Photo of the Day (12.21.08)

This looks like one of the more curious staring contests I think I’ve ever seen. Flickr user JKEvgen was in Antarctica when he captured this “close encounter of the penguin kind.” There’s a lot of great things about this image. First, I love the situation – it’s one of those photos that makes you stop and take a second look to try and process what’s happening. Second, I’m happy that JKEvgen had the presence of mind to take this photo in the first place. You could take a million static landscape photos perfectly and never even come close to the viewer reaction you’ll get from something like this. As much as photography is about composition, it’s also about knowing how to tell a story with your image and being in the right place at the right time.

Have any great wildlife shots from your own travels? How about sharing them with the world by uploading to the Gadling pool on Flickr? If we like your shot we might just pick it as our Photo of the Day.