Kristeen Baggetto, Under Suspicion (ANIMALS 2024)

I have always been fascinated with Australasian Darters, with their striking feather patterns, long snake-like necks, sharp pointed bills, and suspicious natures so I often photograph them when I visit my local Botanic Gardens in Bundaberg, Queensland, where this photo was taken. I feel that processing images of these cautious birds in monochrome really helps to emphasise and display the extremely intense and dramatic persona they always portray whenever they are approached.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.