Wildlife Photo Competition 2 2013 : Results

Judges Comment
A very well captured diving otter. This is a great action shot, no doubt the result of a long wait. The otter’s face and body are mostly sharp whereas its tail, its hind legs and the rest of this scene are slightly blurred by the panning movement of the camera and a relatively slow shutter speed; a very bold and technical approach considering the rarity of the moment. I love the water coming off the end of the otter’s tail and the natural cold tones. Well done, this is a great shot and the worthy winner of this round.
Photographers Comment
Fly like a eagle :-), that song was in my mind on the day i took this shot. The light was great, the moment was right and the animal was in the mood - what do you want more. Shot taken with Canon EOS 5D Mark II and EF 70-200mm 2.8 - in PS the picture I did denoising, dodge and burn and selective sharpening. Thank you very much for this sucess. Greets Stefan
www.betz-naturfoto.de

Judges Comment
A truly wild scene emanating real peace and natural tranquillity. A white tailed doe and her young going for a drink in a magical pool of light. The autumn colours and the reflection in the water add to the beauty of this scene. Your anticipation and patience have paid off here. What a wonderful shot!
Photographers Comment
This Photo was taken in North Citrus County Florida Along the banks of the Withlacoochee River. The deer came down to the waters edge to drink before going to bed down. I shot the photo with my Canon EO 7D with my EF 500mm L IS lens with a 1.4 extender. I am a self-Taught Photographer. My specialty is nature and wildlife especially birds. In 2008 I won the 1st place in the amateur division for backyard habitat in the NWF photo zone contest. I had a cover photo of the October 2010 Birders Word Magazine. I have photo in various galleries. The links are http://rstrick2.zenfolio.com I also have photos on my FLICKr site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/rstrickland/ My Photography equipment is Canon. I use the EOS 7D, 6D, and use the 28-105 IS, 100-400L IS lenses, 100mm Macro, and the 500 L IS lens. I use the 500 L IS with the 1.4 extender for bird and other wildlife photography. Go to my web site and read my Blog as well as my features
rstrick2.zenfolio.com/

Judges Comment
This is a lovely, no frills, black and white portrait. The animal is beautiful but the low angle and bold close-up crop make this photograph really stand out. I love the full frame earless composition, the sparkle in the eyes and the high contrast. They accentuate this tiger’s stripes and give the picture a graphical, swirly appeal. It is a shame however that some of the whites in the stripes have been burned out, ridding them of any detail. I suspect this was due to overzealous post processing. Great effort though, you are almost there!
Photographers Comment
Jose Luis Mieza Manresa-Barcelona-Spain Leica R8 70-200 mm Photoshop cs6 Nik Silver Efex Pro
500px.com/Reinante

Judges Comment
What an amazing shot of a diving tiger. It is interesting to see how these giant cats (unlike their domestic cousins) fearlessly swim under water. He has a great facial expression with his nose squeezed shut, and a hungry hunter’s attitude. I like the mottled, warm and murky light which creates a swampy Sunderbans atmosphere. Very clever. It is though an extremely grainy photo which I think takes away from its technical quality. Perhaps this comes from shooting through the aquarium glass, or are you really in that swamp? ☺
Photographers Comment
This underwater photograph was taken at the Vallejo (CA) Six Flags Amusement Park during a feeding and taken through the glass, making problems with reflection, cleanliness of the glass and water. The image was made with a Nikon 2000 SLR with Fujicolor 200 negative film, and processed using Adobe Photoshop 7 via a Nikon film scanner. I was visiting the park celebrating my grandson Henry's birthday. Jim W. Vestal

Judges Comment
This photograph is beautiful for its documentary value as well as for its fine photographical quality. Whether this is in a Congo village (which would suggest he is food) or in a zoo, makes little difference. This chimpanzee’s portrait, I think a bonobo, our closest cousin, is wearing what would be a human expression of absolute sadness and loss, reminding us of the woeful story that is man and nature. Great photograph, well done.

Judges Comment
This is great and brings a smile, the black and white adding to the fun. I suppose this is in India and hope you got away! It looks like a wild elephant coming for food from a car. They have been known to stop passing cars and demand food as they threaten to bash in the bodywork! It is a lovely light hearted photo of one of our favourite animals and it shows us how certain species have adapted to human presence and even use this intelligently to their advantage.
Photographers Comment
The photo was shot in in Kaeng Krachan national park in Central Thailand. The elephant seemed to be living in the wild and was a bit shy. He came pretty close to me, maybe 30 meters or so, then stopped, waited a bit, sometimes trying to step a bit closer then back again, until finally disappearing in the jungle. For some stupid reason I was not afraid, though my car was further away from me than the elephant was. And you are right about the food, I drove by the same spot at the same time three weeks later and met him again, this time getting some bananas from a car with locals. So he has some routine and seems to be used to people a bit. And maybe he was used to approaching a car, but not a stand-alone person. Camera was a Canon 30D, lens a 70-200/2.8 IS. Photo was post-processed in Lightroom and Silver Efex Pro.
www.the-ninth.com

Judges Comment
A nice bear and salmon shot and a marvellous event to witness. Well done for getting this so close, I imagine the adrenaline rush you had. Sadly this photo lacks a bit of focus but that is understandable with all of that adrenaline…
Photographers Comment
This is a very young Kodiak brown bear with his fresh catch, a spawning pink salmon on Kodiak Island, Alaska. I shot this with my Nikon D90 The bears allow us to get close as long as we don't mess with their fish, (just like any fisherman I know), but always using extreme caution. I have had the most wonderful experiences living on the incredible and beautiful Kodiak Island, Alaska, there is always a photo op no matter where you are. Thank you so much for the Mark of excellence. I do not have a a web page, how ever more of my photos can be found on Face Book under Forget Me Not's by Gesa Gustafson. Again, thank you so much!!!

Judges Comment
This round’s fun photo! I hope the fishermen lived up to the bear’s expectations.
Photographers Comment
American Creek Katmai National Park Alaska This photo was taken on American Creek in Katmai National Park (Alaska). I took my two sons on this fishing trip just prior to my youngest son's deployment to Afghanistan (U.S. Marine Corps). They were both busy rigging up their fishing rod and were oblivious to what was going on behind them. Luckily I had the camera ready (Nikon D90) and snapped the photo just before the brown bear ducked back into the bushes.