Israeli snapper wins top photo gong

An Israeli wildlife photographer has scooped a prestigious international photography award with his dynamic image of birds of prey, writes Talia Samuelson.

Amir Ben-Dov’s shot of endangered red-footed falcons behaving in a manner atypical of their species impressed the judging panel of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award.

At the ceremony, which was hosted by the competition’s organising institution – London’s Natural History Museum – Ben-Dov received the title for the “strongly contested” Birds category. His image, entitled The Company Of Three, was selected from more than 4,000 entries.

The Beit Shemesh businessman was both surprised and delighted by his success. “It is the most prestigious photo competition in the world… so for me it was very exciting.”