Leamington teenager's amazing photo of a swan in Jephson Gardens wins top prize at national awards

"I have travelled to many amazing destinations around the world to see unique and exotic species, but this image really just shows how some of the best photos and animal experiences can come from those species found on your doorstep" he said
By Philip Hibble
Published 16th Dec 2021, 16:26 BST
The striking image, entitled ‘A Headless Swan?’’, was taken by 17 year old Jacob Rheams and was named as the runner up in the competition’s 16-18 category after being singled out from more than 6,500 entries this year.The striking image, entitled ‘A Headless Swan?’’, was taken by 17 year old Jacob Rheams and was named as the runner up in the competition’s 16-18 category after being singled out from more than 6,500 entries this year.
The striking image, entitled ‘A Headless Swan?’’, was taken by 17 year old Jacob Rheams and was named as the runner up in the competition’s 16-18 category after being singled out from more than 6,500 entries this year.

A Leamington teenager's photo of a swan preening its feathers with its head tucked under its wing has won a top prize in the RSPCA Young Photographer Awards 2021.

The striking image, entitled ‘A Headless Swan?’’, was taken by 17 year old Jacob Rheams and was named as the runner up in the competition’s 16-18 category after being singled out from more than 6,500 entries this year.

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Every year, the RSPCA Young Photographer Awards invites youngsters aged 18 years and under to capture the animal kingdom on a camera or a mobile device.

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Jacob said: “I’m so happy that the judges liked my photo so much.

“This photo shows a swan preening its feathers at Jephson Gardens in Leamington Spa. I have travelled to many amazing destinations around the world to see unique and exotic species, but this image really just shows how some of the best photos and animal experiences can come from those species found on your doorstep.

"To capture the photo, I sat by the side of the river Leam watching a pair of mute swans feeding and preening. I managed to capture this particular photo right at the moment the swan's head disappeared behind its wing, giving a unique and arty image.”

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This year’s awards were blind-judged online by a panel of experts in wildlife photography, including photographer and TV presenter and RSPCA Vice President Chris Packham.

Also on the panel were wildlife photographer and former competition winner Catriona Parfitt, professional wildlife photographer and photographic guide Ellie Rothnie, wildlife photographer, filmmaker and previous winner Dani Connor and the RSPCA’s multimedia manager Andrew Forsyth and senior photographer Emma Jacobs.

Sponsors of the competition are Nature's Images (wildlife photography holidays), Camtraptions (camera traps for wildlife photography) and Wildlifephoto.com (resources for nature photographers).

Judge and awards host Chris Packham said: “The high quality and range of animal photos received this year has been astounding, particularly given the restrictions of the pandemic. We do know that several of this year’s finalists took up photography when the first covid lockdown happened in 2020, which just shows how rewarding taking eye-catching pictures can be even during the most difficult of times.

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“The RSPCA Young Photographer Awards is a true celebration of the animal kingdom and one I feel honoured to be involved with. Every person shortlisted should be proud of their contribution to a world that’s kinder to all animals.”

The winning images across the ten categories were announced during an online awards ceremony hosted by Chris Packham on Thursday December 16. The ‘Overall Winner’ was chosen from the ten category winners by the judges.

For a full gallery of the winning images visit: https://young.rspca.org.uk/ypa/home

Related topics:LeamingtonChris Packham