It was sunset when the snow leopard finally brushed by Sascha Fonseca’s camera trap high up in the Indian Himalayas. Fonseca had gone to great lengths to portray the elusive big cat, known as “the ghost of the mountain.”
Fascinated by snow leopards for their incredible camouflage and the remote regions they inhabit, Fonseca had embarked on a three-year photography project in Leh, Ladakh in northern India. His carefully positioned camera traps yielded his “dream” image and garnered him the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award.
People’s Choice Award Winner
“World of the Snow Leopard” by Sascha Fonseca, who said, “The mystery surrounding the snow leopard always fascinated me.” (Courtesy of Sascha Fonseca / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
Over 60,000 visitors at the museum’s Wildlife Photographer of The Year flagship exhibition in London, UK, voted from a shortlist of 25 images selected by the museum from nearly 39,000 entries. Alongside the top prize, four Highly Commended People’s Choice Award winners were also chosen….