Dubai photographer’s magical shot of the Milky Way over Namibia wins photo contest

Designed to showcase Africa’s diversity, Wilderness Safaris' photo contest winners have been announced

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  Dubai photographer Florian Kriechbaumer's 'More than Darkness' captures the Milky Way over Namibia. Photo: Florian Kriechbaumer

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  Wilderness Safaris's Photographer of the Year award goes to Polish photographer Tomasz Szpila for his image 'Touch'. Photo: Tomasz Szpila

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  The 2022 People's Choice winner is 'Mini Me' by Giovanna Aryafara, captured in the Omo Valley, Ethiopia. Photo: Giovanna Aryafara

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  African Wildlife winner Thomas Vijayan's 'Last Wish', shot in Kenya's Masai Mara. Photo: Thomas Vijayan

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  People / Cultures and Communities of Africa winner 'The Abore girl' by Simone Osborne was taken in Ethiopia's Omo Valley. Photo: Simone Osborne

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  Blair Eastwood's 'Clutching to Life' won the Conserving Africa's Wilderness category. Photo: Blair Eastwood

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  'Snack Time' by young photographer of the year Gabriela Potgieter. Photo: Gabriela Potgieter

A Dubai resident has taken a top prize in a photography competition designed to capture the magic of Africa.

Florian Kriechbaumer’s More than Darkness, snapped on a photography tour through Namibia earlier this year, has won the African Landscape category of Wilderness Safaris's sixth annual Africa in Focus contest.

“The photograph was taken in the famous Quiver Tree Forest near Keetmanshoop, one of the only spontaneous forests of this type of tree, and now a national monument for the country,” Kriechbaumer tells The National.

“I got there just before sunset to scout a good spot where the trees line up nicely and I could include myself in the frame. Even so, once it actually got dark and the time where the Milky Way was in the right position arrived, navigating your way over the rocks and through the bushes wasn’t without its challenges."

The panoramic image is made up of six horizontal by three vertical photos, plus one additional shot that was triggered by a timer in order to fit the arch of the galaxy into the frame.

“It took almost an hour to capture all the data I needed to combine in post-processing,” said the German national, who has previously shared photographs capturing Dubai's ever-changing landscape.

The photo competition by Wilderness Safaris is designed to showcase the diversity of Africa. Entries are not limited to areas where the conservation tourism operator has sites, with submissions welcome from photographers, travellers and adventurers anywhere in Africa.

“Africa's many wild and untouched landscapes are a stunning sight, but when the sun goes down you get to experience a different and less obvious kind of beauty: darkness,” said Kriechbaumer, who captured the shot during a 12-week adventure across Africa.

“The lack of light pollution from human development opens up a window into our Milky Way and beyond, that many people in more densely populated parts of the world have never been able to observe” he said.

“Although I’ve seen a fair bit of the world, I can say Africa is very special to me. Its combination of incredible landscapes, endemic wildlife and friendly people with their strong sense of culture truly makes it a traveller's dream.

"On the other hand, speaking of Africa as one homogenous place does it a bit of a disservice — the diversity that runs through the continent across all aspects, from weather, animals, nature and its population, makes it much more like exploring very distinct and differentiated regions, each with their own unique appeal.”

Seven-day-old mountain gorilla pictured by photographer of the year

Wilderness Safaris' Photographer of the Year award goes to Polish national Tomasz Szpila for his image 'Touch'. Photo: Tomasz Szpila

The overall winner and Wilderness Safaris Photographer of the Year award for 2022 is Polish shutterbug Tomasz Szpila.

His image Touch was taken in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and depicts the moment a seven-day-old mountain gorilla is tenderly touched by his older brother.

Thomas Vijayan from Canada claims first place in the African Wildlife category for his image Last Wish, depicting a lion towering over its tiny prey.

South African photographer Simone Osborne scoops the award for People/Cultures and Communities of Africa, for her image The Abore girl, taken while spending time with the remote Abore tribe in Ethiopia’s Omo Valley.

The 2022 People's Choice winner is 'Mini Me' by Giovanna Aryafara, captured in the Omo Valley, Ethiopia. Photo: Giovanna Aryafara

Australian photographer Blair Eastwood’s Clutching to Life tops the Conserving Africa’s Wilderness category. Shot in Johannesburg, it depicts a rescued Temminck's pangolin curled in a vet's arms after it was retrieved from the hands of poachers. Sadly, the animal died a few days after the photo was taken.

The popular People's Choice award goes to Giovanna Aryafara from Indonesia for Mini Me, a picture showing a smiling mother and child resting under a blanket in Ethiopia.

The contest raised more than South African rand 300,000 in funds for Wilderness Safaris’s non-profit organisation Children in the Wilderness, which trains young people in rural areas in leadership and conservation.