Mike Korostelev's Image

Mike Korostelev (Russia) reveals a hippopotamus and her two offspring resting in the clear water of a shallow lake.

Mike had been visiting the hippos in this lake for more than two years. He’d already managed to photograph them swimming under water using a drone, which they tolerated, and he knew they were accustomed to his boat.

On this occasion, while keeping a respectful distance to avoid alarming the mother, Mike took the rare chance of an underwater encounter. ‘I spent just 20 seconds with them, enough time to get one set of shots,’ he explains. His wide angle capturing the hippos in their daytime realm.

Artist, Storyteller and Competition Judge Celina Chien remarks, ‘I love that it reveals the hidden side of hippo life - the tender and bashful family cradled by dreamy hues and cloudlike textures. It reminded me that there’s always a new way to see the world, if you have the courage.’

Hippos retreat to water or muddy wallows by day, emerging after sunset to graze. They’re fast runners and can propel themselves swiftly under the water with their short legs and webbed feet.

With each female producing just one calf every two to three years, their slow-growing population is particularly vulnerable to habitat degradation, drought and illegal hunting. Hippos are killed not only for meat but for ivory from their teeth.