Brittany Evins, Irreplaceable African Connections (ANIMAL & NATURE 2024)

From the age of four I knew my heart belonged to animals, particularly those that roam the African plains and jungles. After three years of planning and saving, my dream of breathing the aromatic African air came true this year. It was here in the wild I felt true connections; the animals connections to the land, their symbiotic relationships but primarily their bonds within their herds, crashes and troops. Together, these photos show the irreplaceable connections of the animals and demonstrate no matter what species, age or African environment - connections are vital for survival. This perfect ‘yin and yang’ connection between the faces of the two teenage rhinos was during a play fight in long grass. It was a split second moment when the two lifted their heads connecting as one, before they continued to play facing the opposite direction, as they had been previously. It was a truly lucky seeing not only a crash of rhinos, but a crash of rhinos playing. The negative space at the base of the photo brings colour but also forces the eye to focus on the connection between the rhinos. From here the viewers eye is then drawn outwards to the eyes, ears and to the rough sandpaper texture of the rhinos skin. In the background, the dominant male watches over the two teenagers and helps to demonstrate the stronger connection the crash of rhinos has. The negative space used in the photo of the two zebras creates the perfect contrast to highlight the connection of the animals. Giving slightly more headroom allowed for a strong contrast between the bright blue sky and light brown accents on the left zebras nose and mane. The cloudless sky also leads the viewers eyes from the alert ears and expression of the dominant zebra, along its clean stripes to focus on the second zebra. The simple colours and background create a clean, sharp and balanced image. Baby baboons move incredibly quickly, getting bored easily and moving onto the next task. This baboon focused its attention on sucking on a piece of grass for a few seconds before running off with its mother, allowing only a few seconds to snap this moment. The angle and framing create a spotlight on the baby baboon, which is effective to draw attention to the primary focus of the photo. The contrast between the babies sharp pointed black fur on its head and its pink wrinkly skin creates interest but it’s the moment of concentration in the baby baboons eyes that draws you in. Helped by the rule of thirds, the lines created by the blade of grass in the baboons mouth, contrast with its wrinkly skin creates a story for the eye to follow. Lying on the ground, shooting up at this mother and baby gorilla helped to create the perfect framing. The sharp focus on the gorilla and contrast between its black coat and bright green jungle creates a perfect balance and flow for the photo. The bright green branch frames the gorilla’s eye and open mouth and leads the eye straight to the key focus of the photo - the gorilla’s face. A stick on the very left edge of the frame helps to create distance and depth to the photo.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.