There was a time, not so long ago, before the internet, before we knew everything and had seen it all, that our view of the world and desire to see and experience its corners near and far was inspired not by digital ‘must sees’, but by the holiday photographs of family and friends; inspired during home hosted slide shows, over peanuts, hula hoops and G‘n’Ts; much loved, wildly anticipated, fondly remembered, ‘right of passage’, home-coming events.
There’s something special about a shared photograph and the tale behind it, something that transcends a screen and that can have a profound effect on those that see it, provoking thought, sparking conversation and bolstering understanding.
In celebration of this, we launched our 2024 Steppes Travel Photography Competition. We received some excellent entries that captured a diversity of destinations. Below you’ll find our winner and runners up, we hope you enjoy them as much as we did.
First Place
Forest Dragon in Borneo by Katherine Panton-Kent
“It had been a long steep trek in high humidity up Danum Valley’s Coffin Cliff trail in Borneo, immersed in the primary rainforest’s lush greenery. Suddenly our guide pointed with excitement at a trunk beside the path; following his gaze, I spotted an impressive looking lizard with a prominent crest. Our guide explained it was a Bornean Angle-headed lizard otherwise known as the Forest dragon. It’s hard to describe how incredible it is to be surrounded by all the sounds of the jungle and the excitement you feel finding a wild animal you’ve never seen before. I’ve always had a soft spot for lizards, so these impressive “dragons” were a real highlight for me.”
Runners Up
Chimpanzees in Uganda by Mark Bannister
“The moment I took this photo, my overriding feeling was of relief. We had been tracking the chimps for six hours and up until then we had only managed fleeting glimpses of the chimpanzees. When we encountered this troop of chimpanzees on the forest floor, interacting, playing, relaxing, it was an unforgettable experience. Our trip to Uganda had been focussed on viewing Gorillas, so I hadn’t given much thought to the Chimpanzee experience but this encounter was definitely a highlight of our trip. What I like about this photo is that it captures the crucial role of grooming in chimpanzee society, which is essential for bonding, cleanliness but more importantly defining the group’s hierarchical structure.”
Bison in USA by Patrick O’Brien
“Yellowstone Park in winter is a magical place. Heavy snow and varied wildlife make for fantastic photographic opportunities. You can only access the interior on a snow coach from West Yellowstone, so there are very few people there. We saw these bison as we were travelling slowly through the park. We piled off to look at these amazing creatures. The snow crusted into their fur gave them a different dimension to the brown bison everyone sees in summer. They plod along slowly, stopping every now and again to hopefully paw at the ground, looking for some grass. It was an unforgettable experience, from dressing up in arctic gear, to watching bald eagles, wolves, bighorn sheep and other wildlife.”
Fruit Bats in Zambia by Martin Hefti
“There is a deeply felt sensation of belonging and content whenever I find myself amidst the smells and sounds of the African savannah, early at dawn. The mist is still hovering over the long grass in the plains and the sun slowly adds colour to the landscape all around you. This moment is as addictive as love and makes me travel to my favourite continent year after year. This picture was taken at Kasanka National Park in Zambia, where millions of straw coloured fruit bats converge. They take off in flocks of 100,000 or more to search for food, and return at dawn to their resting places. It is an awe inspiring moment in smell and in sound.”
Gentoo Penguins in Antarctica by Andrew Hart
“I wanted to drink in the whole experience – the silence, the stillness of the water, the scale of the mountains. Surely looking through a camera lens would diminish this experience? But I realised this was the best way to create a memory I could treasure forever and share with my loved ones. A line of gentoo penguins perched on an ice floe came into focus, stoic inhabitants of one of the most extreme environments on our planet, looking small but determined, their black forms tiny against the towering rocks. With that click of the camera, the stories I had read of human exploration to Antarctica and heroism that paved the way for people like me to travel to this magical place, flooded in. 10,000 miles away from my home, I felt I was at the end of the world.”
Orangutan in Borneo by Janet Panton-Kent
“At the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, our excellent guide positioned us in a perfect spot to view the wild apes emerging from their forest to feed on supplementary fruits provided by the centre. Looking at this photo, I relive the excitement, incredulity and sense of great privilege I felt when a young mother, herself a successfully rehabilitated orphan, carried her tiny infant straight up to us! I took this photo as it peered over with a seemingly pensive gaze surveying its forest home with bright young eyes.”
Grizzly Bear in USA by Simon Roberts
“For many years I have loved watching & photographing bears – especially the closely related polar & brown – so the Brooks river in Alaska’s Katmai is a very special place. There, the grizzlies have lived closely with humans for many years allowing tourists to get close to them in a relatively safe environment, carefully managed by excellent rangers. Although there’s still quite a bit of luck involved, arriving during one of the salmon runs and when the sun is out improves your chances. At the falls, the senior bears all have their favourite hunting spots, whether below (in the “jacuzzi”) or on the lip, waiting for one of the very many leaping salmon to come within range. There were salmon flying through the air all around this bear allowing it to take one every few minutes.”
Young Chick in South Georgia by Tom Bown
“The young chicks in their fur coats look so amusing alongside their rather smarter elders and this one looked particularly funny in the way it behaved. Salisbury Plain is the biggest open flat space in South Georgia and to see it covered in as many as 150,000 birds was astonishing. They say South Georgia is the ‘Serengeti of the South’, which we found hard to believe before the trip. However, the overwhelming sight, sound and smell of so many penguins, elephant seals, fur seals and a plethora of birds needs to be experienced first-hand. Travelling on a smaller ship (around 100 passengers) gave the feel of an expedition and the whole holiday was a varied, educational and delightful odyssey. A trip to Antarctica really can be a life-changing experience.”
Thank you to everyone who submitted their entries. If any of these photos have inspired your next travel, get in touch with our travel experts to start planning your next Beautiful Adventure.
