London – Photos of animals and birds snapping up prey and delicate scenes such as that of a lizard using the head of an iguana as a support to catch some sun are among the winners of the 2024 edition of the World Nature Photography award.
British nature photographer Tracey Lund won first place by capturing the “collaborative work” of two boobies on the island of Shetland, who joined forces to capture a fish.
Award highlighted photos of animals, plants and landscapes
The nature photography contest awarded other images depicting animals hunting and also resting and living in harmony with other species, as well as very original landscapes and fungi, such as one that “disguised itself” as an owl as if it had been drawn by an artist.
The curious image taken by Chatree Lertsintanakorn in Thailand was the best in the Plants and Fungi category, leaving the viewer intrigued. Fungus or owl?
The best portrait of an animal was made by Nicholas Remy, from Australia, who captured the menacing look of an old acquaintance: a black angler fish that lives in an area where it regularly dives – which doesn’t seem to have helped it to be seen. like a friend.
In the Mammal Behavior category, the winner was the photo of an animal known for its speed and ferocity, the cheetah, at the moment it defeated the mother zebra in her unsuccessful attempt to protect her cub, a record taken on a safari in Kenya.
Belgian photographer Alex Brackx, author of the click, named the image “The Last Second”.
Swiss Andy Schmid recorded another example of nature’s food chain in a fjord in Norway: an orca attacks a school of herring. The photo is rare, due to the difficult working conditions even for experienced professionals in the dark, cold sea.
Among amphibians, relations seem more friendly, as portrayed by the British John Seager in the Galápagos. The lizard takes advantage of the iguana’s large head and both look happy under the sun, in the photo awarded as the best in Amphibian Behavior.
The best photo in the Invertebrate Behavior category was also from the Galápagos. American Bill Klipp used the technique of blurring the background to portray the colorful crabs that took advantage of the sea waves to return to the coast made of volcanic rocks, highlighting their bright colors.
But the sea is not always friendly to animals, as shown in the photo that won the Wordl Nature Photography Photojournalism category.
American Celia Kujala documented a sea lion in Mexico playing with a threat to all marine species: a piece of plastic.
Human interference can, on the other hand, create opportunities for animals to survive in the “jungle” of cities. Israeli Roy Wiesner won the award in the Urban Wildlife category, portraying the delicacy of a nest created by a pair of birds using an ornament in the shape of a smiling dragon.
Another Israeli photographer was awarded the prize in the competition, with the scene of two ibex dueling high in the mountains of the Zin desert. The battle aims to decide the strongest male to be with a female of the species.
The beauty of colorful animals like a leopard can be highlighted in a black and white photo, like the one that took first place in this category in the World Nature Photography contest. The recording was made by American Richard Li in Kenya, capturing the animal’s graceful reflection in a lagoon.
Iceland’s magical topography earned Miki Spitzer, from Israel, first place in the Art of Nature category of the award.
“Is it a beautiful elephant with a flowing lion’s mane? Or a lion’s head with luxurious flowing braids? It depends on you and your imagination”, instigates the author of the image.
