Photographer From Philippines Crowned Runner-Up in Regional Photography Competition

Contestant Silver Vito Niño Andrada represented the Philippines in regional photography competition, Through the Lens, hosted by Wildlife Reserves Singapore and has emerged as the competition runner-up

Image 1: Runner-up Silver Vito Niño Andrada from the Philippines snapped two squirrel monkeys—submitted in
the ‘cute’ category—‘hanging out’ in the forest canopy.

Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) today revealed the overall winner for its inaugural wildlife photography competition, Through the Lens.

Photographer Tapan Sheth from India took the winning title for his entry capturing a veiled chameleon in Singapore Zoo’s newest exhibit, RepTopia.

The competition, which was open to professional and aspiring photographers in the region, received over 1,700 entries across five countries in Asia. Representing India in the regional finals which took place in Singapore last month, Tapan competed against other finalists from China, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines to capture what nature means to him, through his lens.

Tapan commented: “I wanted to capture the physical attributes of the animals ijn detail, and most importantly, in an angle that intrigues the viewer to look beyond the surface of an image.

“The veiled chameleon on its own is beautiful to behold. Here its natural colour is set off by the forest environment captured in the photo, which makes it easier to appreciate with the naked eye.

More often than not, we overlook so many of the elements that make up the natural habitats around us.

With this photo, I hope I can encourage the public to take a moment to appreciate even the smallest details that surround us.”

“I’m passionate about wildlife photography so my visit to the wildlife parks in Singapore was an unforgettable experience. Through various behind the scenes tours we got to really witness the passion that the keepers show when educating members of the public on the importance of wildlife appreciation and conservation.”

Ms Isabel Cheng, Chief Marketing Officer, Wildlife Reserves Singapore, said: “We thank all of the talented contestants for their participation and remarkable entries. Their images caught so many beautiful moments and it’s been fascinating to see the different stories captured by each participant through their lens—influenced by the natural landscapes from their own country. The winning image by Tapan inspires us to look closer at, and appreciate, the environment around us—the beauty of which is very often right under our noses without us seeing it.”

The contest was launched for the first time this year by WRS, in partnership with local photography groups around the region, including Kunzum.com in India, to encourage photographers to capture the powerful connection between humans, nature and wildlife through their lens. The entries were assessed based on five different categories including cute, humorous, animals up-close, meaningful and park icons.

WRS manages four award-winning wildlife attractions—Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, River Safari and Singapore Zoo. Each park offers a unique experience for visitors, infused with education around biodiversity and conservation efforts, which WRS is driving around the region.

For more information on Through the Lens, visit https://www.facebook.com/wrs.sg/.

The grand prize winner and runners-up each receive a HTC U11, the world’s first squeezable smartphone with the highest ever smartphone camera ratingi—ideal for capturing nature and wildlife moments on the go!