LIGHT FOUNDER’S CHOICE – Aaron Todd, Canada.
Image Title: Feathered Light
Subject: Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
The patterns in the elongated reflections resemble feathers. I was tickled when I noticed that. I captured this image well before sunrise in Hamilton Harbour, Ontario. I had this specific image in mind for a while. Through trial and error (mostly error), I found the exact spot on the shoreline where the reflections all lined up. I shot this image in portrait orientation in camera to capture the long reflections. The orange lights are for boat navigation, so they flash on and off. The white lights are from the industries along the opposite shore of the harbour. It took many tries to get a photo with a duck in the right spot and all the lights on at the same time. The silhouette of the mallard duck is unmistakably characteristic of the species. Shooting common birds in creative ways is a very rewarding photography pursuit.
Equipment and Settings: Nikon D850 with Nikon 400mm f/2.8G ED VR lens. Focal length 400mm; 1/100 second; f/2.8; ISO 2800. External remotely triggered flash.
Website: www.aarontodd.ca
Instagram - @aaronktodd
WildArthave announced the winners for the second part of this year's wildlife photography competition. The theme for this month is 'light', and has been won by Boldizsár Szűcs from Hungary with a great shot of a European bee-eater in mid-flight.
Each month until the end of the year, WildArt will announce ten category winners. These winners will then go forward to the final, where one of the category winners will be crowned the overall champion.
WildArt Photographer of the Year is a wildlife photography competition created by wildlife photographers, for wildlife photographers, and judged by wildlife photographers.
Here are our favourites, from the 1,000-plus entries that WildArt received.
Gold winner - Angel
A European bee-eater (Merops apiaster) swoops in to land on a dry branch and is backlit by the sunrise, in this image taken in an unspecified location in Hungary. These bee-eaters are primarily found in southern Europe and northern Africa, and feed on bees, wasps and hornets. Photo by Boldizsár Szűcs/WildArt Photographer of the Year
Silver winner - Polka dot
Great Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) such as these can be found anywhere across the world, from Australia and New Zealand to Canada and Greenland. In this image, these large birds fight over a catch in the low winter Sun. Photo by Irma Szabó/WildArt Photographer of the Year
Bronze winner - Dawn roost
A large dawn roost of the four-spotted chasers (Libellula quadrimaculata)on the Somerset Levels, United Kingdom, is a spectacular sight. This roost usually occurs over a number of days in late May. The chasers, which are a type of dragonfly, move slowly up the reeds and dry off in the Sun before they take flight. However, to get a photo like this with the light from the rising Sun is very difficult. In order to capture this image, the photographer had many years of trial and error, and many early mornings. Photo by Robin Morrison/WildArt Photographer of the Year
Founder's choice winner - Feathered light
This image of a mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos) was taken well before sunrise in Hamilton Harbour, Ontario, Canada. The reflections shown are caused by orange lights in the harbour that are used for boat navigation, and flash on and off. The white lights are from the industries along the opposite shore of the harbour. It took many attempts for the photographer to get a photo with a duck in the right spot and all the lights on at the same time. The silhouette of the mallard duck is unmistakably characteristic of the species. Photo by Aaron Todd/WildArt Photographer of the Year
Young winner - City-edge bird
Very early in the morning before dawn, this grey heron (Ardea cinerea)came to feed in this unspecified reservoir in Thailand. The orange glowing balls are from nearby streetlights. The photographed utilised a floating hide to get close enough to capture this unique scene. Photo by Thamboon Uyyanonvara/WildArt Photographer of the Year
Highly commended - The Sun in the wings
This is a photograph of a yellow-billed chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus) in the Italian Dolomite mountains. Behind the bird is the world-famous Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop, which is a famous and popular location for landscape photographers from all over Europe. This bird was attracted by some well-placed grain, and was more than happy to be featured in the image. Photo by Jan Pokluda/WildArt Photographer of the Year
Highly commended - Magic lanterns
This photo was taken during a firefly swarming session one evening in June. The photo was taken near a pond in the forest, the movement of the fireflies being artfully captured by a slow shutter speed. Photo by Norbert Kaszás/WildArt Photographer of the Year
Highly commended - Forever beautiful
Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifoli)trees like these stand tall in death, petrified over the years, sucking up minerals from the Earth. On the morning this image was taken, the snow, fog and the rising Sun created an eerie and ghostly atmosphere. Photographed inYellowstone National Park in the United States. Photo by Khurram Khan/WildArt Photographer of the Year
Highly commended - The baby fox and the mosquitoes
A red fox cub (Vulpes vulpes) studies the mosquitoes that are flying above its head, in this image photographed at an unspecified location in Slovakia.Photo by Ervin Horesnyík/WildArt Photographer of the Year
Highly commended - Flying into the storm
A common raven (Corvus corax) flies across the shore of Tyrrell Lake in Saskatchewan, Canada, just as a bolt of lightning strikes the trees below. As the storm moved across the lake, the lightning was only striking occasionally, so this raven was probably not in any serious danger. Photo by Robin Karpan/WildArt Photographer of the Year
Highly commended - Inside the Moon
This little gecko (species unknown) found a perfect spot inside a warm lampshade. According to the photographer, the gecko withdrew into the lamp, not next to it, in order to ambush insects. The light of the lamp reveals the silhouette of its organic inhabitant to the outside world. Photo by Chris Penker/WildArt Photographer of the Year
This winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) isnot yet in full bloom, but the beauty of the flower can still be seen in this atmospheric image. The aconite is a member of the buttercup family, and is usually found in western Europe.Photo by Njikoha Ebigbo/WildArt Photographer of the Year
Highly commended - Spider Universe
The image was taken in the conservation area known as the Somogy Provincial Association for Nature Conservation, Hungary. Early morning when this image was taken the meadow was fully wet and the spiderwebs were all visible, and home to many spiders like this one. Photo by Krisztina Szakolczai/WildArt Photographer of the Year
Highly commended - Sunset silky
Taken 480 kms off the coast of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, this silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) was attracted to smaller fish, who were in turn attracted to the boat carrying the photographer. He couldn't resist getting in the water with the shark to take this shot, and the low Sun created incredible dappled rays through the surface. Photo by Sean Chinn/WildArt Photographer of the Year
James Cutmore is the picture editor of BBC Science Focus Magazine. He has worked on the magazine and website for over a decade, telling compelling science stories through the use of striking imagery. He holds a degree in Fine Art, and has been nominated for the British Society of Magazine Editors Talent Awards, being highly commended in 2020. His main areas of interest include photography that highlights positive technology and the natural world. For many years he was a judge for the Wellcome Trust's image competition, as well as judging for the Royal Photographic Society.
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