Dutch photographer, Marsel van Oosten, has won the title of 'Wildlife Photographer of the Year' for 2018 in the prestigious competition, for his image titled 'The Golden Couple" as seen above. The striking image features snub-nosed monkeys in China and was shot in the Qinling Mountains, the only place where these monkeys are found, as they watch an altercation between two males in the troop.
âWhenever he did catch up and if the monkeys were on the ground, the light was seldom right,â writes the Natural History Museum, which runs the contest. âAlso, the only way to show both a maleâs beautiful pelage and his striking blue face was to shoot at an angle from the back. That became Marselâs goal.
âIt took many days to understand the groupâs dynamics and predict what might happen next, but finally his perseverance paid off with this gift of a perfect situation, with a perfect forest backdrop and perfect light filtering through the canopy. A low flash brought out the glow of the maleâs golden locks to complete the perfect portrait.â
The shot was captured with a Nikon D810, Tamron 24â70mm f/2.8 lens, and Nikon SB-910 flash at 24mm, 1/320s, f8, ISO 1600, Nikon SB-910 flash.
Here are the other finalists of this yearâs contest:
15-17 Years Old: âLounging Leopardâ by Skye Meaker, South Africa 
10 Years and Under: âPipe Owlsâ by Arshdeep Singh, India 
11-14 Years Old: âDuck of Dreamsâ by Carlos Perez Naval, Spain 
Animals in their Environment: âBed of Sealsâ by Cristobal Serrano, Spain 
Behaviour: Amphibians and Reptiles: âHellbentâ by David Herasimtschuk, USA 
Behaviour: Invertebrates: âMud-rolling Mud-dauberâ by Georgina Steytler, Australia 
Behaviour: Mammals: âKuhirwa Mourns Her Babyâ by Ricardo NĂșñez Montero, Spain 
Plants and Fungi: âDesert Relicâ by Jen Guyton by Germany/USA 
Under Water: âNight Flightâ by Michael Patrick OâNeill, USA 
Urban Wildlife: âCrossing Pathsâ by Marco Colombo, Italy 
Earthâs Environments: âWindsweepâ by Orlando Fernandez Miranda, Spain 
Black and White: âThe Visionâ by Jan van der Greef, The Netherlands 
Creative Visions: âThe Ice Poolâ by Cristobal Serrano, Spain 
Wildlife Photojournalism: âThe Sad Clownâ by Joan de la Malla, Spain 
Wildlife Photojournalist Award: Story: âSignature Treeâ by Alejandro Prieto, Mexico 
Rising Star Portfolio Award: âDream Duelâ by Michel dâOultremont, Belgium 
Wildlife Photographer Portfolio Award: âMother Defenderâ by Javier Aznar GonzĂĄlez de Rueda, Spain 
10 Years and Under: âPipe Owlsâ by Arshdeep Singh, India 11-14 Years Old: âDuck of Dreamsâ by Carlos Perez Naval, Spain Animals in their Environment: âBed of Sealsâ by Cristobal Serrano, Spain Behaviour: Amphibians and Reptiles: âHellbentâ by David Herasimtschuk, USA Behaviour: Invertebrates: âMud-rolling Mud-dauberâ by Georgina Steytler, Australia Behaviour: Mammals: âKuhirwa Mourns Her Babyâ by Ricardo NĂșñez Montero, Spain Plants and Fungi: âDesert Relicâ by Jen Guyton by Germany/USA Under Water: âNight Flightâ by Michael Patrick OâNeill, USA Urban Wildlife: âCrossing Pathsâ by Marco Colombo, Italy Earthâs Environments: âWindsweepâ by Orlando Fernandez Miranda, Spain Black and White: âThe Visionâ by Jan van der Greef, The Netherlands Creative Visions: âThe Ice Poolâ by Cristobal Serrano, Spain Wildlife Photojournalism: âThe Sad Clownâ by Joan de la Malla, Spain Wildlife Photojournalist Award: Story: âSignature Treeâ by Alejandro Prieto, Mexico Rising Star Portfolio Award: âDream Duelâ by Michel dâOultremont, Belgium Wildlife Photographer Portfolio Award: âMother Defenderâ by Javier Aznar GonzĂĄlez de Rueda, Spain
