Norfolk photographer David Tipling talks about the atmospheric winter picture which has put him in line for a prestigious wildlife award – with the help of EDP readers.

I dare not add up how many hours I have spent sitting alongside fields waiting for hares, but I know it must run into the hundreds. Often these waits are made buried deep in a hedge on the edge of a large field.

Alternatively I will photograph from my vehicle, the perfect mobile hide. If parked in the same spot regularly then individual hares come to know the car and so accept it into their environment.

Two years ago I spent many weeks photographing hares using a field not far from Buckenham in the Yare Valley. Snow transformed this 500-acre expanse into a sea of white, a blank canvas.

Dotted about were not just one or two animals – on one memorable day in January I counted a staggering 75 brown hares, some buried in their forms with just the top of their heads showing while others actively dug down to find food.

As dusk approached a little March madness swept through the throng.

I took many pictures that day but this simple image stood out for me.

Throughout my photographic career I have always believed that less is often more in a picture.

So I was delighted when this picture was selected by the judges of this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, the wildlife photographers' equivalent of the Oscars.

This year the competition celebrates its 50th anniversary.

To mark this occasion the judges have picked 50 of their favourite images for the public to vote on including my hare image you see here.

To enjoy some spectacular images from the natural world click here and don't forget to vote for the hares!