A photo taken in Cyprus has been judged as one of the top photos in an international photo competition, The Perfect Moment Photo Contest, in which photographers from more than 50 countries took part.

Competition finalist Hasan Baglar received an honorable mention for his photograph of two praying mantises perched on a branch, their front legs stretched up in the air, and their colourful wings outspread, which the judges called “amusing”.

“I think it was afraid of me because it looked nervous and I have heard this is the normal behaviour of a praying mantis when it’s afraid,” Baglar told UK newspaper The Metro. “Even though I know that I still couldn’t help but laugh. It was a photo opportunity not to be missed. I think I’m lucky to have been in the right place at the right time.”

Baglar, born in Limassol in 1974, specialises in nature and wildlife photography, capturing images of birds, butterflies, orchids and insects in Cyprus. He reached the finals of the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards with an image of two praying mantises in a similar pose. He titled the picture Zeybeks – a reference to a traditional Turkish dance.

First prize winner of the 2019 The Perfect Moment competition was Francisco Negroni who won a $2,000 cash prize for his photo titled The Perfect Fear.

The picture shows a perfect ‘dirty storm’, the most violent moment during the eruption of the Calbuco volcano in Chile. Dirty storm is the scientific term given to the incredible phenomenon that occurs in some eruptions where the force of the elements thrown from the bottom of the volcano collides on the outside causing positive and negative charges which produce lightning.

Source: cyprus-mail.com