Animal Kingdom Photo Contest Winners

Thank you to all the photographers that participated in the Animal Kingdom Photo Contest, sharing their best photos showing subjects from the animal kingdom. Congratulations to the winners and finalists, and a special round of applause for the Grand Jury Winner who wins a Tamron SP 150-600 mm lens.

"I was very excited to be judging this particular contest because I am a passionate wildlife and animal photographer. Looking through these images, several really caught my eye. As I looked closer at each one, I would ask myself, “What is it that makes this particular image stand out? Is it the emotional impact, technically well done both in camera and in post, colors, composition, a story telling element?” It is actually all of these things that I look for in a great image. Here are my Grand Prize Winner and several Runner-ups that checked off all those things I was looking for. Congratulations!" - Laurie Rubin

A special thanks to our friend and professional photographer Laurie Rubin for his collaboration as a guest judge. Laurie Rubin is an international award-winning photographer specializing in wildlife and nature photography. Her passion for photography as well as a career working for software companies, has combined her talents for teaching and sharing photography, from capture to post-processing. She currently has one of her prints displayed at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.

Congratulations Grand Jury Winner "Wolf-0866" by darrinbanfield

"What a wonderful image! The emotional impact is in-your-face and you can’t help but stop and look at these fighting wolves. You can almost hear the snarling and feel the action that is taking place in this image. The focus and tones throughout are really nice and the viewer is placed in the scene, right up close to where all the action is happening. Having a lighter and darker wolf helps to define the two subjects and the teeth from that angle are even more impressive! Great point of view." - Laurie Rubin

Congratulations Runner Up "fairy frog story" by vianz

"What a delightful image of frogs, hanging on to a limb in a variety of positions. The soft background, having been shot wide-open, creates a non-distracting background is really nice. This is such a cute moment, and again, checks off the elements that I’m looking for in a great image." - Laurie Rubin

Congratulations Runner Up "Mother Orangutans" by ajc555

"This image is what I would consider a more artistic rendering of a beautiful moment. Composing this so that the subjects fill the frame really works so the the viewer is focused in on these Orangutans. It is because of the powerful connection and emotional impact that I selected this image as a runner-up." - Laurie Rubin

Congratulations Runner Up "Elephant" by mtraufler

"Here is an example of making an image more dramatic by taking away the color and turning this into sepia. By adding the dark vignette and exposing some of the highlights in the areas that are needed, makes this a stand-out image. There is just enough detail to expose this magnificent elephant and yet, leaves just a bit of mystery." - Laurie Rubin

Congratulations People's Choice "Wild horse" by vedranvidak_1401