Jennifer Hadley’s overall winning photo of a 3-month-old cub falling from a tree.
Jennifer Hadley / Comedy Wildlife 2022
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Jennifer Hadley / Comedy Wildlife 2022
Jennifer Hadley’s overall winning photo of a 3-month-old cub falling from a tree.
Jennifer Hadley / Comedy Wildlife 2022
The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards have announced their winners this year, from a salmon punching a bear in the face to a seemingly headless penguin.
The organization submits thousands of submissions for each of its image categories: Creatures of the Earth, Creatures of the Air, Creatures of the Sea, Junior Award for Photographers 18 and Under, Internet Portfolio Award, and People’s Choice Award.
Jennifer Hadley, a photographer who grew up in Virginia, took home the grand prize as the overall winner for her January 2021 photo of a 3-month-old lion cub falling from a tree in the Serengeti region of Tanzania.
“It was definitely unexpected,” Hadley told NPR. “How often do you see cats falling from trees?”
Although shots like this are often unexpected, she said paparazzi prepare themselves for the unexpected.
“What you can predict is the probability that something will happen, so you want to base yourself on how you think the animals are going to move, where the light is, and how that will affect the speed of the camera,” Hadley said.
Hadley will receive a handcrafted trophy from the Wonder Workshop in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, two photography bags, and a week-long safari in Kenya. There, hope to capture the Great Migration, when millions of zebras, wildebeest and deer roam the Serengeti River during the dry season in search of fresh grass and water.
Despite his first prize, Hadley has only recently begun to pursue photography full time. She left her corporate job in 2021 to pursue wildlife photography. She described it as a leap of faith.
“It was a little scary, because I had a good job, a good salary, and that’s what I’ve done my whole career. So, to make that leap and go into the unknown and try something completely different, I didn’t know if I could do that professionally.” Or not, it was nerve-wracking.” “But I just thought, if not now, then when?”
John Chaney, an entrepreneur and photographer of more than 50 years, was one of 10 highly commended “winners” honored for his August 2021 photo of a salmon apparently punching a bear in the face at the foot of the Alaskan Falls.
John Chaney’s photo of a salmon that looks like it’s punching a bear in the face in Brooks Falls, Alaska.
John Chaney / Comedy Wildlife 2022
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John Chaney’s photo of a salmon that looks like it’s punching a bear in the face in Brooks Falls, Alaska.
John Chaney / Comedy Wildlife 2022
From late June to September, mature salmon make the upriver trek from the ocean to the gravel beds from birth to spawn every two to three years. The National Park Service estimates that 200,000 to 400,000 salmon successfully jump into the falls each year.
Chaney said the bears have planted themselves up and down Brooks Falls to feast on the salmon that flit by.
“Wherever wildlife happens, you try to get a good spot and take pictures for hours trying to get the best photo, whether it’s a unique facial expression or an animal doing something unique to make the photo special,” he told NPR. .
Chaney said he doesn’t have any tips or tricks for taking a comedic shot.
“It’s just luck,” he said.
Portrait of Jean-Jacques Alcalay of a yawning hippopotamus next to a heron. The photo won the Spectrum Photo Creatures in the Air Award.
Jean-Jacques Alcalay / Comedy Wildlife 2022
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Portrait of Jean-Jacques Alcalay of a yawning hippopotamus next to a heron. The photo won the Spectrum Photo Creatures in the Air Award.
Jean-Jacques Alcalay / Comedy Wildlife 2022
Arturo Telle Thiemann’s photo of a pair of triggerfish looking at the camera. The picture won the “Creatures Under the Sea” award.
Arturo Tele Thiemann / Comedy Wildlife 2022
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Arturo Tele Thiemann / Comedy Wildlife 2022
Arturo Telle Thiemann’s photo of a pair of triggerfish looking at the camera. The picture won the “Creatures Under the Sea” award.
Arturo Tele Thiemann / Comedy Wildlife 2022
Jennifer Hadley’s photo of two penguins in the Falkland Islands. The photo won the Affinity Photo 2 People’s Choice Award.
Jennifer Hadley / Comedy Wildlife 2022
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Jennifer Hadley / Comedy Wildlife 2022
Jennifer Hadley’s photo of two penguins in the Falkland Islands. The photo won the Affinity Photo 2 People’s Choice Award.
Jennifer Hadley / Comedy Wildlife 2022
Archdeep Singh’s photo of an owl in a poop in Bikaner, India. The picture won the junior award.
Arshdeep Singh / Comedy Wildlife 2022
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Arshdeep Singh / Comedy Wildlife 2022
Archdeep Singh’s photo of an owl in a poop in Bikaner, India. The picture won the junior award.
Arshdeep Singh / Comedy Wildlife 2022
Michael Eastwell’s photo of two wallabies playing on the beach at Cape Hillsborough, Australia.
Michael Eastwell / Comedy Wildlife 2022
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Michael Eastwell’s photo of two wallabies playing on the beach at Cape Hillsborough, Australia.
Michael Eastwell / Comedy Wildlife 2022
Miroslav Sr.’s photo of a raccoon apparently thanking Sr. To feed him shrimp on a Florida beach.
Miroslav Sr. / Comedy Wildlife 2022
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Miroslav Sr.’s photo of a raccoon apparently thanking Sr. To feed him shrimp on a Florida beach.
Miroslav Sr. / Comedy Wildlife 2022
Federica Vinci’s photo of two monkeys near a Cambodian temple.
Federica Vinci / Comedy Wildlife 2022
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Federica Vinci / Comedy Wildlife 2022
Federica Vinci’s photo of two monkeys near a Cambodian temple.
Federica Vinci / Comedy Wildlife 2022
Jagdeep Rajput photo of an Indian SARS crane attacking a blue bull from behind.
Jagdeep Rajput / Comedy Wildlife 2022
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Jagdeep Rajput photo of an Indian SARS crane attacking a blue bull from behind.
Jagdeep Rajput / Comedy Wildlife 2022
Photo by Emmanuel de Linh Saint of two meerkats at the Kalahari Trails Game Reserve in South Africa.
Emmanuelle de Linh San / Comedy Wildlife 2022
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Photo by Emmanuel de Linh Saint of two meerkats at the Kalahari Trails Game Reserve in South Africa.
Emmanuelle de Linh San / Comedy Wildlife 2022
Ryan Sims’ photo of a duck roaming through tree trunks covered with turtles in the Juanita, WA wetlands.
Ryan Sims / Comedy Wildlife 2022
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Ryan Sims’ photo of a duck roaming through tree trunks covered with turtles in the Juanita, WA wetlands.
Ryan Sims / Comedy Wildlife 2022
Alex Pancier’s photo of a red squirrel jumping in a rainstorm.
Alex Pansir / Comedy Wildlife 2022
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Alex Pancier’s photo of a red squirrel jumping in a rainstorm.
Alex Pansir / Comedy Wildlife 2022
Mark Schockin’s photo of two eastern screech owls confined in a nest hole in Florida.
Mark Schocken / Comedy Wildlife 2022
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Mark Schockin’s photo of two eastern screech owls confined in a nest hole in Florida.
Mark Schocken / Comedy Wildlife 2022
Martin Grace’s photo of two king penguins at Volunteer Point in the Falkland Islands.
Martin Grace / Comedy Wildlife 2022
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Martin Grace’s photo of two king penguins at Volunteer Point in the Falkland Islands.
Martin Grace / Comedy Wildlife 2022