One of my favourite things to do in London is visit the Natural History Museum and marvel at all the wonders of our planet’s floral and fauna. Every year this wonderful natural archive hosts an exhibition dedicated to the winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Queue a happy morning spent admiring an unforgettable collection of images taken by photographers from 27 different countries, all with their own styles and stories to tell.
The jury received over 43,000 entries and chose just 100 pictures depicting dramatic landscapes, thought provoking reportage and snapshots of animal behaviour. Here I pick my three favourite images from the animal portrait, wildscapes and endangered species categories….
Animal Portrait:
One of my favourite images titled ‘Travelling Companions’ by Douglas Seifert shows a graceful dugong swimming through the Red Sea with two golden fish. His little companions are dwarfed by his huge head and as they ride the ocean’s pressure waves together they form a close bond.
Wildscapes:
Sergey Gorshov captured the eruption of a Russian volcano (Plosky Tolbachik) as he travelled across the volcano’s crater in a helicopter. A fleeting moment of wind swept aside the cloud of ash giving Sergey the perfect window to take his winning photograph titled ‘The Cauldron’.
Endangered Species:
The Gerald Durrell Award for Endangered Species is named after a legendary conservationist and highlights the plight of wildlife that’s under threat. This image instantly grabbed my attention. The female gorilla and her six-month old twin babies had been caught in a rain shower and were wrapped up together to stay warm. In ‘Twin Hope’ by Diana Rebman the young gorillas (who are only the fifth set of twins ever to be reported in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park) are cuddled in their mother’s arms as if she knows their future may be uncertain.
All images shown are taken from the official ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year’ Book (Portfolio 23). No photography is allowed within the gallery itself. For more information visit www.wildlifephotographeroftheyear.com
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