Dead frogs, live rabbits - The best of Hungarian wildlife photography in 2019
By 2019, climate change had become an unavoidable topic. We cannot possibly know what the future may bring, but many predictions foreshadow what we can expect. According to a recently published study, Hungary could see significant ecological changes in the coming decades, and these changes are not going to be particularly advantageous. It is easy to forget that fact while looking at documentaries and photographs of the amazing wildlife surrounding us, but these might be the key to understanding what is at stake. As dr Zsolt Kalotás, the jury chairman of the Hungarian Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards said:
"The wildlife photographers of today are documentarists. They are informative, interesting, and at the same time, they shape our way of thinking. The latter is especially important in these times when humanity is facing a greater challenge than ever before. When natural habitats and biological diversity are diminishing at a troubling rate and the climate catastrophe is already at the gates, the value of things that may slow these destructive processes goes up. Wildlife photographers can contribute to this, as they can help people, including economic and political decisionmakers, realize that we only have one Earth which today is still a miracle in its variety and the way that it operates."
This is the 27th time that naturArt - Hungarian Association of Wildlife Photographers announced their annual contest, and this year, there were more than 3300 entries, from which the professional jury selected 103 to be featured in the last round of the contest. Kalotás emphasised that apart from the fight for survival, many of the submitted works are focusing on the humourous and lyrical elements of natural existence.
The award-winning and shortlisted photographs are exhibited in the Hungarian Museum of Natural History until 31 December 2019.
![Wildlife Photograph of the Year 2019 - Bence Máté: Frogleg - "If we could see what exactly is being fed to us, we would completely change our diet. No matter if it originates from plants or animals, the people of the 21st century have no idea how their food is made, and manufacturers are trying to hide sensitive details in smaller and smaller prints. This photo calls attention to this issue. It is weird how most judge those who cut the legs off of frogs, yet nobody is outraged if someone orders it from the menu of a restaurant."](https://kep.index.hu/1/0/3026/30261/302611/30261187_4b1c982c4125c82e09604cee7e09a1e1_wm.jpg)
![The Earth in our hands, 2nd place - Dr László Simán: Tornado in the Dolomites - "In recent years, unusual disasters have become more commonplace. Two years ago, in the autumn, a storm had swept through the pine forests of the Dolomites in Italy, causing humongous damage. Our merry band of photographers turned silent upon arriving at the scene."](https://kep.index.hu/1/0/3026/30261/302611/30261185_520b1e94dc5a204692f754286222042b_wm.jpg)
![Bird behaviour, 3rd place - László Hargitai: Dance on the lake - "In the springtime, flocks of great egrets descend upon the surface of the water rife with fish. Males often fight, accompanied by the peculiar pose pictured here."](https://kep.index.hu/1/0/3026/30261/302611/30261183_c03cc614f93f7c4542d2ae9f3ff89b8a_wm.jpg)
![Landscapes, Award winner - Helga Urbán: Rainbow Mountain - "We were on our way with my little brother to our upcoming destination in Iceland when we happened upon this wonderful sight. I did not have much time to immortalize this special phenomenon, as it only lasted a couple of minutes. Even though it was not immediately obvious what caused these colours to appear, we found out that we saw a segment of a rainbow between the holes in the clouds."](https://kep.index.hu/1/0/3026/30261/302611/30261181_069c61ebefa7f484969463cabafcabfc_wm.jpg)
![Bird behaviour, Special mention - László Tóth: Help! -](https://kep.index.hu/1/0/3026/30261/302611/30261179_2c0a620195bfe87765e963e3822917ed_wm.jpg)
![Mammal behaviour, Award winner - Csaba Daróczi: War and Peace - "In 2018, I've found a colony of European rabbits near the neighbouring village. I've never photographed rabbits before, so I was happy for the opportunity. For a couple of days, I was only observing their behaviour and I really liked it when they were jumping at each other on the sandy ground, and luckily, they were doing that quite often. The lights and the background were only ideal for around one and a half hours in the morning. I went out to take pictures exactly 72 times, and there are only three or four photos that I am satisfied with."](https://kep.index.hu/1/0/3026/30261/302611/30261177_3027e0fc4c9d28fdfd7c36272d125996_wm.jpg)
![Mammal behaviour, Special mention - Bence Máté: Breath -](https://kep.index.hu/1/0/3026/30261/302611/30261175_ab2e3728a58de0e360858c7b023cff40_wm.jpg)
![Animal behaviour, Special mention - Szilveszter Kis: The Scissor Charmer - "I've found a place in the forest of the Csíky-garden in Gyergyó where red wood-ants traverse through a beautiful patch of moss. I've visited this place multiple times before I caught the right moment when I could take a picture of the ants taking their loot back to the colony. On one occasion I saw an ant carrying the abdomen of an earwig. The heat did not make the photography any easier, because it makes ants move even faster, so I've only had a couple of seconds to snap the picture. I've used a reverse lens for this picture, and a home-made diffusor for the built-in flash, and I've employed the tooth of a comb to manually control the aperture. This picture was shot from the hand."](https://kep.index.hu/1/0/3026/30261/302611/30261173_cf2920e89f0b6cd97f6e4b1fe9ddfe1a_wm.jpg)
