Dolphins, tigers and turtles in focus
The winners of the Nature inFocus Photography Awards 2023 have been announced.
Nature inFocus describes itself as “a photo-led exploration into India’s wilderness – a definitive platform for sharing stories and photography that enables relevant knowledge-sharing and curation for everything nature.” Its competition received 24,000 images from more than 1,500 entrants.
Winners are chosen in the categories of Animal Behaviour, Animal Portraits, Conservation Focus, Creative Nature Photography, Wildscape & Animals in Their Habitat and Photographer of the Year – Portfolio.
Here is a selection of the winning entries.
Animal Behaviour
Avinash PC triumphed for this shot of an ant and some honeydew-secreting aphids in Kannur, Kerala, India.
A special mention went to Spanish photographer, Merche Llobera, for this image of a pod of spinner dolphins in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, near Costa Rica.
Animal Portraits
Brown Boobys spend a significant portion of their lives in the open ocean.
Suliman Alatiqi captured this individual dipping its head underwater at short intervals, and got in position to capture a close-up portrait of the bird from the perspective of its prey.
Christian Ziegler’s image of a bonobo holding a mongoose pup was taken in LuiKotale, near Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The ape later released the animal unharmed.
Conservation Focus
Hiren Pagi’s photograph aims to highlight the conditions in which crocodiles coexist with humans.
The river, near Vadorara, Gujarat, India, has become cluttered with rubbish, causing a threat to their habitat and polluting the water.
A special mention went to Joshua Barton for this image of an Olive Ridley Sea Turtle attempting to swim away from the remnants of a net.
The photographer set it free.
Creative Nature Photography
Arkaprava Ghosh made this photo of line-forest skimmers, after they had positioned themselves on a perennial Phanera Valhi creeper to resemble an inflorescence, or cluster of flowers.
The dragonflies raise their abdomens in unison to fool predators.
The bristles are the brightly-coloured protective hairs of the Slug Moth larvae. The glitter-like effect is because of mushrooms releasing spores.
When the photographer, Anirban Dutta, found the larvae positioned right next to the spooring mushrooms, he did not want to miss the opportunity to capture the dramatic picture.
Wildscape and animals in their habitat
For Nubian Ibexes, the high-altitude rocky terrains are home.
Displays of dominance begin with showing off their impressive horns, captured in this shot by Amit Eshel in the Zin Desert, Israel.
A special mention went to Amit Vyas for this picture of a tiger in Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.
Photographer of the Year – Portfolio
Srikanth Mannepuri’s winning portfolio documents the threat to mangrove forests, and the vast diversity of fish, bird and reptile species which populate the habitat.
Entirely shot from a drone, the photographer zooms out from the mangrove forests of coastal Andhra Pradesh, to capture the magnitude of the threats this unique ecosystem is facing.
Young Photographer
In the dense forests of Satpura National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India, a pair of Oriental Honey Buzzards raid a beehive.
Pranav Mahendru embarked on his journey as a wildlife photographer from a young age, driven by a deep fondness for nature and wildlife.
Arnav Deshpande is a 17-year-old wildlife photographer, who has been honing his skills for the past five years.
On a rainy night, the young photographer spotted this Opilione (harvestman, daddy longlegs) sheltering in a crevice, raindrops glistening on its limbs.
