Competition
BEST PORTRAIT: GOLD AWARD WINNER Underwater portrait by Felipe Foncueva, Spain
Felipe Foncueva: This underwater image of a brown pelican was taken off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, near the mouth of the Tárcoles River. Groups of pelicans await the return of fishermen and take advantage of the scraps they throw into the sea. Looking at this image, I am struck by the similarity between the way the pouch beneath the pelican’s bill functions and the throat of a feeding baleen whale. In
this category, judges are looking for character and distinctive features. And you could be forgiven for thinking you are looking at a marine mammal rather than a bird! CAMERA: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with Canon 8-15mm f/4 at 15mm EXPOSURE: 1/10sec at f/9 and ISO 200
© Felipe Foncueva/Bird Photographer of the Year
ATTENTION TO DETAIL: GOLD AWARD WINNER Disappearing by Rafael Armada, Spain
BIRDS IN FLIGHT: GOLD AWARD WINNER Thirsty by Tzahi Finkelstein, Israel
Rafael Armada: Reflections are one of the details I like most in nature, because light undergoes incredible transformations when it interacts with water. In a way, it is nature playing with us, with our forms and how we see them. In this photograph, the same water that creates the reflection strikes with force to destroy it, in a sense to overthrow the king. The king is still standing; he knows his reign is not over... not yet. But it will end the day that water no longer creates reflections in the sand. CAMERA: Canon EOS-1D X Mark II with Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 II lens at 100mm
EXPOSURE: 1/30sec at f/14 and ISO 100 © Rafael Armada/Bird Photographer of the Year
“TOGETTHE PHOTO I HAD TO SIT INWATERWEARING AWETSUIT, SHROUDED BY A PORTABLE HIDE, EVERY DAY FORTHREEWEEKS”
Tzahi Finkelstein: Common swifts live their lives on the wing and are a challenge to capture in flight. With a diet of flying insects, they need to drink from time to time, and even that behaviour is performed on the wing. I’d had this image – of a swift skimming over water – in my mind for a long time. I finally found a suitable place to attempt it, and to get the photo I had to sit in water wearing a wetsuit, shrouded by a portable hide, every day for three weeks. Eventually, I got this photo on the final day – the day after the birds had all gone. CAMERA: Nikon D500 with Nikkor 300mm f/4 PF lens EXPOSURE: 1/4000sec at f/7.1 and ISO 800 © Tzahi Finkelstein/Bird Photographer of the Year
Contact Enjoy all the awarded images in a hardback, coffee table book, published by HarperCollins, available online from the website below. The 2022 contest opens on 30 September 2021. Register on the website if you are interested in entering, and be in with a chance of winning £5000. birdpoty.com
Issue 92 | Photography News 19
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