The Maasai Mara, known by locals as simply the Mara, is a world-famous natural
reserve near Narok in southwest Kenya. This is one of the very few places where
you can observe large mammals in their natural habitat. Approximately 40% of
Africa's largest mammals live there, roaming freely across the endless plains.
This includes Africa's Big Five: lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino -
making it a most popular reserve for photographers. Since 2018, a contest
commemorating the finest photographs taken in Mara reserve has been taking place.
A heartening fact about this photo contest is that the full sum of every contest
entry fee and photo print is donated to nature conservation efforts at the
Maasai Mara.
Some Of Their Stunning Photos. Enjoy! :)
Little Mush by Vicki Jauron (USA)
Artist's comment: It was a lovely morning and dad was around soaking up the
sun while mom and her sister took the cubs on a walk about.
Stretch by Kunal D Shah (Kenya)
Artist's comment: We quickly rushed to the bottom of the river bed and waited.
She not only walked by it, but she stretched and looked towards us.
Leaning Towers by Abderazak Tissoukai (UAE)
Artist's comment: I got to understand with time that powerful wildlife images
are the ones that translate an emotion, which is often the result of the
interaction between two or more animals.
Sunrise Crossing by Charlie Wemyaa-Dunn (USA)
Artist's comment: I'll never forget as a mega herd of wildebeest rushed down
the bank as the red glow of a perfect sunrise pierced the sky.
Glowing Serval by Vrinda Bhatnagar (India)
Artist's comment: We watched this serval cat scan the area, finally pounce and
prey upon a mouse, and then stand satisfied for a few minutes as the early
morning sun lit up her fur from behind making a glowing halo around her.
The Probing Eyes by Ashish Zanjan (UAE)
Artist's comment: We spotted the cubs near the foot of the hills where they are
known to live... when one of the lionesses went up to her cubs, we got our
moment where we took some close-up shots in the warm morning sunlight.
Danger Out of Dawn by Silka Hullmann (Germany)
Artist's comment: Suddenly, startled by the danger from the now blood-orange-red
dawn, a group of wildebeest ran straight at us and disappeared into nothingness...
We were rewarded: the morning sun and the dust of the savannah gave this brief
moment in a beautiful play of colors and an almost mystical mood.
Droplets by Andrew Liu (USA)
Artist's comment: We found Short-Tail lounging just after sunrise. He graced us
with a little drink from a nearby puddle, resulting in this beautiful dripping
of water from his mane and beard.
Inseparable by Andrew Liu (USA)
Artist's comment: After an hour spent watching the cubs, they finally took notice
of our truck and decided to come explore. I captured this image as they made their
way toward us along the path.
Contest Winner: Hallelujah by Preeti and Prashant Chacko (Kenya)
The honor of the 2022 greatest Maasai Mara photographer was awarded to Kenyan
photographers Preeti and Prashant Chacko. They worked in tandem to take this
wonderful photo of a giraffe and her baby titled Hallelujah.
Artist's comment: The emotion of a mother-child interaction is something that
we love to photograph. Three oxpeckers flew up into the sky at the moment of
reunion, almost as if to say: 'Hallelujah.'"
Images Source.
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