|
Second Place, Magazine Photographer of the Year Randy Olson, Freelance/National Geographic "Bird
Hunters" Bird hunters near Mohenjo Daro Pakistan gather on the banks of the Indus River and wait for dusk. Each wears and egret headdress to stalk the birds on the Indus River. The tradition is ancient. A 5,000-year-old pot depicting bird hunting was found in an archaeological site just a stones throw from where modern-day bird hunters still practice their art. In this remote part of Pakistan, kidnappings and robbery are common. Bandits are particularly bad on the opposite side of the river, so a working journalist must have a machinegun-toting guard at all times. The hunters are required to have their boats in by dusk and locked up by the police so they aren't stolen and used by the bandits to cross the river. |