A giraffe with her young, surrounded by the serenity of the Mara Conservancy in the wonder of the African sunrise. A muted black and white that enhances the flight of birds and the clouds that cover the beginning of the day without malice.
This, explained in words, is the 2022 award-winning shot in Kenya's most famous nature contest, the "Greatest Maasai Mara Phographers of the Year."
Image titled "Hallelujah" by a pair of Kenyan photographers of Indian origin, Preeti and Prashant Chacko. The two won the $10,000 cash prize and a five-night safari for two at the Angama Mara, organizer of the contest.
Describing the image, Preeti said, "The excitement of mother-cub interaction is something we love to photograph. And so we waited. What happened exceeded all our expectations. At the moment of reunion, three woodpeckers were flying in the sky, as if to say, 'Hallelujah!" hence the title. Among this year's ten finalists was Italian nature photographer Paolo Torchio, who was awarded the top prize in 2020.