2007 Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Ben Osborne ( Nationality - United Kingdom, Country of Residence - United Kingdom)
Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year - Overall Winner
Elephant creation
Pictures in this category should take inspiration from nature but reveal new ways of seeing natural subjects or scenes. They can be figurative, abstract or conceptual but must provoke thought or emotional reactions, whether through their beauty or imaginative interpretation. Ben used his vehicle as a hide while he staked out a water hole in Chobe National Park for three weeks during Botswana’s dry season. When a bull elephant used his trunk to spray himself in the muddy water Ben used a slow shutter speed to capture the low morning light and texture of the mud. Ben said: “I love the energy in this image. In fact, it has more to do with physics than biology as the mix of light, texture, mass, stress, force, velocity and acceleration are all captured in a visually dramatic moment in time. And apart from anything else, it looks like pretty good fun too.” Africa’s elephants are both admired and persecuted. In the 1980s, numbers were halved because of the ivory trade, banned in 1989. However, some southern African countries claimed selling ivory helped fund conservation programmes and in 1997 were allowed some exports to Japan. That was overturned in 2000 by the Convention in Trade of Endangered Species, until a reliable way to monitor illegal killing is established.

© Ben Osborne / Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2007
Canon EOS 1D Mark II N + 70-200mm f2.8 lens (set at 135mm); 1/50 sec at f5; ISO 400; beanbag.

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