Take a walk on the wild side: the best animal photography of 2022
From a ball of bees, to snakes hanging in hundreds in caves, to a moving farewell to an old friend, everything from the arresting to the electrifying features in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year
READING LEVEL: GREEN
A frenzied ball of bees which took weeks of waiting to shoot has won US photographer Karine Aigner this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year award.
Ms Aigner lay belly down, in the hot dirt, for what seemed like weeks at “bee-level” to capture the stunning image of a buzzing ball of cactus bees — all but one of them males — intent on mating with the single female at the centre.
Ms Aigner happened upon the bees while working on a ranch* in Texas. She translated that luck into the grand prize, with judges lauding* her composition*.
“What makes the photo complete are the bees coming in from the side,” the lead judge said. “They give you the soundtrack.”
VIEW THE GALLERY
Meanwhile it takes a hardy* soul to venture into Mexico’s “Cave of the Hanging Snakes” — which sounds like something straight out of a horror movie — as Fernando Constantino Martínez Belmar did to capture his section-winning shot.
Every evening at sundown in the cave, thousands of bats leave for the night’s feeding. That’s when hungry rat snakes emerge, dangling from the roof to snatch their prey.
Fernando waited in darkness for his shot, using a red light to which both bats and snakes are less sensitive. He had just seconds to capture the image before the snake retreated back into its crevice* with the prey.
The most poignant* of the finalists was Brent Stirton’s “Ndakasi’s passing”, which won the Photojournalism award for sharing the closing chapter of the story of a much-loved mountain gorilla.
Stirton photographed Ndakasi’s rescue as a two-month-old after her troop was killed.
In this shot, he memorialised* her passing as she lay in the arms of her rescuer and caregiver of 13 years, ranger Andre Bauma.
Dmitry Kokh turned to drone technology to capture his Urban Wildlife category winner: polar bears making themselves at home.
A low-noise drone was used to shoot the haunting* scene of polar bears shrouded in fog at the long-deserted settlement on Kolyuchin.
On a yacht, seeking shelter from a storm, Mr Kokh spotted the polar bears roaming among the buildings of the long-deserted settlement.
More than 38,000 entries from 93 countries were received in the annual competition.
An exhibition of the winning images opens in London this week, before touring across the UK and internationally to venues in Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany and New Zealand.
GLOSSARY
- ranch: farm
- lauding: praising, applauding, commending
- composition: the way that parts of something are arranged together as a whole
- hardy: strong and sturdy enough to survive harsh, dangerous or difficult conditions
- crevice: a narrow but often deep opening, especially in a rock or cave
- poignant: creating or feeling a sharp sense of sadness, something moving or emotional
- memorialised: made something that will continue to exist into the future after someone dies
- haunting: when something is beautiful but also sad, affecting, moving, emotive
EXTRA READING
Curious shark drops in on kayaker
How to be a junior wildlife photographer
Funny wildlife shots are something to smile about
QUICK QUIZ
- How many female bees were in the ball of bees snapped by Karine Aigner?
- What species of bees were they and were did she happen upon them?
- How long did rescuer and caregiver Andre Bauma looked after gorilla Ndakasi?
- What did Dmitry Kokh use to capture the polar bears?
- How many entries were received from how many countries?
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. My favourite photo
Take a look at all of the category winners from this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year award. Choose a favourite photograph. Name four things that you like about this photograph that made it stand out to you.
Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Visual Arts
2. Extension
Experiment with some photography of your own. Choose an animal, plant or object to photograph. Try taking pictures of your subject from different positions and angles (for example, from below, above and at the same level as the subject); zooming in and out on your subject; positioning it differently within the frame; adjusting the focus of your device; etc.
Choose your favourite shot and explain why you think it is your best one.
Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: Visual Arts
VCOP ACTIVITY
1. What happens next?
Pick one of the photos in the gallery and imagine it is part of a story that is made up of three images. The three pictures tell the complete story, and the competition entry image is just the start of the story. Think about what the whole story could be and draw two pictures to tell the rest of this wildlife tale.
Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Visual Arts; Visual Communication Design; Critical and Creative Thinking