A mind-bending photograph of an orangutan with the sky reflected in water has won first prize in the Nature TTL Photographer of the Year 2021 competition.
The image, by Canadian photographer Thomas Vijayan, is called The World is Going Upside Down. It beat 8,000 entries from around the globe to win the top prize of £1,500.
“Thomas’s image is really unique, and immediately stood out to the judging panel,” said Will Nicholls, founder of Nature TTL.
“The unique perspective and composition means you are immediately trying to figure out what exactly you are looking at.”
Mr Vijayan took the photo in Borneo, where he selected a tree that was in the water so he could get a good reflection of the sky and create the upside-down effect.
“This image means a lot to me because presently the orangutan population is reducing at an alarming rate,” he said.
“Trees over 1,000 years old – which are a major asset to our planet – are being cut down for palm oil plantation.
“As humans we have a lot of alternative choices to replace the oil, but the orangutans don’t have any options other than losing their home.”
Vijayan’s photo also won first place in the Animal Behaviour category.
Here are winning images from other categories, with descriptions by the photographers.
Animal Behaviour, second place: Fish Caught by Surprise, by Johan Wandrag
Taken in South Africa, a fish is caught in the moment it is snapped up by a crocodile.
The look of surprise really made this shot stand out to me.
Camera Traps winner: Silhouetted Wood Mouse, by John Formstone
An off-camera flash was positioned to the rear of the subject in an effort to create this silhouette.
Landscapes winner: Tree of Life, by Jay Roode
A sense of waiting pervades this valley [in Namibia] where nothing seems to have happened for a thousand years.
The shadow of an ancient camel thorn tree reaches out, like a blackened hand to the delicate tracings of the Tsauchab River; yearning for the life that once was.
Small World winner: Dance of the Termites, by James Gifford
The termites from this colony were attracted to a light, but after taking several shots, I realised that I could only capture the effect of the swarm by using a slow shutter speed and gradually panning with the flight of the insects.
As they were all moving in different directions, I had to take hundreds of shots to capture what I wanted.
Meanwhile, I had many termites crawling all over me, but it was worth it in the end.
The Night Sky winner: The Eye, by Ivan Pedretti
On Uttakleiv beach, in Norway, these rocks looked like an eye.
The shot is set against the beautiful colours of the Northern Lights above.
Underwater winner: Manta Space Ship, by Grant Thomas
The Maldives is one of the only places in the world where you can dive with these majestic animals at night-time.
For this image, I was positioned flat on the sand, watching one manta looping around and around whilst feeding on a cloud of planktonic creatures which had gathered.
Urban Wildlife winner: Winged Family Members, by Kallol Mukherjee
These barn swallows are building their nest right inside this shop in the Himalayas – safely away from predators.
The barn swallow is revered as the goddess of wealth and fortune… they are taken as the harbingers of peace and prosperity.
So people gladly accept the faeces and other nuisances made by the birds.
Wild Portraits winner: Sleepy Polar Bear, by Dennis Stogsdill
We were watching this rather photogenic polar bear for a while in Svalbard, Norway, when he climbed a ridge and decided to just rest.
All the while the soft afternoon skies created the perfect backdrop for a “sleepy bear”.
Under-16 winner: Spoilt for Choice, by Thomas Easterbrook
This photo was taken while we were watching a starling murmuration.
A peregrine came out of nowhere to attack the murmuration and I was pleased to capture it at work!
All pictures are subject to copyright.
Source link