Raleigh photographer wins 2022 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Hadley, who lives in Raleigh, worked in the corporate world until last year. She always loved traveling, nature and animals, so becoming a professional wildlife and landscape photographer was a natural step.

"I love being out in the open among the trees and clean air. I've loved animals my whole life," Hadley said.

Two of her photographs were selected out of thousands of submissions for the contest, which showcased 40 images highlighting the funny behaviors or expressions of animals in their natural habitats.

Winners were announced Dec. 8, and Hadley won both the Overall Contest and the People’s Choice contest.

"I was definitely really surprised but it feels great to win," she told WRAL News.

Hadley has visited 52 countries and six continents. She captured the image of penguins on a trip to Antarctica, where she stopped at the Falkland Islands. The image of the lion cub was taken in Tanzania.

This was her first time entering the contest, which was founded in 2015.

"I love those shots that show animals living their lives as they are and just being themselves," she said. "That's my favorite part. Sometimes I'm not even taking photos, I just watch."

Capturing striking images comes from anticipating an animal's behavior, Hadley explained. Other times, like the lion cub she caught on camera taking a tumble, you're surprised and have to act quickly.

"I was not ready for him to fall out of a tree," she said. "It happened really fast."

Wildlife photography means enduring bitter cold and scorching weather conditions. It also requires a lot of waiting and a lot of patience, said Hadley, whose photos have been published internationally. Soon, she'll travel to Botswana, a country in Southern Africa, as a co-guide and lead photographer for the trip.

"Wildlife photography, for me, is all about respecting the animal," Hadley said. "No photo is worth distressing an animal or putting an animal in an uncomfortable position."

While Hadley says she loves taking photos of all creatures, much of her work is centered images of large predatory animals. To stay safe, she has to rely on the instincts she has developed spending time near wild animals over the years.

"I am very in tune with their behavior and what signals they send me with their body language," she explained. "I respect them. Sometimes their signals mean backing off and not getting that photo you want. That's primary for me -- being ethical and putting the animal first."

Hadley also focuses on conservancy efforts, and she hopes by sharing her photos people will discover the sanctity of animals.

"I just want people to see how amazing these animals are, and how they have these whole lives that are sometimes secret to us. I appreciate them and fight for them, because it's tough for them out there," Hadley said. "When you spend time with these animals. you realize how magnificent they are. I want to share that with people so they can see what I see."