Wildlife

This image of a northern Shoveler is proof that even more common animals can make enthralling subjects when the right moment is captured. And you’d be hard-pressed to capture this moment again in a hurry. The drake is landing directly towards the camera, and has been captured millimetres before landing on the water. A stunning image.

This beautiful image was captured at Aberdare National Park in Nairobi, Kenya. It depicts an elephant calf between the legs of an adult, while the herd visits a watering hole. A 400mm focal length was used to close the gap and an aperture of f/8 has ensured front-to-back sharpness. This image is all about an endearing moment captured.

This is a really interesting composition, blending wildlife photography with astrophotography. The image was exposed for the aurora in the background and a pop of flash was used to freeze the Arctic fox in the foreground. A very creative shot!

Rather incredibly, this isn’t a remote capture. The rodent came right up to the photographer holding the fisheye lens. This is a great use of a focal length not often associated with wildlife photography, resulting in a delightfully charming image.

This is a really creative shot of a diving kingfisher and it was created entirely in-camera. A slow shutter speed was used to blur the bird as it dived, while a pop of flash at the end of the exposure from several lights froze it. The result is an incredible action shot that blends abstract and wildlife beautifully.

A bellowing stag, surrounded by bracken, is a hallmark of autumn. This deer is bellowing directly towards the camera and a long focal length paired with a wide aperture has separated the magnificent animal from its busy surroundings. Together with the autumnal hues, this is a stunning image.

We love how the cloud cover scythes diagonally through this image, separating the frame into two halves. Along with the bird in flight, this beautiful blend of abstract and wildlife photography reminds us of the yin and yang symbol. A stunning image.

This is a fantastic environmental wildlife image. The wider 62mm focal length, plus the distance from the subject, enables plenty of context to be squeezed into the frame, revealing the stag’s surroundings, such as the mountains, forest and mist, something a frame-filling close-up simply cannot convey.

There’s lots to love about this vibrant close-up. The gorgeous, clean yellow background, the isolated plant and of course the two perfectly sharp butterflies looking directly into the lens. Capturing close ups of multiple subjects can be challenging due to the inherently shallow depth of field, but by angling the camera so both butterflies are on the same focal plane, tack sharpness has been achieved.

This close-up image of the forest floor conveys a strong narrative. The eye is drawn immediately towards the stag beetle and the angle of the shot makes it look like the insect is directly towards the light in the background. Pulling back to frame the fungi was a clever idea, conveying the insect’s habitat.

Look closely at this stunning starling murmuration and you’ll spot a jumping racehorse. What makes this incredible image even more special, is that it’s jumping over the track at Ripon Racecourse, North Yorkshire. This really is a once-in-a-lifetime moment captured.

This herd of horses against a pink sky is a beautiful image in its own right, but managing to capture two strands of lightning as well is mighty impressive, especially at 1/250 sec. The photographer showed great nerve too, as this image was only shot at 70mm, with the horses advancing straight towards the lens!

Capturing a tack-sharp shot of a kingfisher with a fish in its beak is on every wildlife photographer’s bucket list. What makes this image so special, is how much the tiny bird fills the frame and with no noticeable drop in quality or sharpness to suggest extensive cropping. A beautiful image!