A striking image of a kangaroo strutting her stuff in a field of wildflowers has beaten thousands of entries in a prestigious photography competition.
Thousands of professional and amateur photographers around the world enter the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards every year in the hope of winning the judges’ minds with hilarious images of animal antics in their natural habitat.
More than 5,300 images were recently narrowed down to 40 finalists, including several Australian entries.
But it was Perth photographer Jason Moore who had the last laugh after his entry, simply titled ‘Air Guitar Roo’, was named the 2023 winner on Thursday.
The best photo of a category of land animals was also selected.
It was a case of being in the right place at the right time for Mr Moore, who rode past a gang of kangaroos in a field on the outskirts of Perth in 2021.
Roo wants to be a rock star: this air guitar-playing kangaroo in Perth won the hearts of the Comedy Wildlife Photography Award judges
‘I had been out with my camera to photograph waterfowl at a nearby lake. I had risen at dawn to take advantage of the ‘golden hour’ light, but it turned out to be a disappointing morning on the water,” Mr Moore recalled.
‘I drove past a gang of Western Gray Kangaroos feeding in an open field full of attractive yellow flowers.’
‘I ended up taking about 40 to 50 photos of the kangaroos with different content including mothers, joeys and also some action shots of them bouncing around the yellow field.’
Mr Moore said the ‘shoot turned out to be a great session’ and that he was ‘quite impressed with the different images’ he captured.
“Not many people know that kangaroos are normally quite docile and usually even a bit dull,” he said.
Mr Moore said he was attacked by ticks when he tried to get the ‘perfect’ image.
Then he saw a kangaroo channeling her inner rock star and appearing to jam on an invisible guitar as her eyes closed in bliss.
“I suddenly noticed that this person had a humorous attitude – to me it looks like she is practicing strumming his air guitar,” Mr Moore said.
Excuse me sir, but I think you’re a little too young to smoke! Dakota Vaccar’s shot of a gray fox cub playing with a twig was highly recommended
Jacek Stankiewicz’s photo of a dispute over a bird family in the Bialowieza Forest, Poland, made it into the Junior and People’s Choice categories
‘When I saw this ro in the air guitar pose, it immediately put a smile on my face and I knew I had captured something very special.’
The judges agreed, saying the image encapsulated a ‘happy vibe and feel good factor’ – the sole purpose of what comedy wildlife is all about.
Mr Moore won a week-long safari in Kenya, along with a camera bag and trophy.
He was one of seven category prize winners.
Founded by Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam in 2015, tThe award celebrates the sheer hilarity of the natural world while highlighting the need to protect these incredible wildlife.
Hailed as the funniest and most popular photography competition in the world, entries for the 2024 awards open in March.
To see the other 2023 winners and the full list of finalists, visit the competition website.
Lara Mathews received an honorable mention for this image of a joey who decides to go crazy and give boxing a try in Melbourne