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Stefano Unterthiner's Image
The winter gathering of whoopers on Lake Kussharo, on Hokkaido, Japan, was a picture of chaos.
The swans were constantly standing up, sitting down, heading off, interacting and calling. 'I suddenly saw that this could be the key to a completely different kind of image - one that shows the rhythms of a flock's movements,' says Stefano. He started to imagine the group of swans as one, flowing over the ice, seen at different points in time and space, and he set out to create the illusion. The swan enters lower right, wanders around a bit, sits down a few times, and exits top right - a single shot of continuous time and motion.
Behind the lens
Stefano Unterthiner
Italy
Stefano became serious about photography at 17 and went on to obtain a PhD in zoology from the University of Aberdeen (Scotland). He is the author of nine photography books, a multi-award winner in Wildlife Photographer of the Year and a regular contributing photographer for National Geographic magazine. Stefano has run many long-term multimedia projects, the latest being A Family in the Arctic.
Image details
- Nikon D700
- 24-70mm lens
- 1/320 sec at f16
- Lake Kussharo, Hokkaido, Japan
Copyright in WPY competition photographs remains the property of the respective photographers. You may not copy, share, reproduce or republish the photographs except as expressly permitted by copyright law. For media image usage enquiries, please contact us.
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