|
BG
Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2002
by
Brian Pitkin |
|
|
Organised
by BBC Wildlife magazine and The Natural History Museum and
sponsored by the BG Group, this is an annual event, which
is now the largest and most prestigious of its kind in the
world.
Its
aim is to gather together, the best wildlife images taken
by photographers throughout the world, and to emphasise through
such photographs the beauty, wonder and importance of the
natural world. This year, photographers from over 60 countries
entered more than 18,500 slides into the competition.
The
competition comprises numerous categories including The Underwater
World. |
|
The
Underwater World Winner
Belugas
Doug
Allan (UK)
These
sociable and inquisitive mammals are among the most vocal
of the toothed whales. You’ll hear their amazing repertoire
of squeaks, twitters and clicks even above the surface. The
best way to see them (in this case, in Lancaster Sound in
the Canadian Arctic) is by snorkelling and singing softly,
waiting until you become an object of curiosity. They become
aware of you by using echolocation and will eventually come
over for a look. They tend to hang beneath you (as in this
case), peering up at your silhouette while you appreciate
their pristine white against the blue-black depths. |
Belugas.Doug
Allan (UK)
Nikonos
V with 20mm lens; 1/125 sec at f5.6; Fujichrome Sensia 200. |
|
The
Underwater World Runner-up
Bigeye
jacks on the move
Malcolm
Hey (UK)
At
night, these predators hunt alone. But during the day, they
gather in huge numbers at their favoured spots on the reef.
While diving in the Solomon Islands, I found a sea-mount with
a resident shoal. After watching for a while, I saw that they
were circling the mount in a regular pattern, crossing the
same part of the reef each time. I waited for the shoal to
pass, then positioned myself in its path. As the fish re-appeared,
I held my breath to prevent bubbles from spooking them. Then
I rose up right in front of them and took several photographs
as the shoal parted just inches in front of my camera. |
Bigeye
jacks on the move
Malcolm
Hey (UK)
Nikon
F90x with 16mm fish-eye lens; 1/80sec at f8; Fujichrome Velvia
50; underwater housing; one strobe |
|
The
Underwater World Specially Commended
Saltwater
crocodile on a coral reef
Kelvin
Aitken (Australia)
A
subordinate saltwater (Indopacific) crocodile which fails
to establish a territory may be forced out of the tidal river
system by more dominant individuals. It will then scour the
coast in search of another rivermouth to settle in. I found
this rather undernourished, 1.5m-long crocodile travelling
across an inshore coral reef near Popendetta in eastern Papua
New Guinea. It swam by sweeping its tail from side to side,
swinging gracefully from the hips. For extra power, it would
lower its hind legs and ‘run’ across the seabed. Saltwater
crocodiles can, in fact, travel more than 1,000km by sea. |
Saltwater
crocodile on a coral reef
Kelvin
Aitken (Australia)
Canon
EOS 3 with 20mm lens; 1/60sec at f5.6; Fujichrome Velvia 50;
underwater housing. |
|
Highly
commended were Constantinos Petrinos (Greece), Doc White (USA),
Malcolm Hey (UK) and Sally Sharrock (UK). |
|
The
Underwater World Highly Commended
Pygmy
goby resting on star coral
Malcolm
Hey (UK)
The
pygmy goby is less than two centimetres long, and lives in
close association with reef creatures such as corals and sponges.
As I drifted alongside a wall on a coral reef at Bunaken Island
in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, I spotted several gobies on
a star coral. They were easily spooked by the close proximity
of my camera lens and the light from my lamp, and so I had
to pre-focus on the spot where I anticipated one would alight
and then wait patiently for it to settle. |
Pygmy
goby resting on star coral
Malcolm
Hey (UK)
Nikon
801s with 105 mm macro lens; 1/100 sec at f22; Fujichrome
Velvia 50; underwater housing; two strobes. |
|
The
Underwater World Highly Commended
Striped
mackerel feeding
Sally
Sharrock
There
must have been more than 40 mackerel in this shoal. I found
them filter-feeding on plankton in the shallows at Marsa Egla
in the Red Sea when I was swimming to shore after a dive.
They moved in tight, perfectly synchronised formations. I
knew how easy it would be to disperse them, and so I waited
until there was a gap in the circle, then quickly slipped
into the centre of the whirling carousel. The mackerel cruised
around me, seemingly oblivious to my presence. |
Nikon
F90x with 60mm lens; 1/125 sec at f8; Fujichrome Sensia; underwater
housing. |
|
The
exhibition of prize-winning images is on show at The Natural
History Museum from 19 October 2002 until 5 May 2003, and
throughout the year at various UK and international venues.
Wildlife
Photographer of the Year
|
