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FINALIST
Wild Coast Icon
On a tour to the Eastern Cape and Wild Coast, one of the attractions was a visit to the world-famous Hole in the Wall. I have seen so many stunning photographs of it, so it was definitely something I wanted to see in person. I had brought my drone along and was permitted by our tour leader to launch it for a quick spin. Most photographs of Hole in the Wall are taken with a handheld camera or smartphone, and my aim was to capture something unique. I decided to fly over it, turn around, and capture the view as seen from the ocean. It enabled me to get a totally different perspective of this famous landmark. By Jacqueline Boshoff, Centurion, Gauteng
Dji Mavic Air; 4.5mm; ISO 100; f/2.8; 1/120 sec
FINALIST
The Chameleon of the Seas
This creature’s real name is “beautiful cuttlefish” – appropriate given its gorgeous warty mantle and the threepronged cirri around its eyes. It has the ability to change colour and blend in with its environment, using the colour change to communicate, especially during mating. These highly intelligent cuttlefish use tiny cells on the skin surface, filled with red, yellow and brown pigments, called chromatophores, to change colours in seconds.
By Peet J van Eeden, Belville, Cape Town
Canon EOS 5D Mark II; Sigma 50mm 1:2.8 DG macro lens; Ikelite underwater housing; two D161 sub strobes; ISO 50; f/16; 1/200 sec
FINALIST
Baobab Star Trail
Kubu Island was one of those bucket list trips I’d wanted to do for a long time. I finally managed to plan the trip, aligned with the night skies for when there was no moon, in May this year. I scouted the island in the afternoon, checking the best composition using the Photopills app and its augmented reality. After finding the right composition, I positioned my tripod and camera at blue hour to take the first exposure, then waited until it got dark and the stars became visible. I took about 200 shots and stacked about 150 together in Photoshop for this image.
By Simone Osborne, Fourways, Johannesburg
Sony A7RIV; Tamron 17-28mm f2.8; ISO 160; f/2.8; 20 sec
FINALIST
Last moments
This image is of an African rock python strangling and killing a blackbacked jackal while a monarch butterfly rests on the snake's head in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. We were on a game drive and stumbled upon a pack of jackals pulling and tugging at the python. We suddenly noticed that the snake had a jackal trapped. The pack eventually accepted the poor jackal’s fate and left. I took this photo from two metres away. A butterfly landed on the snake’s head and remained there throughout the duration of the snake swallowing the jackal – a once in a lifetime sight.
By Danielle Amber Abrahams, South Africa
Nikon D7100; Nikkor AF-S200-500mm f5.6E; ISO: 400; f/5.6; 1/800 sec