Having completed its third year, Bird Photographer of the Year is pleased to announce the 2018 winners of this prestigious competition.
The winning entry, an explosive image of American Flamingos entitled
Black Friday, was taken by Pedro Jarque Krebs from Peru and scoops him the top prize of £5 000 (about R95 000).
Kreb’s image was also the winning image in the Creative Imagery category of the competition, a category that encourages the digital manipulation of photographs.
Competition organiser and judge Rob Read comments: “Bird Photographer of the Year 2018 attracted an impressive standard of photography and it was going to take a truly impressive image to win.
“Black Friday is an image which is nothing short of explosive; it made an instant and lasting impression on a panel of judges who are determined to push the boundaries of perceived convention. This is photographic punk rock.”
Heading an experienced panel of judges, naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham, comments on the competition: “You can sense the ambition, see the dedication and feel the passion of those who have striven to capture the wonder of nature in these images.
“Now in its third year, the Bird Photographer of the Year competition has grown again – not just in the number of entrants, but in the breadth and standard of photography.”
As well as promoting bird photography as an art form and the photographers themselves, Bird Photographer of the Year helps to raise funds for conservation.
Previous years’ donations have been used by the British Trust for Ornithology to support their bird camp programme run in association with the Cameron Bespolka Trust, aimed at encouraging the next generation of conservationists.
Director of Bird Photographer of the Year Andrew Cleave MBE comments: “We are delighted to have raised funds to help support such a worthwhile cause. Encouraging the next generation is vital to ensure the future custodianship of the environment is in safe hands.”
To view more entries or enter next year’s competition, visit www.birdpoty.co.uk.
Pictures and text: Bird Photographer of the Year
BLACK FRIDAY. This image claimed the top prize, the Bird Photographer of the Year, and a gold award in the Creative Imagery category, which allows image manipulation. Photographer Pedro Jarque Krebs, from Peru, explains: ‘I consider myself to be an animal photographer in the broadest sense of this definition, with interests that extend beyond the realm of nature. I am happy to take portraits of animals in any environment – in the wild or in captivity, in zoos and sanctuaries, or nature reserves and preservation centres. This image depicts a group of intensely pink American Flamingos arguing. I took this photo in Madrid, Spain, at a flamingo sanctuary where they live in semi-liberty. I called this image Black Friday because it reminds me of shopping squabbles that take place on that infamous day.’
SNOWED IN. Ivan Sjogren, from Sweden, claimed a bronze award in the Best Portrait category. ‘These Grey Herons have become celebrities in the birding world. They are a part of a very special population that chooses to stay in their breeding grounds all year round, one of the northern most locations in the world where Grey Herons choose to do that. And this means facing winters that get temperatures down to around -20oC. They survive in this urban lake called Rastasjon thanks to a small water pump that keeps a very small area of water moving through the winter. They are also fed fish weekly by local people that formed a very special relationship with these birds. I took this image on a day where I chose to head out even though the weather forcast said heavy snowfall. I wanted to portray the conditions in which these birds chose to stay,’ states Sjogren.
EYE SPY. Martin Grace, from the United Kingdom, captured the details in this Starling’s head and achieved a silver award in the Attention to Details category. ‘Starlings are one of the most colourful birds in the UK and have very distinctive feather detail. I decided to focus on the head and give an abstract image. To get close enough to the subject I had to construct a feeding station several feet from a hide.’
LOVE DANCE. This photograph claimed a silver award in the Bird Behaviour category for Petr Bambousek from the Czech Republic. The image of two Cabot’s Terns was captured in Florida, United States of America. ‘In a busy, active Cabot’s Tern colony, many fascinating phases of courtship can be witnessed,’ says Bambousek. ‘Depicted in this image is the final phase, just before mating occurred. I spent two hours lying on the ground in the midst of the colony enjoying the bustling colony life.’
BALLET DANCE. Saverio Gatto, from Italy, won the gold award in the Best Portrait category with this image of a Red-necked Phalarope.