Alex Brackx’s winning photo of a zebra’s last seconds of life was the first predation photo to win Photographer of the Year. There is something about Alex’s dramatic capture of a split-second in the lives of this cheetah and zebras, locked in a desperate battle for survival, that transcends the many predation photos that AG receives for consideration. “I will remember those last seconds for the rest of my life,” says Alex of his winning Photographer of the Year image.
Alex is a wildlife photographer who started to pursue nature photography in 2010 while travelling in South and Central America. Through further travels in Asia and Europe, he began to hone his craft, travelling to film and take photos of wildlife. For Alex, it is a thrill to photograph his observations of animals, birds, landscapes, jungles, deserts and oceans.
In this gallery, we share a few of Alex’s favourite images. You can see more of Alex’s work on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube, where he regularly shares his images and thoughts.
“A big thanks to Africa Geographic for believing in my pictures and for giving me and my wife the chance to discover Botswana on the Photographer of the Year winner’s trip!” says Alex.
Alex favours his Nikon D5 and Nikon D500 for capturing wildlife, as well the Nikon24-70mm (F2.8), 120-300mm (F2.8), and 500mm (F4.0) lenses.
Lion family in the early morning. I took this photo of a lion family on a beautiful morning in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, in 2022. This family was reunited after two of the cubs had been hiding high up in a tree for a full day and part of the night. I love the colours of this picture. Nikon D5 | 135mm | f/4 | 1/2500 sec | ISO 640Zebra at sunset. I took this photo in Amboseli National Park, Kenya, at sunset. It was winter and the sky wasn’t clear. What I managed to get was this mysterious sunset instead. I loved this moment when the zebras were moving from their feeding places to their ‘night’ places – like a small daily migration. Nikon D5 | 300mm | f/2.8 | 1/1250 sec | ISO 1250Village weaver: a difficult new beginning. I captured this image at Lake Baringo in Kenya while standing up in a small fishing boat. The skills the weavers have for building their nests is simply amazing – especially evident when one watches them starting from scratch. On my five-week journey through Kenya I had the chance to observe many different species of weavers. Nikon D5 | 500mm | f/4 | 1/5000 sec | ISO 1250Photographer of the Year 2022 winning image: Last seconds of life, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. A mother zebra makes one final attempt to separate her foal from its pursuant – but fails. Nikon D5 | 500mm | f/10 | 1/1000 sec | ISO 640Dwarf mongoose, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. True to its name, the dwarf mongoose is the smallest mongoose. In fact, it is the smallest African carnivore. I love the mammals that appear when you least expect them. Nikon D5 | 500mm | f/4 | 1/3200 sec | ISO 640Serval hunting. Seeing a serval – let alone photographing one – was one of my biggest dreams before I left for Kenya. On the LAST morning of my stay in the Maasai Mara National Reserve we found one and it was amazing to see this beautiful cat walking through the long grass and hunting. What a moment. Nikon D5 | 240mm | f/2.8 | 1/5000 sec | ISO 640Black-backed jackal. Jackals are one of my favourite animals in Africa. I had a photo in mind the second time I went on a photographic trip to Maasai Mara National Reserve. It took many attempts to capture this: a jackal surrounded by a bouquet of wet grass in the morning. Nikon D5 | 300mm | f/2.8 | 1/2500 sec | ISO 400Evening stroll of a juvenile lion in the last rays of daylight, Maasai Mara, National Reserve, Kenya. This young lion was crawling to the ‘older’ group of lions after his daytime rest. The sunsets on the Mara can be incredibly beautiful and dramatic – I just love it there. Nikon D5 | 280mm | f/5 | 1/400 sec | ISO 2500Speckled mousebird, Lake Elementaita, Kenya. These birds are a very interesting, strange-looking species. Nikon D5 | 500mm | f/4 | 1/1000 sec | ISO 2500African fish eagle hunting. These eagles thrive at the big lakes in central Kenya. This picture was taken at Lake Baringo in 2021. In 2020 Lake Baringo reached its highest level since 1932. Months of sustained torrential rains in 2020 caused this lake in Kenya’s Rift Valley to flood its banks, forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes, hotels and farms. At the time, officials said the immense floods showed the devastating impact of climate change on East Africa. In the summer of 2021, the water level at this lake was still very high. Nikon D5 | 210mm | f/2.8 | 1/8000 | ISO 640Zebra family, Amboseli National Park, Kenya. I was amazed at how strong the bonds of this zebra family were. They kept rubbing themselves against each other, sniffing each other and playing together. Nikon D5 | 300mm | f/5 | 1/800 sec | ISO 1250
Travel in Africa is about knowing when and where to go, and with whom. A few weeks too early/late or a few kilometres off course, and you could miss the greatest show on Earth. And wouldn’t that be a pity?
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