Wildlife Photographer of the Year

[RobinP]

Some stunning shots here...

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Snow leopard wins top photo prize

Nice to see the technical detail included too.

[gez]

Thanks for posting Robin
these are truly great shots, but i bet many from WAB in these locations would do as well!. cheers gez

[gess]

Originally Posted by gez

Thanks for posting Robin
these are truly great shots, but i bet many from WAB in these locations would do as well!. cheers gez

I agree

There are some great shots there but there is something about the Sulawesi black-crested macaque that i particularly like

Gess

[Wileykit]

I agree about the black-crested macaque - very expressive eyes! What did you think about the winning image? I have to admit that I wasn't blown away by it. Technically, stunning, composition flawless but it was just missing that "certain something". I'm wondering if it's because the photographer wasn't there at the time. Does that make me old fashioned?

[pressld2]

I like the winning shot but if I were judging it wouldn't have got the top spot. Probably a highly commended or such.

Originally Posted by Wileykit

composition flawless

Composition partly down to luck. The photographer was tucked up in bed at the time. The shot was taken automatically when the animal tripped an infra-red beam. So the photographer composed for the landscape but the position and pose of the animal was down to luck.

Dave P.

[DrNickBurton]

I've seen some pretty nasty things said about the winning shot ("not a real photographer", type stuff). I think it's a great photograph, and the effort invovled in getting it must have been considerable. That said, I would not have placed it at the top spot either. My favorite was the fighting eagles.

[Wileykit]

I wouldn't say anything nasty about it - snow leopards are the rarest big cat and weren't even captured on film until Planet Earth, so to get such a shot is a real achievement. I just agree that it wouldn't be my ultimate favourite out of so many amazing shots. Fighting eagles was also great, as was the battle of the Frog and the Snake (sounds like an Aesops Fable!)

[Richard G.]

Not really a primate person myself, but there is something mesmerising about the macaque, I find myself staring straight back at it. Maybe I'm being picky, but it drives me nuts that the horizon is not level though, it wouldn't have taken much to sort that out would it...

[pressld2]

Originally Posted by DrNickBurton

I've seen some pretty nasty things said about the winning shot ("not a real photographer", type stuff).

I haven't seen any of that and I think it's a shame that it's happening. I hope my 'tucked up in bed' comment didn't come across like that! I do think it was a fantastic achievement to get the shot and it obviously took a great deal of planning, researching and effort.

But like you, Dr Nick, my personal favourite is the fighting eagles. I can't help feeling that at least part of the reason for picking the snow leopard as the winner is the rarity value rather than the aesthetic qualities of the photo. But then again, what appeals to one viewer may leave another cold so who knows...

Dave P.

[DrNickBurton]

Originally Posted by pressld2

I haven't seen any of that and I think it's a shame that it's happening. I hope my 'tucked up in bed' comment didn't come across like that! I do think it was a fantastic achievement to get the shot and it obviously took a great deal of planning, researching and effort.

But like you, Dr Nick, my personal favourite is the fighting eagles. I can't help feeling that at least part of the reason for picking the snow leopard as the winner is the rarity value rather than the aesthetic qualities of the photo. But then again, what appeals to one viewer may leave another cold so who knows...

Dave P.

Not at all Dave (you seem like a perfectly nice chap)! I was referring to some comments I saw in this Flickr thread:

Flickr: Discussing Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2008 in Nikon D300 Users