Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
Aug 25, 2022 by Dunja Djudjic Leave a Comment
© Roberto García-Roa/BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition 2022
BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition 2022 has published the results of its annual contest. And the winner is like a scene from a science fiction movie. It shows a “zombie fungus” growing from the body of a dead fly, and it’s a reminder of how impressive nature is, even on its tiniest scale.
The overall winner is Roberto García-Roa, an evolutionary biologist and conservation photographer affiliated with the University of Valencia (Spain) and Lund University (Sweden). Only looking at his photo makes you stare in awe and at the same time be terrified (at least that’s how I felt). But wait until you see the background, it’s even wilder.
Roberto captured the winning photo in the Peruvian jungle of Tambopata. “The spores of the so-called ‘Zombie’ fungus (e.g. genera Ophiocordyceps) infect arthropods by infiltrating their exoskeleton and minds,” the photographer explains.
“As a result, parasitized hosts are compelled to migrate to a more favorable location for the fungus’s growth. Here, they await death, at which point the fungus feeds on its host to produce fruiting bodies full of spores that will be jettisoned to infect more victims—a conquest shaped by thousands of years of evolution.”
© Roberto García-Roa/BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition 2022
Other than the overall winner, the judges chose the best image and the runner-up from each of the four categories:
The jury considered the scientific story behind the photos in addition to their artistic quality. BMC Ecology and Evolution’s Senior Editorial Board Member, Christy Anna Hipsley, commented on the winning image saying that it has “a depth and composition that conveys life and death simultaneously.”
“An affair that transcends time, space, and even species. The death of the fly gives life to the fungus.”
Like every year, the contest attracted entries from ecologists and evolutionary biologists from around the world. The condition for submitting your work is that you’re affiliated with a research institution. You can find more information on BMC Ecology and Evolution’s website, and take a look at this year’s category winners and runner-ups below.
Gone with the berry. Flying under the infuence—a waxwing feasts on fermented rowan berries. © Alwin Hardenbol/BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition 2022
Trachops & Tungara. A bat locates its dinner via tuning into a frog’s broadcast to attract a mate. © Alexander T. Baugh /BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition 2022
The Baobab tree. The relationship between a group of African elephants and a Baobab tree strains as droughts strike. © Samantha Kreling/BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition 2022
Wood frog under a freeze. A false spring—climate change threatens wood frog offspring. © Lindsey Swierk/BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition 2022
In ovo. Gliding treefrog siblings at an early stage of their development. © Brandon André Güell/BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition 2022
Bubble breathing in Water Anoles. An anole lizard dives using a clever trick to breathe underwater. © Lindsey Swierk/BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition 2022
Fieldwork with masks, rain, and tadpoles. Researchers investigate the efect of isolated trees and land use on tadpole-mediated nutrient recycling during the COVD-19 pandemic. © Jeferson Ribeiro Amaral/BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition 2022
Focus amidst the chaos. PhD student, Brandon A. Güell, amidst thousands of reproducing gliding treefrogs. © Brandon A. Güell/BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition 2022
Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition, Competition, contest, Photo Contest, photography competition, photography contest, photography contests
Dunja Djudjic is a writer and photographer from Novi Sad, Serbia. You can see her work on Flickr, Behance and her Facebook page.
John Aldred is based in Scotland and photographs people in the wild and animals in the studio. You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube.
Dunja Djudjic is a writer and photographer from Novi Sad, Serbia. You can see her work on Flickr, Behance and her Facebook page.
Alex is a commercial photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She mostly shoots people and loves anything to do with the outdoors. You can see her work on her website and follow her Spanish landscape adventures on instagram.
Adam Frimer is a Guinness World Record holder, producer, and DOP based in Tel-Aviv, Israel. Adam owns a production company that specializes in corporate marketing and brand strategy. His videos have collectively hit over a quarter billion views
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