![Animals and their surroundings, 2nd place - Csaba Daróczi: Winter residence -](https://kep.index.hu/1/0/3026/30261/302611/30261171_6573c95b735040d20422516faf2c63f2_wm.jpg)
![Animals face to face, Award winner - Csaba Tökölyi: Shy puffin - "A grooming puffin hides its face behind the tip of its wing. Of course, it's only us, humans, who see such an emotional gesture, but for the bird, this is one of the most important orders of the day: It is caring for its feathers, ridding them of any dirt, dust, and parasites it finds. A clean and orderly plumage provides insulation both on dry land and out on the cold sea. The picture was taken on Skomer Island in Wales, in the time period when it is no longer buzzing with tourists who visit during the day. The birds are much calmer and braver during these times, so we can witness the most secretive moments of their lives, like when they are caring for their feathers at the end of the day."](https://kep.index.hu/1/0/3026/30261/302611/30261169_258a473961c1bc6e34a771daab45e98a_wm.jpg)
![Youth category, Award winner - Tamás Koncz-Bisztricz: Fog - "We visited Ópusztaszer on a late afternoon in hopes of finding a fallow deer to photograph. Suddenly, the forest was covered in thick fog and darkness. We went out to a field by the forest, where there is an old oak tree. I used the built-in flash for these pictures, the circles you can see on the photo are the reflection of the flash on the droplets of mist."](https://kep.index.hu/1/0/3026/30261/302611/30261167_5ad3a3a892200a7cd415299c11d0d138_wm.jpg)
![Composition, shapes, and experimentation, 3rd place - Norbert Kaszás: Hide and seek - "Late March, as I was taking pictures of pasqueflowers, I found this little peacock moth on the Strázsa-hill near Esztergom. I immediately suspended flower photography, as there would be plenty of opportunities to do that later. From that point on, I only concentrated on the moth, as this was the first time I've seen a member of this species. I was mostly drawn to its feathery antennae, that is what I tried to photograph in an interesting way. I was so lost in taking pictures of the antennae that only when I arrived home did I realise that I haven't taken a single picture featuring the entire moth."](https://kep.index.hu/1/0/3026/30261/302611/30261165_72e95864b0e10a54bfb55a91da8c2a84_wm.jpg)
![From dusk to dawn, Special mention - József Mesterházi: The Doyen - "I met this stag entering the forest in really special winter lights. Near the end of scouting, I've noticed that this is not your usual sunset, and I hurried to the clearing on the horizon filled with hope. I waited. The light was diminishing, but my hope remained. A little while later, the long-awaited stag slowly walked through the clearing right in front of me. I was lucky."](https://kep.index.hu/1/0/3026/30261/302611/30261163_5a7d4bd930a6d7476797c5219875f78a_wm.jpg)
![Composition, shapes, and experimentation, Special mention - Csaba Daróczi: Ice stars -](https://kep.index.hu/1/0/3026/30261/302611/30261161_d72d5baf476c98d11ad2e5f3b6b8fade_wm.jpg)
![Composition, shapes, and experimentation, Special mention - Bence Máté: Trunks - "A composition of trunks and feet of elephants in the sunset. Taking this picture was preceded by weeks of research, experimentation, and searching for interesting compositions. Earlier, I tried taking photos from further away, showing the entire body of the animals, however, I later thought I'd give it a shot and try to find compositions featuring just certain bodyparts highlighted by the unique light conditions."](https://kep.index.hu/1/0/3026/30261/302611/30261159_133ebdf9b08a6bc9b2097e11df05ad22_wm.jpg)
![Life underwater, Special mention - András Pohl: Tube dweller - "This picture was taken in Bali, Indonesia at the Tulamben Coral Garden scuba diving area, at the depth of 20 metres. The artificial reefs here offer shelter for all kinds of animals, life is bustling on them. This small fish found a home in a rusting iron pipe, and only ventured out of there for small distances, returning to the pipe quickly and disappearing in there for minutes at a time."](https://kep.index.hu/1/0/3026/30261/302611/30261157_3fe45455547a8bd6983de4b1dfcb8eea_wm.jpg)
![Animals face to face, Special mention - Anna Vadász: I'm owl eyes and ears - "The wise eyes of eared owls are watching over the fast-paced city life of humans, to whom they are getting ever closer due to increasing urbanisation. Calmly sitting on conifers, they often rest after a tiring nighttime hunt on spruces found within the limits of cities and towns. If we are attentive and careful, and we act like we did not notice them, they won't fly away, instead, they'll be watching our every move with wide and curious eyes."](https://kep.index.hu/1/0/3026/30261/302611/30261155_5289075f230e260a953483f84de53039_wm.jpg)
![Sustainable energy and nature, Award winner - János Lakatos: Electrified - "These deers grazed below the high voltage wires stretching through the fields by Csongrád. At first, the scene did not seem particularly interesting, but as I kept walking, the proportions became better and better."](https://kep.index.hu/1/0/3026/30261/302611/30261153_e1a580923178fdd0f3ec98a632aa857f_wm.jpg)
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