A Siberian tiger won the hearts of millions worldwide as a renowned wildlife photographer, Sergey Gorshkov, captured the intimate moment of the majestic animal hugging a Manchurian fir tree. The photo called ‘The Embrace’ earned Sergey the prestigious title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Wildlife photographer is an under-appreciated art form that can awoke so many emotions. It is not just about filming or taking pictures of animals, but capturing beautiful moments of these exotic and endangered creatures in their habitats.
This Siberian Tiger Made Us All Go UwU
These moments create a scene that can be felt by anyone taking a momentary glance at the photograph, which is what Sergey Gorshkov achieved with the Serbian tiger. Gorshkov took this photo in Russia’s Land of the Leopard National Park. He set up motion-sensor cameras and waited over 11 months to collect his award-winning shot.
Huge congratulations to our #WPY56 winners, Sergey Gorshkov and Liina Heikkinen! 🏆
Discover all the details behind this year's Young Winner, and this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year: https://t.co/Lc7UpLLTQx— Wildlife Photographer of the Year (@NHM_WPY) October 13, 2020
In the photo, the endangered big cat can be seen standing on its hind legs with its front legs wrapped around a tree. The tiger is at peace as it marks the tree with its scent. While awarding Sergey with the Wildlife Photographer of the Year, the judges had this to say about their decision regarding the photograph:
“It’s a scene like no other, a unique glimpse of an intimate moment deep in a magical forest,” Roz Kidman Cox, chair of the judging panel, said in an October 13th statement. “Shafts of low winter sun highlight the ancient fir tree and the coat of the huge tigress as she grips the trunk in obvious ecstasy and inhales the scent of tiger on resin, leaving her own mark as her message. It’s also a story told in glorious color and texture of the comeback of the Amur tiger, a symbol of the Russian wilderness.”
This message resonated with judges, who picked the winner from over 49,000 entries in the prestigious competition that is held annually by the Natural History Museum in London.
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Some Other Talented Photographers
Not to undermine other talented photographers as there were other exceptionally beautiful photographs in the completion as well. The tiger faced some pretty tough competition from some very cute creatures caught in their moment of serenity.
This photograph by Mogens Trolle won the animal portraits category as people loved the endangered proboscis monkey basking in the sunlight in Sabah, Borneo.
Jaime Culebras managed to capture this cute Manduriacu glass frog hanging out in the foothills of the Andes in Ecuador.
This year’s Young Photographer of the Year award went to Liina Heikkinen, who captured an entirely different kind of mood. Heikkinen’s photo of a snarling young red fox is worth appreciating. This beautiful red fox, caught in the moment of trying to keep the remains of a barnacle goose for itself, could have easily won the photograph of the year award.
Which wildlife photo is your favorite? Share your answers in the comment section below.
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