the flow of nearby hot spring waters.
- Runner-Up: Pratik Pradhan
Nightmare
The Spider in this picture is called Poecilotheria regalis. It is a species of arboreal tarantulas from the Western and Eastern Ghats, India.The common name for this spider is Indian ornamental tree spider. I had previsualized this picture long back but the main challenge is to find a tarantula in a perfect place and approach closer to take a wide angle picture. After spotting this particular individual I had to set wireless speedlite behind the tree bark such that it wil backlit the spider but will not be visible in the picture I had set my camera on a tripod to keep the shutter open for longer time to be able to expose stars. I have waited for 4 years before taking this photograph because usually this spiders are found very high on tree trunks.
- Runner-Up: Matt Meisenheimer
Jurassic
An amazing display of light and atmosphere over the mountains of Hawaii's oldest island, Kauai.
- Highly Commended: Sabrina Schumann
Lonely Wanderer
What will his future bring? I'm writing this in the last few hours of 2018, where in September I was able to visit the home of the polar bear for the first time. This was the first bear I'd ever seen in it's natural habitat and one I will always remember. Most of our time shared was viewed through a long lens trying to get that perfect portrait. As he walked away, I decided to switch lenses and watch more than photograph the awe-inspiring ice bear and the place he calls home.
- Highly Commended: Sumeet Moghe
Himalayan Habitat
A marmot near its burrow in the high Himalayas
- Highly Commended: Roie Galitz
Brown Bear's Land
Lake Kuril in southern Kamchatka, attracts hundreds of Brown Bears as millions of Salmons swim upstream to their spawning streams. The Ilyinsky volcano appears in the background, as this entire land is volcanic.
- Highly Commended: Anton Sorokin
River Ray
A pristine freshwater stream in the Amazon is home to a variety of wildlife including freshwater stingrays, a group of animals usually associated with the ocean.
- Highly Commended: Kellie Netherwood
Winter Ice
Visiting Svalbard at the end of winter creates a unique opportunity to sail through a spectacularly wild landscape. The sun has risen from its winter slumber, revealing a beautiful winter scene, dominated by newly formed sea ice and snow.
- Highly Commended: Heidi Crundwell
Beautiful Isolation
Mountain Hare on the Monadhliath Mountains, Scotland.
- Highly Commended: Tibor Kércz
Sound of Wings
In the very grey of the morning - after a few test shots - I captured this photo at slow shutter speed (at 2 s) with large depth of field (f/14) at 220 mm. During the long exposure time magical colours of the NEW DAWN were collected expressing the wonderful fabulosity of the frosted roost area of these dazzlingly beautiful japanese cranes, called "the Gods of Wetland". I will never forget that heavenly blue hour! Location: from Otowa-bashi bridge ("Sound of Wings" bridge) is one of the bridges over the Setsuri-gawa river which runs in Tsurui Village.
- Highly Commended: Louise Stockbridge
Barn owl at sunset.
Was lucky enough to catch this one flying towards me. I knew this was his regular flight path but getting him at the right time with the right light involved many trips. To me, even though the image quality isn't great it really captures the magic of seeing a wild owl in its natural habitat.
- Highly Commended: Fabrizio Moglia
Cave breath
A Speleomantes Strinatii in a dark cave with a strong air current. The wind moved the cave dust and with a simple led lamp I show the trasparency of amphibian and dust moving
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:
