Photographer Ramu M. has captured two gulls fighting over food and his picture has won him the top prize at the fifth edition of DJ Memorial Photography Contest (DJMPC) 2016.
The second prize has gone to the image of a furious serpent eagle attacking its prey. This was shot by Satisha Sarakki. Martin K.P won the third place for his photograph of a pair of white-eye, a rare birds seen at higher altitudes, again fighting over food. It showcases the distinctive white eye-ring of the birds, their yellowish body and the grey and black plumage.
The online contest received over 1200 entries and a staggering 3000-odd images from participants across the world.
Besides the top three prizes, there are also entries that have won the merit award. Most photographs are of wildlife in their natural habitat. Unsurprisingly, it is the tiger that seems to have caught the imagination of the photographers. Playful cubs, brawling cats, tiger with leopard kill, and a tiger chasing a herd of deer…every photograph tells a story.
Elephants are the other popular subject matter. They are captured in their herd having a dust bath, mating, travelling and in solitary splendour. Birds have been photographed beautifully. One of the arresting images is of a pair of vultures. Check out the pictures of the Ashy Prenia as it feeds a chick and the pair of the camouflaged leaf birds enjoying its feed. The photograph titled ‘Peacock fight’ is a riot of colours. The bright green of a praying mantis is eye catching too.
Owls, leopards, Indian jackals, hare, flying bats, chital, Indian pangolin and rhinos….the wealth of Indian wildlife is on display at the exhibition.
DJ Memorial Photography Contest
The photo contest was started by Lakshmi Machine Works Limited (LMW) in 2012 in memory of the company’s past Chairman and Managing Director D. Jayavarthanavelu (DJ), who had a passion for photography. The photographs were judged by a three-member panel of renowned photographers including Jill Sneesby from South Africa, C.R. Sathyanarayana and S. Thippeswamy from India. K. Maruthachalam of R.K. Photo Centre acted as the administrator of the contest. The prize money for the winners is Rs. 3 lakh ( first), Rs. 2.25 lakh (second) and Rs. 1.5 lakh ( third)