And the winner is a kangaroo playing an air guitar.
He Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards They return for another year and the grand prize goes to photographer Jason Moore for his photograph titled “Air Guitar Roo.”
Moore’s hilarious photo captured the moment a young western gray kangaroo had a moment to herself where she appeared to be playing an invisible guitar with her eyes closed in happiness.
The photo was taken in the suburbs of Perth, Australia, in a field full of kangaroos jumping between clusters of flowers.
“I was out with my camera photographing some waterfowl on a nearby lake. “I had gotten up at dawn to take advantage of the ‘golden hour’ light, but it turned out to be a disappointing morning on the water,” Moore said in a statement.
Started by photographers for photographers, the awards are chosen from thousands of submissions each year.
The image was chosen from among 5,300 applications submitted by 1,842 participants from 85 countries.
Although Moore had passed this location many times, he decided to go out and walk with his camera on that day in August 2021 when the light illuminated the field perfectly.
He stated that despite their sometimes harsh reputation, kangaroos are usually quite docile and “even a little bored most of the time.”
“I ended up filming about 40 or 50 frames of the kangaroos with various content, including moms, Joeys and also some action shots of them hopping around the yellow field,” Moore said.
“However, when I saw this roo doing the air guitar pose, it immediately made me smile and I knew I had captured something really special. “
Organizers say the decision was made in the closest victory ever recorded in the competition.
Moore will receive a Safari in Kenya courtesy of Serian by Alex Walker, a camera bag from ThinkTank, and a handmade trophy from the Wonder Workshop in Tanzania.
Several other photographs received special mentions from the judges.
The contest will reopen for new entries in March 2024.
