Wildlife Photo Competition 1 2016 : Results

Judges Comment
Well how cute is this? Green and red oppose each other so well and help the poppy make a vivid splash of colour - and a tasty snack for this ground squirrel to reach up for. Just beautiful and a lovely tale. Well done, you win this round.
Photographers Comment
Oh wow! Thank you for selecting this one as the winner and your comment! I just had a look at the site for what is going on and was struck by the news! The adorable European ground squirrels are an endangered species, but there are some locations in Austria where they can be still happy - though just at this time one of the biggest populations - here in Vienna - is in immediate danger because of a beginning construction project. The title of this photo is 'Reaching Out' and it was shot with my old Canon 7d and the Sigma 120-300/2.8 OS. I've changed my camera and lens for that kind of shots recently, but it's still a good combination. There wasn't much post processing besides getting the photo more crispy and softening the beginning hard shadows on this day. My name is Henrik Spranz - and I'm an German amateur nature photographer residing in Vienna/Austria.
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Judges Comment
Smile! This is amazing, that eye, and that mouth! Great scale and composition. Well done for not dropping your camera :-)

Judges Comment
Lovely shot with a nice fun side. So much power wrapped up in a cuddly, furry portrait. Beautiful soft light too. Well done.

Judges Comment
A city dweller. I love how the giraffe seems to be looking over the fence at the town, he is so out of place. Nice illustrative shot with a real story.
Photographers Comment
Thank you so much for the Mark of Excellence award. I call this photo.. "It's A Jungle Out There".. Taken at The Buffalo Zoo, Buffalo, NY with my Nikon D80, 70-300mm 4.5-5.6 lens at 300, ISO 125, f5.6, 1/80sec. This is straight out of the camera, no post processing. I am Joyce Brown from Missouri, USA.

Judges Comment
Well this one comes straight from the horror movies, it gives me the creeps each time i look. You certainly have made a powerful shot here :-)
Photographers Comment
Hi, I'm Usman Proyona an enthusiastic amateur photographer base in Batam Island, Indonesia. I like to capture anything with my Nikon D90 gear up with Tamron SP 90mm lens and this little tiny monster is using macro technic "focus stacking", made from 80 exposure, and it's possible because the ant already dead when I picked her up from roadside.
https://www.facebook.com/usman.ardilaok/

Judges Comment
Lovely roedeer portrait and autumn colours, looks like they already have their winter coats on. I like the mixed up ears and how the second deer makes an effective background for the first. Nice sparkling eyes too.
Photographers Comment
Many thanks for "Mark of excellence" again. My name is Werner Schmäing, come from Germany. I shot this pic with my Canon 7D II and the 70-200 2.8 L IS II, F 4.0, Iso 200, 1/800, 142mm at 8. November last year. These twins (the male is in the front) are at these time 5 month old, comes daily near our house. And yes, they have their winter coats on. Nice greetings to the judges and all time good light!
www.tier-sportfotografie.de

Judges Comment
This is a rare shot and makes it through because of that. I don’t suppose albino white tailed deer are common at all. Well spotted. What an amazing blue eye. It is nice to see that it apparently hasn’t been rejected by its own species.
Photographers Comment
Thank you for the Mark of Excellence! My name is Lisa L Kee. This image was taken in Missouri in January 2016. This is the mother and it's beautiful albino fawn. The mother keeps it well hidden in the tall brush until dusk which made it hard to get this image at all. I shot this with a Canon 7D and a Canon 500mm f/4.5 lens. Post processing in Lightroom 3, with minimal adjustments and sharpening.
www.facebook.com/LisaLKeePhotography