This photographer spent three days photographing a dead hippo – and it won her Photographer of the Year

Last year, photographer Frankie Adamson spent three days returning to a hippo carcass on the edge of the Masai Mara reserve in Africa. The patience and an eye for composition has paid off, earning the wildlife and pet portrait photographer the Society of Photographers title of the 2024 Photographer of the year.

Adamson earned top honors in the annual photo contest. A fascinating portrait showing the movement of a cello player by Jane Thompson took second place and a stunningly symmetrical shot of a dog in motion by Jessica McGovern placed third. Liaila Villebeck earned first prize in the content’s print category with a black and white portrait while photographers also placed in genre-based categories.

Adamson, who spends months photographing the Masai Mara as one of the Governor's Camp photographers in residence, captured the winning image called Kiss of Death as hyenas tugged at the mouth of a hippo carcass. “‘Kiss of Death’ was shot in the Masai Mara back in May 2024,” Adamson explained. “It’s the culmination of 3 days worth of trips out to a hippo carcass that – I’m deadly serious here – I first spotted while leaving the reserve early one morning to go photograph a World Bee Day event at a local college of wildlife.”

Judges said the image demonstrated exceptional skill, storytelling, and execution, adding that the image sparked a lively discussion. Adamson is previously known for her work at Hounds of Hong Kong, a business where she captured portraits of dogs. While the photographer says she works to create a connection with the viewer in both the pet portraiture and wildlife, she notes that wildlife photography is distinct from her other work. “You have no leverage,” she wrote, “there’s no trying it one more time and you are dealt the hand you’re given. It’s the unpredictability of it that I love the most because it often leads to the most incredible of surprises, despite more often than not returning with just the memories of an experience rather than any noteworthy images.”

The judges also honored Jane Thomson with a second place prize for a long exposure image that turns the movement of a cello player into a painting-like photograph.

Jessica McGovern earned third place honors with a shot of a wet dog running across a narrow strip of beach, perfectly reflected in the water.

The Society of Photographers also hosted a print segment to the competition, awarding Laila Villebeck with top honors in the category for her black and white portrait.

The full list of winners in each of the 28 genre-based categories along with the separate print category winners can be found from the Society of Photographers.

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