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Bence Máté's Image
Bence Máté (Hungary) watches as a European roller and little owl chase each other repeatedly through the undergrowth.
To freeze the action, Bence mounted two cameras side by side on a tripod.
Each camera was synchronised at 20 frames per second, with the shutters being triggered by remote release.
After 27 days in a hide, he snapped this scene.
Bence is rewilding 20 hectares (49 acres) of former farmland around his home beside Kiskunság National Park, Hungary. He’s installed 200 nest boxes there.
It isn’t clear what prompts this behaviour. However, Bence noticed that the chases stopped once the birds had young to look after.
Behind the lens
Bence Máté
Hungary
Bence remains the only photographer to have won both the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year and the Wildlife Photographer of the Year titles. In 2005, he pioneered the one-way glass photography technique, which revolutionised the practice of hide photography worldwide, reducing human disturbance of wildlife. Bence is an advocate of rewilding and invests his earnings in acquiring agricultural land to restore it to its natural state, creating habitats that support the return of native wildlife.
Image details
- Canon EOS R5
- 200mm f2 lens
- 1/8000 at f2 • ISO 5000 • Flexline twin shooter head + tripod • homemade leg-controlled remote control
- Kiskunság National Park, Bács-Kiskun County, Hungary
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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