THE MANE MAN
Snapper wins top award for image of wild stallion
Aself-Aself-taughtsnapperwhotookuptaughtsnapperwhotookup wildlife photography after being diagnosed with stage four colon cancer has won one of the world’s top photographic awards.
Glasgow- born Scott Wilson won the natural world and wildlife prize in the 2022 World Photography Awards for a striking black- and- white image of a mud- covered wild stallion kicking up a dust storm.
Scott, 54, who moved to America with his family seven years ago, was introduced to the beauty and plight of America’s iconic wild mustangs after seeing the animals up close at Sand Wash Basin in north-west Colorado.
Over the past four years he has travelled regularly to the area to shoot images of everything from battling stallions to newborn foals.
Scott hopes his photo, captioned Anger Management, will help raise awareness of the challenges the horses face, including the US government using helicopters to round them up in record numbers to clear a path for livestock grazing on public lands.
The dad of two said: “If you are not from America, you imagine these mustangs are a treasured icon of the wild west but that’s not the reality. By the end of this year there will be more mustangs in captivity than running free.” Scott, who lives in Denver, took the winning photo last July. He said: “From a natural history point of view, he’s a wild stallion, it’s the middle of summer and he’s just taken a plunge in a mud pool. He’s shaken himself off and he’s pounding the ground, letting other stallions know he’s ready to fight for his spot at a nearby watering hole.” Scot t ’ s photo wa s selected from more than 170,000 entries. He took up wildlife photography in 2016 as chemotherapy meant he had to avoid the sun, so he began snapping animals from his car. Recent tests revealed no sign of the disease. He added: “I’m living my best cancer-free life.”
His shot has been entered for Photographer of the Year, which will be announced on April 12 in London.