Wildlife Photo Competition 6 2013 : Results

Judges Comment
Well it has been very close at the top end of this competition and after lengthy consideration this stunning view of a stag has come through as the very worthy winner. Your angle is superb, the antlers really shown off to their proudest best. But you have not only taken a very original animal shot, you have also very cleverly and sensitively framed a magnificent natural scene putting this beautiful beast right in it’s environment at perhaps the most beautiful moment of the day. We have the impression that the stag is admiring the view! Apart from your fabulous composition you have technically mastered your subject. What a joy this photograph is to admire and i hope it will be closely inspected by all who hope to win this wildlife competition in the future. Just Brilliant with a big B. Congratulations!
Photographers Comment
I'm humbled and honored by the results of the contest. I'm impressed by all the great photos that were submitted. This majestic bull is a wild animal, but in an area that sees a lot of tourist traffic, so he's not particularly threatened by humans. In this case, his biggest concern was the herd of cows that makes up his harem, which were just out of the photo to the right. I shoot with a Canon T4i camera and mostly Canon lenses. I enjoy the outdoors, so landscape and wildlife photography fit nicely with that. Blair, from Colorado
www.imagesbyblair.com

Judges Comment
Well as i said it was very close… This is an amazing and amusing shot, perfectly taken and processed with fantastic detail on that little frog. Clever lighting and composition only add to the beauty of this work. Very well done.
Photographers Comment
Thanks for the Mark of Excelence. This shot is from my trip to Borneo. I used Nikon D700 + Sigma 150/2,8 Macro.
www.facebook.com/reportaznifoto

Judges Comment
Fabulous shot, so close… This is beautiful and very difficult to succeed in underwater conditions. The detail is crisp, the sunlight really setting off this handsome turtle's portrait. The surface of the sea makes a fabulous back drop. Well done for this very deserved mark of excellence.

Judges Comment
A definite favourite and an original subject for this theme. It is a very clever wide angle frame of the cave entrance where all of these bats have come from. Great shot, well done.
Photographers Comment
Hello. My name is Nio Jakop Iskandar from Indonesia. This shot was taken in a bat's cave on the outskirt of city. To do this, I went inside the cave a little deeper and wait until the sun is about to set. Bats have biological clock where they have to leave the cave to find food when the sun sets and return back to the cave just before the sun rises. It is not pleasant to be in the bat's cave. It's dirty, smells pungent and lots of bats' pee and droppings. But this shot is worth it. Camera used is Olympus E300 + ZD8mm fisheye.
www.flickr.com/photos/urbana_fotografica/

Judges Comment
Fantastic shot which you have totally mastered. I am not going to start going on about the beautiful exposure, composition or processing because you obviously know exactly what you are doing. Very well done.
Photographers Comment
Hello. My name is Nio Jakop Iskandar from Indonesia. This shot was taken in a safari park in Bogor, Indonesia. This is an African cow. I was in a car and this cow was so near the window. Set against the background of a distant wall, this cow suddenly turned around and I saw that the curves of the body is very photogenic. I just pressed the shutter. Olympus E1 + ZD 40-150mm
www.flickr.com/photos/urbana_fotografica/

Judges Comment
Here is an interesting shot and very unusual in the sense that the out of focus subject adds to the overall impact of the composition. Rules are there for breaking! The low angle and sharp grasses give a great sense of the wild, the blurry leopard takes on an imaginary, dreamy form and makes this photograph an art work. Quite stunning and very suited to the monochrome finish. This one really grows on you, well done, sensitive work and a bold approach considering the rarity of the subject.
Photographers Comment
Thank you very much for the "Mark of Excellence". I am a Frankfurt/Germany based hobby photographer mainly shooting with Leica. On safaris I also use Canon 5D Mark II, EF 70-200 f/2.8 L USM +2x, with which this picture was taken in Botswana. In 2012 we were extremely lucky to be given the chance to follow this mid-aged leopard during its cruise for prey for about 45 minutes. Fortunately I have a lot of in-focus pictures as well, but in my opinion this image conveys the athmosphere of the moment best: the beauty of the animal and the elegance of its movements, the feeling I had when I released the shutter and the strong memories I have of this exceptionally moment still today. I am very glad the picture also seems to be able to deliver these feelings to you.
www.facebook.com/hermann.schlindwein

Judges Comment
Great action and atmosphere of this wolf pack. I love the dark wolfy tones and of course the interaction between the various individuals, the ibex horn adding to the drama. Well done.
Photographers Comment
Hello. Thank you very much for picking my picture! My name is Andreas Beier, I'm from germany and I'm an animal photographer in the very beginning. The picture was taken in the wildlife park Bad Mergentheim with a Canon EOS 7D and the EF 100-400 4.5-5.6 L IS USM lens. I'm watching the wolves many hours per weekend day and I'm always trying to get special moments like this. Thank you again, this is my very first photography award!

Judges Comment
Here is a very rare shot of a river otter having a good scratch. Apart from the beautiful sharp composition it is a nice look at this animal’s behaviour. More like this please.
Photographers Comment
Hello. My name is Erika Kovácsová. Thank you very much for choosing my picture for the Mark of Excellence. I took this photo in the Wildlife park in Germany with a Canon 7D + 70-200/2,8.
www.erikakovacsova.com

Judges Comment
I think this is a puma… in any case it is a great playful shot and we can only be impressed by those feline claws. I like the colour tones you have created, bringing this photo something extra.
Photographers Comment
Hello and thanks once again for choosing one of my pictures for the Mark of Excellence. My name is Johnny Krueger and I am from Germany. This pic shows indeed a Puma having fun until he noticed the camera shutter and here is the moment his attention was focused on the distraction. It is a captive young Puma in the Czech Rep., he was let out into a natural environment for this shooting.. a little risky but well worth it.. his way of playing is very rough ;) It was in the early morning hours and the picture was taken with a Canon 1D mark 3 with a EF 300 2.8, 1/1000 shutter speed and 2.8 aperture, ISO 1600.
www.pfotograf.info

Judges Comment
It is your very bold composition which has turned this savannah scene into a creative piece of photography. Well done, i don’t expect anyone else would have composed this same view with the two opposing edges really setting each other off. Thankfully a great wildlife shot doesn’t have to be a close up.
Photographers Comment
Honored to have gotten this commendation! My name is Geoffrey Giller; I'm a science writer and photographer. I took this image while visiting a friend who was conducting hyena research in the Masai Mara of Kenya. I had my Canon f/4L 300mm lens on my Canon 1D IIN, and I was fortunate that our jeep was just barely far enough away to squeeze both the cheetah and the acacia tree in the distance into the frame. The cheetah was also kind enough to turn back and smile for the camera.
www.geoffgiller.com