Last year, we brought you some of the finalists in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

The 25 finalists were selected out of roughly 50 000 entries, for their incredible photos of nature at its finest. The winner, Yongqing Bao, captured an extraordinary shot of a showdown between a Tibetan fox and a marmot frozen in an impending life-or-death struggle.

The photographs have been on display at the Natural History Museum in London for a while now, giving the public a chance to take it all in and have their say.

Here’s PetaPixel:

The Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition just named the winner of this year’s LUMIX People’s Choice Award, and the perfectly-timed photo by wildlife filmmaker and photographer Sam Rowley is just too good to keep to ourselves.

…While this might look like a random, lucky shot, it was actually the result of quite a bit of patience. According to Rowley, he visited multiple subway platforms every night for a week hoping to capture the perfect moment. The shot itself captures a scuffle that lasted no more than a split-second before one of the mice scurried away the victor.

The winning photo is called ‘Station Squabble’:

Rowley was pretty happy with his success:

“It’s been a lifetime dream to succeed in this competition in this way, with such a relatable photo taken in such an everyday environment in my hometown,” says Rowley. “I hope it shows people the unexpected drama found in the most familiar of urban environments.”

Below you’ll see the finalists who were honoured with a ‘Highly Commended’ nod.

Aaron Gekoski’s thought-provoking portrait of an Orangutan being exploited for performance, Michel Zoghzhogi’s picture of a mother jaguar and her cub carrying a captured anaconda, Martin Buzora’s portrait of a conservation ranger and the baby black rhino he protects, and Francis De Andres’s almost pure-white shot of a group of arctic reindeer.

In order of mention:

Aaron Gekoski – Wildlife Photographer of the Year – Highly Commended

Michel Zoghzoghi – Wildlife Photographer of the Year – Highly Commended

Martin Buzora – Wildlife Photographer of the Year – Highly Commended

Francis De Andres – Wildlife Photographer of the Year – Highly Commended

If that didn’t satisfy your need for nature, check out the winners of Nature Photographer of the Year, or hop on over to Nat Geo’s best animal snaps of 2019.

It’s almost Friday – take it easy.

[source:petapixel]