Page 57 - Australian Photography Dec 2020

THE POSE
BY MOGENS TROLLE, DENMARK WINNER: ANIMAL PORTRAITS
A young male proboscis monkey cocks his head slightly and closes his eyes. Unexpected pale blue eyelids now complement his immaculately groomed auburn hair. He poses for a few seconds as if in meditation. He is
a wild visitor to the feeding station at Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary in Sabah, Borneo. “The most laidback character,”
says Mogens, who has been photographing primates worldwide for the past five years.
As this monkey matures, its distinctive nose will signal its status and amplify its calls.
A male’s nose can eventually grow so big that it hangs over its owner’s mouth. Found only on Borneo and nearby islands, proboscis monkeys are endangered; they depend on threatened forests and are hunted for food and traditional medicine.
Canon EOS-1D X, 500mm f4 lens. 1/1000s @ f7.1, ISO 1250. Manfrotto tripod and Benro gimbal head.
RESULTS: 2020 WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
| 57 | DECEMBER 2020 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
A MEAN MOUTHFUL
BY SAM SLOSS, ITALY/USA
WINNER: 11-14 YEARS OLD
On a diving holiday in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, Sam stopped to watch the behaviour of a group of clownfishes as they swam with hectic and repeated patterns in and out and around their home, a magnificent anemone. Clownfish are highly territorial, living in small groups within an anemone. The anemone’s stinging tentacles protect the clownfish and their eggs from predators
– a clownfish itself develops a special layer of mucus to avoid being stung. In return, the tenants feed on debris and parasites within the tentacles and aerate the water around them and may also deter anemone-eating fish.
Nikon D300, 105mm f2.8 lens. 1/250s
@ f18, ISO 200. Nauticam Housing, two INON Z-240 strobes.