Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2010

In January, I spent a day in London visiting various photography exhibitions. This was the second year that I have been to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition. I found some very impressive photographs last year and I was not disappointed in the photos in this year's exhibition. The photographs that I particularly liked this year were the following.

Dawn Call by Pierre Verney

A stag stands bellowing in silhouette quite small in the frame against a blue-grey background. There is however a beam of yellow sunshine shining diagonally across the frame so that the stag is standing close to the apex of the angle where the sunlight reaches the earth. The "framing" of the stag is further enhanced by a line of yellow coloured plants in the foreground.

Rock Art by Verena Popp-Hackner

This is a colourful abstract with strong diagonals. Ridges of rocks on a beach are viewed at an angle and the shapes and colours zig-zag from top right down to bottom left. The colours look real and unreal at the same time.

The Big Four by Tony Wu

A photograph of a group of four sperm whales, two facing towards the lens and two sideways on. It seems that they gather together near Dominica to socialize and play. I particularly liked the way the muted sunlight revealed the form of the rather attenuated shapes of their bodies. (I had just finished the "lighting" section of the course).

Back in, front out by Era Malkonen

A delightful photograph of penguins, five with their backs to the lens, and behind them, ten or more facing the lens. Against the white background, the one facing the lens are only visible by their black caps, black eyes and beaks, and a thin outline of black around the shoulders and wings.

A marvel of ants by Bence Mate

The overall winner of the competition, the subject, composition, lighting of this photograph are outstanding. I stood in front of this picture for at least 15 minutes marveling at the shapes and sizes of the ants, the extraordinary length of their legs, the huge pieces of leaf they are carrying and so on. Visually, the mix of silhouettes and back lit and figures around the hole in the leaf is a beautiful touch.