This was the right whale for the job

One of New Zealand’s most celebrated wildlife photographers, former New Zealand Herald staffer Richard Robinson, has joined an elite club in being named one of the highly commended entrants to the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

One of the foremost in the world, the competition run by the Natural History Museum in London is celebrating its 58th year.

Organisers have released a glimpse of some of the best of the 100 top entries to be displayed in a travelling exhibition after winners are announced next month.

Robinson’s picture of a tohora¯, or southern right whale, was shot on assignment for New Zealand Geographic magazine in Port Ross in the Auckland Islands, a subantarctic archipelago more than 450km south of Bluff.

“This animal is still growing, as evidenced by its not-yet-fullyformed callosities, the clusters of whale lice that mark the face of every right whale,” said Robinson. “Tohora¯ are highly tactile, using their nose, fins and tail to investigate floating objects, which puts them at great risk of entanglement.”

The main challenge for Robinson to capture the image was to swim far enough away during an encounter that lasted half an hour.

Photographers from 93 countries entered the awards this year, with each image judged on its creativity, originality, and technical excellence by an international panel of industry experts.

Among the newly released highly commended images is Dmitry Kokh’s polar bear, framed by a window in an abandoned house on the island of Kolyuchin, in the Russian High Arctic. “Captured by some of the best photography talent from around the world, the 100 photographs encourage curiosity, connection and wonder,” said Dr Doug Gurr, director of the Natural History Museum.

After the flagship display at the museum in London, the exhibition will travel around Britain and then on to the rest of the world.

Visitors to Tamaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum have flocked to see the winning images over the years and will be returning in the new year.

New Zealand Geographic magazine. Kiwi photographer Richard Robinson’s shot of a tohora¯, or southern right whale, was captured in Port Ross, in the Auckland Islands, while on assignment with the

Russian photographer Dmitry Kokh’s polar bear in an abandoned house on Kolyuchin, in the Russian High Arctic, was also highly commended.