Our Wildlife Our Pride – Nature’s Treasures Photo Competition

June 9th, 2020

The Wildlife Warriors Nature’s Treasures Photo Competition Series One has concluded on the theme was Our Wildlife Our Pride which received 104 images from 41 amazing photographers.

Since the competition began on March 17th, 2020, it has been 12 amazing weeks of 1051 incredible photos from 246 different photographers.

OVERALL WINNER

Ayub Ahmed for a striking image of a leopard.  We spoke to Ayub about his image.

What is the story behind this photo? My son and I were on a camping trip in Samburu. During a game drive, a few of the visitors were waiting for a leopard to come out of hiding in the bushes. Even as others left we decided to be patient. After about three hours the leopard came out, walked across the road facing right opposite my car and that is when I took the shoot.

What do you like about nature photography? Photography is mostly a hobby. I enjoy being alone in the wild, the calmness, and the patience that comes with it.

What advice do you have for upcoming photographers? You need to be patient. Get a camera, go out, take as many pictures as you can, and out of all the photos there will be a good one.

Congratulations Ayub who walks away with Ksh 2000. Follow his amazing work on Instagram @ayub_pics

RUNNER UP #1

Zahoor Ismail for a surprising image of a pair of Secretary birds with one feeding the other.

The judges commend the photographer capturing a special moment of unique behavior. We spoke to Zahoor about his image.

What camera did you use? Canon 7d mark 2

What is the story behind this photo? I took this image in Samburu. As we got into the park, the secretary bird was feeding the baby.

What do you like about nature photography? Taking wildlife photographs is a hobby. Since I was small I have always been interested in nature photography.

What advice do you have for upcoming photographers? The only way to perfect is to go outdoors and practice.

Congratulations Zahoor who wins Ksh 1000. Follow his work on Instagram @zahoor.i.ismail

RUNNER UP #2

Riz Jiwa for a striking image of an impala. We spoke to Riz about his image

What camera did you use? NIKON Z 7

What is the story behind this photo? Things are currently very quiet in the Masai Mara but we have been going out to update people on the status of animals in the park. This was part of a game drive to check on leopards we had heard about. As we were going out, the sun was rising and we passed by this lone impala.

What do you like about nature photography? Photography started as a hobby and now I’m spending more time outdoors in order to get better photos. I like the reactions of people on wildlife photos, causing people to have an emotional response.

What advice do you have for upcoming photographers? Keep shooting. The more you practice the better you get.

Congratulations Riz who wins Ksh 1000. Follow his work on Instagram @Riz_Jiwa

JUNIOR ENTRY CATEGORY WINNER (15 years and below)

Sourish Trivedy for a striking image of a Gerenuk.

The jury unanimously selected Sourish for the junior category for an image that portrays the habitat of the Gerenuk and the spectacular blend of the browns and the greens. We spoke to Sourish about his image.

How old are you? 15 Years

What camera did you use? Nikon D610

What is the story behind the image? It was our last day in Samburu and we were on our way out during the morning hours. We saw this Gerenuk standing tall and posing like a King. It was irresistible not to capture this charming creature in this outstanding pose.

What do you like about nature photography? It brings happiness when you sit in nature looking at the animals. When you take a photo you are capturing a moment that you can keep.

What advice do you have for young and upcoming photographers? You don’t need a professional camera in the beginning. Use your camera as a learning experience to teach you how to work with the settings and how to capture the memories.

Congratulations Sourish who wins Ksh 800. Follow his amazing photography work on Instagram @sourish.trivedy.photography.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

The judges felt that many other photos deserved mention and singled out three additional photos and decided to recognize the photographers for them

Ayub’s other amazing photo was a striking image of Zebras at a water hole taken at Tsavo East National Park. Our judges also commend Suhaib Alvi and Kathan Patel.

The judges were impressed by the quality of images submitted in the junior category and would like to recognize two junior entrants for their striking images.

Hanain Ayub (15) for a well-composed and beautiful image of two Zebras and Veer Sikand (11) for a striking image of lions at a prey which was well taken captured and an incredible moment.

THANK YOU

We take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all the photographers who shared with us their photos in each category over the past 12 weeks. We are indebted to the incredible judges, Usha Harish, Callie Broaddus, and Ananth Krishnamurthy who spent hours judging all the photos each week. We are grateful to Usha Harish for sharing her wildlife photography tips and tricks. Watch the webinar here. We are also grateful to On The Go Explorers for joining us in sorting the photos in some of the categories and for also sharing the competition across their channels.

We hope you have all enjoyed it as much as us and that you will be thrilled to know that Natures Treasures Photo competition will resume with Season 2 in August 2020 with a new list of themes.