Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2011 a cura del London Natural History Museum e di BBC Wildlife Magazine – Gli scatti più belli della fotografia naturalistica al Forte di Bard, Valle d’Aosta, 28 gennaio – 8 maggio 2012

Pelican perspective From his kitchen table, Bence planned the way he would photograph Dalmatian pelicans. He wanted a water-level perspective of them. So he designed and constructed a catamaran-style floating system, incorporating an underwater camera housing and specially positioned lights and flashes, and set off for Lake Kerkini in northern Greece. ‘It was a huge buzz,’ says Bence, ‘to find that the contraption actually worked.’ Using cables, Bence took photos from a distance away on a boat, monitoring the scene on a screen and altering the settings with the ever-changing light. The fish-eye lens gave the unusual perspective of the pelican’s pouch as it caught a fish thrown back into the lake by a fisherman. © Bence Máté / Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2011 Nikon D300S + Tokina 10-17mm f3.5-4.5 lens; 1/160 sec at f16; ISO 500; Subal housing; three linked SB-800 flashes; floating remote-control system.

Toxic beauty ‘This is what the oil spill mostly looked like, for miles and miles, from one corner to the other,’ says Daniel. ‘Visually, the textures, hues and patterns of the oil were striking.’ Asked why he made images of the oil spill that look beautiful, he answers, ‘It was not my original intention, but photographs of disasters are often harsh. This set of images wouldn’t look out of place in an art gallery, where families could look at them and discuss them. It’s a route to understanding that doesn’t depend on shock. I think it helps get the message to a wider audience, because if the image is aesthetically appealing, people are more likely to stop and read the caption.’ © Daniel Beltrá/ Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2011 Canon EOS 5D Mark II + 35mm f1.4 lens at 35mm; 1/1000 sec at f5.6 (-0.7 e/v); ISO 250.

Polar power After three days on a small boat looking for polar bears in Repulse Bay, Nunavut, Canada, Joe finally got lucky. ‘We cruised at a distance, so we didn’t disturb the bear. Then, once we were sure it was relaxed with our presence, I slipped quietly into the water with just a mask and fins, attached to the boat by a rope.’ The polar bear now started to swim towards the boat, powering itself with its front legs, the toes of its huge paws spread wide. It didn’t appear to notice Joe, and for 20 minutes he was able to take photographs from the water. But then the bear caught sight of its own reflection in the dome port and swam up to Joe. ‘It’s amazing when a huge, powerful animal comes beside you.’ It came so close that its nose touched the housing, startling it. The second after Joseph took this shot, the bear reached out and touched the dome with its paw. Then it turned and swam away, leaving Joe with an unforgettable split-level image of a swimming polar bear – symbolic, he says, ‘of the power and elegance of a wonderful creature struggling to survive in a fast-changing climate.’ © Joe Bunni/ Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2011 Nikon D2X + 10.5mm f2.8 fisheye lens; 1/320 sec at f12; ISO 400; Aquatica housing.

Thomas Hanahoe UK 026 Knot lift-off The bleak mudflats of the Wash Estuary in Norfolk provide an enormous feeding table for waders. As the tide comes in, the flocks are flushed inland. To catch the spectacle, Thom set up on Snettisham beach just before dawn. ‘I watched as, in the distance, hundreds of thousands of wading birds took to the air, swirling in unison before swooping low over the shore to settle on the beach,’ he says. Tens of thousands of knots roosted together, ‘their heads aligned like spectators at a sports event’. But with the arrival of a marsh harrier, all hell let loose. ‘The knots erupted into a wall of wings, and the air filled with an intense crescendo of calls. As the wave of birds started to ascend, I pressed the shutter.’ © Thomas Hanahoe/ Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2011 Canon EOS-1DMark IV + 500mmf4 lens + 1.4x extender at 700mm; 1/2500 sec at f5.6; ISO 1600.

Paul Goldstein UK 032 Taking flight Paul arrived very early on the shores of Lake Nakuru, Kenya, before the rising sun had burnt off the mist. He had returned to photograph the greater and lesser flamingos and used shade, shadows and silhouettes to create drama, rather than sunlight to emphasize their vivid colours. He was helped by a combination of circumstances: rain during the night, a rapidly clearing sky, enough time for the cold air to form mist over the alkaline waters and a hyena hunting for young or infirm birds along the far shore of the soda lake. The predator set up a wave of panic, with those closest to it taking flight and those nearest to Paul standing alert. Ten minutes later, not only had the whole flock lifted up, but the mist had also burnt off, completely changing the scene. © Paul Goldstein/ Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2011 Canon EOS-1D Mark 4 + 500mm f4 IS lens; 1/5000 sec at f10 (-1.7 e/v); ISO 200; beanbag.

Erlend Haarberg NORWAY 017 A wave of waders In spring, thousands of red knots stop off in Iceland, on their way from Western Europe to their breeding grounds in Canada and Greenland. From the windy top of a cliff in Snæfellsnes, on the west coast of Iceland, Erlend watched the feeding flock and planned his picture. ‘Everything was moving. The birds were scurrying to and fro, and powerful waves were crashing in,’ says Erlend. He wanted to show the power of the sea and the resilience of the birds, and over seven evenings, he experimented with different shutter speeds and perspectives, trying to keep the tripod from being blown over. He needed three things: high tide, so that any birds would be corralled up the shore rather than scattered; waves big enough to create a graphic pattern but not so big that the knots would fly off; and early-morning or late-afternoon light so he could use a long shutter speed and capture the movement of the waves. His planning paid off. © Erlend Haarberg/ Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2011 Nikon D700 + 24-70mm f2.8 lens; 1/6 sec at f7.1; ISO 400; Gitzo tripod.