Kerala man's 'upside down' orangutan image wins wildlife photo prize

Thomas Vijayan, a native of Kerala took out the grand prize in the coveted 2021 Nature TTL Photographer of the Year awards, beating out more than 8,000 other entries with a striking image of a large orangutang that appears to have been shot looking upwards at the sky, NDTV reports.

Wildlife cameraman, and organiser of the competition, Will Nicholls said "The unique perspective and composition means you are immediately trying to figure out what exactly you are looking at."

The photograph, titled 'The World is Going Upside Down', was captured by Mr Vijayan after selecting a tree that was in the water to get a good reflection of the sky and its leaves on the tree. The water which formed a mirror made the image look upside-down. The photographer who knew that the forest was a regular path for the orangutans then waited for hours to capture this incredible shot.

"This image means a lot to me because presently the orangutan population is reducing at an alarming rate," says Mr Vijayan of his winning image. "I am very happy to see this image be successful, as it allows me to spread the issue to the wider world."

Mr Vijayan said that his aim was to broadcast the wonder of wildlife through photos, so when people see creatures in their natural habitats, the seed of conservation is planted.

Thomas Vijayan's photograph of a group of playful langurs was also "Highly Commended" in the 'Animal Behaviour' category of the Nature TTL Photography competition.

Over 8,000 images were entered into the competition this year, with nature photographers from all over the world competing in eight categories: Animal Behaviour, Camera Traps, Landscapes, Small World, The Night Sky, Underwater, Urban Wildlife, and Wild Portraits.