Wildlife Photo Competition 2 2014 : Results

Judges Comment
This is a fantastic shot, simply stunning. The low angle for a start and the clever reflection… I imagine your excitement having waited for him for so long. Mr Fox looks really wild and down to the hunting business, mud up to his knees and on the end of his brush. Extraordinary work, congratulations on winning this round but also for having a photo of this calibre in your portfolio, just wow.
Photographers Comment
Thank you so much for choosing my photo as the first place winner in this contest! I am truly honored! My name is Jessica Kirste and I am from the US. I shot this using a Canon 7D with a Canon EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM at Island Beach State Park in NJ. There is many wild foxes that live on the island and one day photographing them I saw this one in a very large puddle and lay down to get him at water level. He walked around while curiously watching me as I snapped away. I love shooting the foxes and this has been my best shot to date! I process my photos using Adobe Camera Raw.
www.jessicakirste.com

Judges Comment
Not one or two but 4 of them, and they’re not just standing around either. These guys are up to mischief and you have photographed them so very well from right down there where it counts the most, down in the dirt. (though I suspect you weren’t there). This is a fantastic well planned portrait of the elusive Warthog family snorting around beneath a wonderful African sky. The wide angle adds so much atmosphere. Well done it was very close.

Judges Comment
Another stunning photograph. The play of the early light is superb, perfectly lighting the main character here. Great shot.

Judges Comment
I don’t think a rattle snake has made the final cut in this competition before. Here is an exceptional photograph. Your composition is graphic and nicely balanced, the depth of field brings detail and a nice bokeh. Well done for getting both rattle and tongue, the movement of the “rattle” making this even more special.

Judges Comment
This is a strong image with high contrast and a clever dark background to make fox’s beautiful colours just pop. Nice sharp focus. It is an unusual yawn shot, though perhaps more illustratively interesting than handsome.

Judges Comment
Well it’s your shutter speed which makes this exciting, the water is broken up into thousands of frozen droplets nicely sublimed by the b+w . I love how his head is pointing straight up giving this image life and motion.

Judges Comment
Aw so sweet. I’m pretty sure this is a fox cub not yet wearing his red coat… Beautiful cute shot, well done.
Photographers Comment
Many thanks for mark of excellence. Ma name is Werner Schmaeing, come from Germany. This little fox was rescued by me, his mother was died on a highway. I feed him 3 month, now is going back in ther wilderniss. Photo is shot with Canon 5D III and 70-200 2.8 L IS II. F 3.5, Iso 100, 145mm, 1/250. Greetings, Werner
www.facebook.com/pages/Tier-und-Sportfotografie/288313417911830

Judges Comment
What a wonderful attitude, and an intense hunter’s intelligent glare. The b+w makes this more unusual and accentuates this lynx’s wonderful coat and black ear tufts.
Photographers Comment
Thank you once again for a mark of excellence. My name is Stefan Betz and I am from Germany. This shot shows a dear friend of mine named Kasimir. One of the lovliest and wildest face a lynx can have.
www.betz-naturfoto.de

Judges Comment
Nice contrast and strong colours give this red eyed tree frog almost alien features. Maybe depth of field is just too short.
Photographers Comment
Thank you so much for the award of excellence! I'm truly honored! This image is actually one of my first "serious" photographs, taken on a trip to Costa Rica a few years back. We were playing with macro photography at night and it got me absolutely hooked on the experience and thrill of wildlife photography!!! I am excited for the opportunity to return again next spring. I agree that a bit more depth of field could add something to this image but I love the focal point and intensity of those eyes! Magical little creatures!! Thanks so much for the acknowledgement!! Nikon D7000, Nikon 105mm f2.8 shot at 1/125 sec at f3.5, ISO 800.
www.sunlight.smugmug.com

Judges Comment
These are beautiful creatures and so content here having a nice mum/child cuddle. Nice graphic image with an interesting look at sea lion behaviour. Well done.
Photographers Comment
Thank you so much for the mark of excellence! My name is Jessica Kirste and I am from the US. This was shot using a Canon 7D with a Canon EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens at the Bronz Zoo in New York City. The sealion habitat at the zoo is made like a natural environment and the marine mammals are free to interact and do what sealions normally do. I caught this young baby interacting with its mother on the rock work. It was really sweet to see a baby and how they interact rubbing the parents and kissing. I guess I was in the right place at the right time on that day! My website is below but I am also on flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/orcaholic2001/
www.jessicakirste.com