Yaawwnnn… by Kurien Koshy Yohannan

Captured at the Edinburgh Zoo, this striking image features an Amur Leopard in a moment of candid vulnerability. While the zoo's crowds were captivated by the Giant Pandas, the photographer turned his lens toward the big cats, drawn to their raw power and majesty. The shot perfectly freezes the leopard mid-yawn, juxtaposing the creature's deceptively cute expression with the underlying intensity of a formidable predator. This photograph is award-worthy for its sharp focus and the photographer's ability to find a quiet, intimate connection with a wild animal, highlighting the grace and strength of one of nature's most elusive hunters.

Yaawwnnn… by Kurien Koshy Yohannan
Canon EOS 50D | Exposure 1/320sec @ f/6.3 | ISO 640 | Focal Length 500mm
Copyright Β© Kurien Koshy Yohannan
Light & Composition Photo of the Day

Kurien Koshy Yohannan

REGISTERED PHOTOGRAPHER

Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, Kurien Koshy Yohannan transitioned from a passionate hobbyist to a dedicated professional photographer. While his commercial career centers on corporate events and weddings, his true creative fulfillment is found in the natural world. Yohannan frequently ventures into the wild to document nature and wildlife, utilizing his technical expertise to capture the essence of his subjects. His work reflects a deep-seated appreciation for the animal kingdom, balancing the demands of professional photography with a persistent, artistic pursuit of wildlife imagery.

Profile View Full Profile
11.4/20
RESONANCE
SCORE
112/500
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SUBMISSION
Award Reach | Reviews
18,837 views | 5 Reviews
Award Winner Photo of the Day
Award Date June 9, 2012
64.0
AWARD SCORE
Value 12.0
Clarity 12.0
Composition 15.0
Style 13.0
Skill 12.0
Photograph Location
Edinburgh, Scotland

AWARD SEGMENT | TAGS

Kurien Koshy Yohannan Photography
Wildlife Photography

Resonance Score Breakdown

Transparency in Award Scoring

Transparency Note: The resonance score (11.1/20) is calculated based on social engagement metrics collected before the award announcement.

Social Shares
5.0/5 points
1,680/1,000 Social Share
Page Views
5.0/5 points
18,837/2,500 Page View
Reviews
0.0/5 points
0/100 Review
Submissions
1.1/5 points
112/500 Submission
Jury Score: 64.0/80
Resonance Score: 11.1/20
Total Award Score: 75.1/100

Expert Photography Reviews · 5

Priya Sharma Negative Space, Minimalism & the Japanese Aesthetic Expert Review
The leopard’s throat is a cavern. It’s a raw, pink architecture of teeth and tongue. I’ve spent minutes watching the blur of the background, the way the focus holds the yawn against the nothingness. It’s quiet. The crowd is gone. I feel a sudden, sharp ache in my own jaw. Nothing here is accidental. The empty corner is not empty. It’s a pause. A breath held in the cold Edinburgh air. It’s enough.
Yusuf Al-Hamdan Landscape, Light as Presence & the Spiritual Dimension Expert Review
The crowds were elsewhere, chasing the pandas, but Kurien waited here in the cooling, diffused light of the enclosure. He listened to the leopard’s breath, sensing the shift before the jaw unhinged. It’s a raw, unguarded moment of surrender. I’ve spent enough hours in the wild to know that stillness is a dialogue. Looking at those teeth, I feel a sudden, sharp shiver of respect for the predator’s quiet, hidden grace. He was truly present.
Eleanor Voss Composition & Visual Structure Expert Review
The verticality of the leopard’s yawn disrupts the frame’s horizontal stability. It’s a precarious geometry. The open maw creates a central fulcrum, pulling the viewer’s eye into a void that threatens to collapse the composition. While the focus is sharp, the surrounding negative space lacks the necessary tension to anchor such raw intensity. I’m exhausted by the sentimentality of the subject, yet the sheer structural audacity of that gaping throat doesn't let me look away.
Clara Whitfield Award Criteria, Legacy & What Makes an Image Endure Expert Review
Most wildlife shots are just trophies, but this one hits differently. I’ve seen thousands of captive animal portraits, and they’re usually hollow. What separates this is the raw, unvarnished anatomy of that yawn; it’s a terrifying reminder of the predator beneath the fur. It makes me feel small, honestly. By focusing on the teeth rather than the eyes, Yohannan captures a fleeting, primal honesty that’ll still be unsettling thirty years from now. It’s a rare, visceral win.
Dmitri Kasakov Contrast, Shadow Drama & the Metaphysics of Light Expert Review
The leopard’s yawn isn’t a moment of fatigue; it’s a terrifying exposure of the void. Yohannan captures the throat as a dark, cavernous architecture, a reminder that nature doesn't care for our comfort. I’ve stared into those teeth, and it’s chilling. The shadows clinging to the jawline aren't mere absence; they’re the weight of a predator’s silence. When the light fails to penetrate that throat, we’re forced to confront the abyss. It’s beautiful, but it resists us.
Reflections on this Photograph
By Sven Lindqvist

The Weight of the Breath

There is a moment before the scream, or the song, or the hunger. It is the moment when the jaw unhinges and the throat opens to the air. We spend our lives trying to keep our mouths shut, to hold the interior world inside, to keep the heat from escaping into the frost.

Read the reflection →
By Margaret Holt

The Architecture of a Breath

There is a peculiar honesty in the involuntary. We spend our lives curating our expressions, smoothing the edges of our faces to fit the expectations of the room, yet the body has its own agenda. A yawn, for instance, is a surrender.

Read the reflection →

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