Luca Melcarne's Image

Luca Melcarne (France) makes the most of his mountain guide skills to reveal the fascinating lives of Alpine animals.

To enable an early ascent into ibex territory, Luca had spent a bitterly cold night in a temporary shelter in the French Alps, having skied for six hours across the natural park. Luca thawed his camera with his breath and took the ibex’s portrait.

Lucas Bustamante, Wildlife Photojournalist, Conservation Biologist and Competition Judge, notes that ‘it is very challenging to successfully accomplish a white subject, background and environment, but I believe the photographer did it well here. The ibex appears as a ghost and blends with its environment, creating a very provocative portrait.’