Talented amateur photographer, Hasan Baglar, has been crowned the overall winner of the Cewe Photo Award for his close-up photograph of two praying mantises, dubbed Danlock.
The annual competition, which attracts professional and amateur photographers from around the world, had a fittingly global theme: 'Our world is beautiful'. Fifty-one-year-old Cypriot, Hasan, had already clinched the Close-up and Macro category when the top ten images were announced last month. He captured his incredible winning image with a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV and 100mm macro lens from around 40cm.
“It is a huge honor to be named the grand prize winner of the Cewe Photo Award, and I’d like to thank everyone involved for this recognition,” he said.
As for how he managed to capture such a striking moment, he explained: “In summer, I usually take early morning photos of butterflies near alfalfa fields around my home town. Suddenly, I spotted the praying mantises on a branch and moved closer to have a better look. When I tried to touch them, they attacked by spreading their wings and began to follow me.”
Thankfully, he didn't let the moment pass him by. “I could hardly believe my eyes, as I'm not familiar with the behavior of praying mantises and had never seen this pose before. I was extremely excited, and my hands shook as I took the photos. I think this is a small miracle of nature – to me, they look like smiling dancers. I hope it inspires others to enjoy the beauty of wildlife photography.”
Hasan’s efforts have earned him an incredible grand prize: a €10,000 trip (approximately $11,700 / £8,700 / AU$17,800), along with €5,000 ($5,875 / £4,350 / AU$8,900) in equipment and €2,500 (approx $2,940 / £2,185 / AU$4,450) in Cewe photo products.
The photographer’s triumph comes during a record-breaking year for the competition, where a whopping 656,738 entries were recorded and judged by a panel of industry experts, journalists and professionals.
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