Jacek Stankiewicz, Adrian Slazok, Jaroslaw Kolacz
Four Poles have been shortlisted as finalists in the latest edition of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.
First launched in 2015, the competition was created to help the public empathise with and connect to the natural world.
Now celebrated internationally, the competition is open to both amateur and professional photographers with this year’s instalment attracting thousands of entrants.
In one entitled ‘Dispute’ captured by Jacek Stankiewicz from Kraków, two birds are seen embroiled in what appears to be an animated argument.
These, now, have been whittled down to a shortlist of forty-one.
Of these are four photographs taken by Polish snappers.
In one entitled ‘Dispute’ captured by Jacek Stankiewicz from Kraków, two birds are seen embroiled in what appears to be an animated argument.
Bold, vibrant colours define ‘I Don’t Know’ by Jakub Wozny from Warta and shows a striking shot of a dragonfly that appears to be shrugging.
“I caught this scene while watching birds in the Bialowieza Forest,” says Stankiewicz. “The young greenfinch was still being fed by its parents, however, from time-to-time it looked like it was arguing.
“My friends interpreted this as a young, naughty kid fighting with a parent, while others thought it looked more like a kid telling a parent that its brother had done something wrong: ‘Look, he’s broken the window!’”
Bold, vibrant colours define ‘I Don’t Know’, a striking shot of a dragonfly that appears to be shrugging.
Taken by Jakub Wozny from Warta, the photo shows the creature at sunrise sitting on a horsetail reed surrounded by drops of dew.
Another Polish entry, ‘Everyone Can Fly’ by Adrian Slazok from Chorzow shows a chubby seal moving across the sands, its well-rounded frame propelled forward by enthusiastic flippers.
Another Polish entry, ‘Everyone Can Fly’, was actually shot on the eastern coast of England by Adrian Slazok from Chorzow. “I took this back in November 2018,” he says, “in the late autumn when seals leave the North Sea to give birth to their young.”
With its adorable eyes bulging, the stunning shot shows a chubby seal moving across the sands, its well-rounded frame propelled forward by enthusiastic flippers.
Arguably, however, it is ‘Now That’s A Selfie’ that’s the most amusing of the bunch. Taken by Jaroslaw Kolacz, the hilarious picture shows a swan pushing his beak into the lens of the camera. Close by, another swan can be seen approaching with menace.
Explaining the photo, Kolacz simply says, “The swan on the beach was very interested in me.”
Arguably it is ‘Now That’s A Selfie’ that’s the most amusing of the bunch. Taken by Jaroslaw Kolacz, the hilarious picture shows a swan pushing his beak into the lens of the camera. Close by, another swan can be seen approaching with menace.
Divided into different categories such as land, air and underwater, the winners will be selected shortly by a panel of jurors with the overall winner claiming a Kenyan safari as the top prize.
Co-founder of the awards, Paul Joynson-Hicks, says: “Our world is extraordinarily beautiful, yet the human race is doing its best to over-exploit and damage it – issues of wildlife conservation are gaining momentum globally, yet the messages and images tend to be negative, depressing and enervating.
“We want to educate and enlighten, and we want to do this by earning people’s attention by showing them things they don’t expect,” he says.
To see all the finalists click here.
