Meet Karthik Subramaniam—National Geographic's 'Pictures of the Year' contest winner
Indian-origin Karthik Subramaniam has won National Geographic's prestigious "Picture of the Year" contest for his photograph "Dance of Eagles," which was taken in Alaska. A hobbyist photographer, Subramaniam, has been into wildlife photography for many years and won the contest among nearly 5,000 entries. He presently lives in San Francisco, California, and works as a software engineer. Here's more.
Know about the winning image 'Dance of Eagles'
The "stunning image" titled "Dance of Eagles" depicts a trio of bald eagles competing for a space on a branch in Alaska's Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, according to National Geographic. It was reportedly chosen from over 5,000 entries in four categories: Nature, People, Places, and Animals. The shot will now appear in the May edition of National Geographic magazine alongside the magazine's top photographers.
Photo was taken during an eagle commotion: Subramaniam
"Every year in November, hundreds of bald eagles gather...to feast on salmon. They also seemed to have some favorite...and usually, commotion ensues when an eagle wants an already occupied spot." "This photo was taken during one such commotion," Subramaniam said. He added that his motto while camping in the preserve, waiting for the perfect click, was "Wherever there's salmon, there's going to be chaos."
Image is the outcome of a photographic trip to Alaska
The prize-winning picture was captured on the final day of his week-long photography trip to Alaska, in Eagle Preserve, where he watched the bald eagles catch salmon from the water. "Hours of observing their patterns and behavior helped me capture moments like these," he added.
Winning image shared by Subramaniam on Instagram
Image title a homage to American novelist George RR Martin
According to National Geographic, Subramaniam titled the photograph "Dance of the Eagles" as a homage to a fictional dragon war in author George RR Martin's novel A Dance with Dragons. Meanwhile, the outlet stated that Subramaniam received a six-month digital subscription to the magazine as part of its recognition of his work. Nine other photographers also received honorable mentions for their photographs, taken worldwide.
Subramanian's journey from hobbyist to award-winning photographer
Subramanian is an Indian-born software engineer based in San Francisco, California. Subramanian, a hobbyist photographer, took up photography more seriously and dedicatedly during the 2020 pandemic. He began experimenting with his camera after being quarantined at his San Francisco, California, house. Later, he became interested in wildlife photography and started working with networks like BBC Earth.
