47 Images That Captured Nature’s Beauty And Diversity And Were Selected As Best By NBP Awards 2023

“An anemonefish was caring for eggs laid on a plastic bag filled with sand. I was happy to get this shot, but also sad to see the ocean trash.”

“This moment is one of the most epic behind-the-shot sessions and adventures. Planning such a shot brings tremendous excitement because, from the beginning, the final result is totally unknown. The goal of our adventure was to drop into a glacier just before the dark of night. But all conditions had to line up for success. We found a hole, or ‘moulin,’ about 130 feet deep. Here, climber Helgi Ragnar Jensson is coming up around midnight under the most incredible conditions with a rising full moon and halo. One can barely see our tent lit up on the right side of the frame.”

“I visited Valparai in South India to see tea plantations and the famous lion-tailed macaques. During my trip, our guide spotted a group of a hundred or more macaques on the forest floor. I saw cute babies playing around with their mothers and a big alpha male approaching. All the others gave way— he was quite large compared to the other macaques. He was the ‘big boss’ of the group; he sat close to us, facing the other side. I watched him intently and noted his beautiful silver- white mane surrounding his head from his cheeks to his chin. I waited for him to look toward me, and soon, we gazed directly at each other. I captured this eye contact on camera and in my mind forever.”

“On an April afternoon, I saw this interesting composition in front of our house. A swallow was sitting on the power lines lit by the setting sun. Since I took the picture from a bottom perspective and the lights came from the front, only the bird’s silhouette was visible. After dozens of unsuccessful attempts and a long time waiting, I managed to take a photo where the swallow is in the perfect position.”

“From Swakopmund many people go to Pelican Point by boat. I love to drive my car into the peninsula to see the wildlife closer and take my time to wait for special moments. This seal colony is one of the biggest in Southern Africa and I went with the idea to take a picture with my drone. I flew the drone quite high in order to respect the seals and not disturb them. I tried many different angles, but this one was my favorite.”

“This is an in-camera composed Penta-exposure photograph of an orb weaver spider ambushing its prey. Most orb weavers build a new web daily and are active in the evening, so I observed this individual every day out on our terrace. I created a bokeh of lights in the background by applying multiple exposures, as there were only two light sources. The first four images visualize a bokeh framed at different angles, while the last image is the silhouette of the spider. This combination of creative nature photography and urban wildlife shows the coexistence of these creatures in a human-dominated world.”

“One day, I found this crested crab spider not far from my home. Standing in a strange posture at the mouth of a cave, it was guarding baby spiders on its chest before they hatch.”