Exhibition visit - Bristol Museum
I attended the exhibition of the winners and finalists of Wildlife Photographer of the Year in Bristol today.
View the finalists and winners here: WPOTY
My first impression was one of wonder, of course. The lengths that many of the photographers had gone to produce some of the images was worthy of prize in itself. A mixture of vista and macro from flock to insect, most in bold colour lead the viewer to ponder over the vastness and diversity of the planet much of which most of us will never see.
Two images in particular appealed to me, neither were the winners yet both captivated me and the attraction in both was the same. It was about facial expressions, expression of fear in one case and lost hope in the other. These two photographs have are editorial in their essence but what moves me are the human like expressions on the faces of animals, it is not human faces that tell us the stories here.
The first, this image by Jabrusen titled Primal Fear
It is the expression the young Baboon, fearful and confused by its capture and offering. Surrounded by the faces of those we might usually associate with the same emotions. I feel quite sad to view this, there children are offering the baby Yellow Baboon for sale, for their own gain, survival for survival.
The second by Melisa Lee titled The tourist Tiger trail
In this case we have the solemn expression of the captured Tiger, the majesty has left him he is reduced to novelty, reduced to 'cute' though he is far from it. A beast so powerful it could tear each and everyone one of his admirers apart in minutes yet he walks in what appears to be shame, leading his own cubs he once so hoped would admire him. That is the story this image tells me.
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