Nature is beautiful, and hardly anyone can argue against that. However, the instances of beauty can vary: some are common, and some are very rare to find. The pictures we show to you here today are very rare and hard to come across, which is why the work of professional wildlife and nature photographers is so valuable to everyone.
Nature TTL have announced their photographers of the year 2021, and the photos that were awarded are simply breathtaking. Over 8000 photos competed in animal behavior, wildlife portraits, camera traps, underwater, landscape, night sky and other categories. They have also awarded the junior photographers, whose work is as good as professional ones'. This year's Photographer of the Year title was awarded to Canadian Thomas Vijayan for his photo of an orangutan going up a tree, which looks like an optical illusion, but we can assure you that it's as real as it gets.
#41 "Lost In Geometry" By Christian Wappl
Highly Commended in the Urban Wildlife category.
"House sparrows (Passer domesticus) were nesting in the vents of a supermarket in Morocco. Most individuals were nesting in uniform white or blue surfaces, but this individual had chosen a vent near the border of the two colors, which I used to my advantage in this shot."
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14points
#42 "The Cauldron Of Creation" By James Gifford
Runner-up in the Wild Portraits category.
"I found this rhino mother and calf resting in the heat of the day and guessed they might go to a nearby waterhole later to drink. To make the most of the dust, I positioned myself to shoot into the sun on the route I expected them to take when they left, deliberately underexposing to capture the clouds of amber dust.
Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of rhino poaching, I wanted my picture to convey a sense of hope – a new beginning almost – as if these were the first rhinos being forged in a fire of creation. The effect of the backlit dust, creating a blurred shadow image, added to the ethereal effect.
Botswana only reintroduced rhinos to the wild relatively recently. So far the program has been doing well, but ironically the safari companies and organizations involved are reluctant to publicize any details about the rhinos in case it attracts the attention of poaching syndicates. Even so, it is a constant battle to deter and combat potential poachers."
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14points
#43 "The Race" By Yevhen Samuchenko
Highly Commended in the Urban Wildlife category.
"My friends and I walked in the center of the small town of Hampi in India. There was a bicycle parking area nearby.
Suddenly a group of langurs jumped on these bicycles and began to frolic around. We were afraid to frighten them away, so I started taking pictures from afar. But then we came very close to them and the langurs continued to play with bicycles for the comical shot."
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13points
#44 "Red Fox" By Tapas Biswas
Highly Commended in the Urban Wildlife.
"A red fox enjoying the early morning winter sun, overlooking the rooftops in London, UK."
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11points
#45 "Wave Break" By James Roddie
Highly Commended in the Wild Portraits category.
"A wave breaks over the head of a common shag on The Black Isle, Scotland. I had spotted this bird sat on the water’s edge from a good distance back and had made a slow approach. With waves lapping at its feet, I recognized an interesting photographic opportunity.
To my delight, a slightly larger wave approached, covering the bird completely. I managed a few frames, of which this one shows the moment the wave broke over the bird’s head."
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9points
#46 "Bee Wolf With Honeybee Prey" By Simon Jenkins
Highly Commended in the Small World category.
"The bee wolf is a solitary wasp and predates on honeybees. In this image, you can see the wasp carrying away its unfortunate prey."
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8points
#47 "Winged Family Members" By Kallol Mukherjee
Winner in the Urban Wildlife category.
"There are many instances of negative human interactions with wildlife. But sometimes there are good things, like with these barn swallows building their nest right inside this shop in the Himalayas – safely away from predators.
Barn swallows are revered as the goddess of wealth and fortune. They are taken as the harbingers of peace and prosperity. So the people gladly accept the feces and other nuisances made by the birds."
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7points
#48 "Irish Patterns" By Marek Biegalski
Highly Commended in the Landscape category.
"Sand patterns are seen from above on the Baltray in Ireland with Little Terns nesting right on the beach. The Terns are Ireland’s rarest breeding sea birds. They tend to nest on the beaches and are extremely noisy in the breeding season."
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7points
#49 "The Weaver" By Ben Nicholson
Highly Commended in the Small World category.
"After recently shedding its skin, I watched this spider begin to weave its new web. I used a flash to isolate the background and illuminate its semi-transparent exoskeleton."
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7points
#50 "3… 2… 1… Takeoff!" By Christian Brockes
Highly Commended in the Small World category.
"An acorn weevil (Curculio glandium) spreading its wings, ready to take off."
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7points
#51 "Inception" By Fabien Dubessy
Highly Commended in the Small World category.
"I made this photo in my garden. The support is the bottom of an old flowerpot. During the shooting, I also made overprints, directly on the camera."
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4points
