A showcase of the winning images along with some commended shots from this year’s competition
THE WINNERS
Under the rainbow
Serkan Hussein
Environment, Winner
JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “Beautifully composed and balanced, we enjoyed the symmetry in this shot, with the pair of cheetahs in the long grass echoed by the two trees, and the moody sky perfectly intersected by a rainbow.”
A bird on the head
Tim Dawes
Portraits, Commended
JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “The stern look of the deer becomes almost comical with a jackdaw perched on its head. The image is perfectly exposed to reveal the rich detail of the bird’s dark plumage.”
Wigging out
Sandra Stalker
Portraits, Commended
JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “This is a simply lit shot with a single, narrow light source from above that starkly isolates the subject from its surroundings. All our attention is brought to the delicacy of the fan – a set of appendages growing from the worm’s head, which it uses to catch food particles.”
Look out
Ash Harris
Behaviour, Commended
JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “The viewer is drawn into reading the fox’s mind as it weighs up whether or not it could catch the rabbit. With the sun low in the sky, the light captures all the texture of the surrounding reed bed.”
White cliffs
Edson Knapp
Environment, Commended
JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “This photograph transports you to another place, and the two penguins subtly but deliberately positioned in the middle, looking at the frozen edge of a giant iceberg, add to the sheer sense of scale.”
Red planet
Ana Amarawansa
Camera Phone, Winner
JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “This mobile phone shot has a strong composition and captures all the vivid colour of the harsh Namibian desert, strewn with these iconic, scorched tree skeletons.”
Snack attack
Patrick O’Brien
Behaviour, Commended
JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “The viewer’s attention is drawn across this shot, from the onlooking bird to its perch-mate, who is keenly focused on the insect about to become lunch. Great colour and absolute precision timing.”
Pollen power
Paul Williams
Plants & Fungi, Winner
JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “We really love the great blast of colour and the close-up view of a bee immersed in its sticky business, completely covered in pollen.”
Cuddle up
