2024 WINNER | WILDLIFE | African Leopard Fight, Mashatu Game Reserve,Botswana. “The amount of time invested in getting this image and the technical difficultiesI experienced made this one of the most demanding images I have ever created.It took luck, skill, and a lot of patience. I located these two leopards in a tree in the morning and stayed all day as the leopards were enjoying the shade on a very hot day. Close to dark, the female came down, and the male followed. I was photographing as the pair began to scuffle. Quickly losing light, I needed to maintain a fast shutter speed. In addition to the difficulty of focusing on the action, dust was in the air. But it all added to one of my favorite memories as a nature photographer.”
Credit: Kevin Dooley of Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
A mother will teach her children many things. This is no different in nature. In the Grand Prize shot (seen below) from the 2024 Nature’s Best Photography International Awards, a mother tiger shares a lesson on battle with her cub.
Photographer Mangesh Ratnakar Desai captured the incredible image, describing the moment as “a masterclass in survival.” On photographing wildlife and and nature, he says: “Nature photography is more than capturing moments; it is a profound connection to the earth and its countless marvels.”
“Over the years, I have witnessed this young male tiger become more confident and assert dominance over his siblings. His path toward independence as an adult starts with the challenge of learning to define and safeguard his territory. This image illustrates a pivotal life lesson as the mother teaches her cub how to fight, giving a masterclass in survival. The tigers entered the water gracefully, and the scene unfolded. I adjusted the shutter speed precisely to capture the water splashes and the impressive dynamics of the tigers interacting with each other.”
Credit: Mangesh Ratnakar Desai of Pune, Maharashtra,India / 2024 Nature’s Best Photography
The winners stood out amongst the competition’s 25,000+ entries from 62 countries. The awards are not just about capturing and sharing captivating imagery, but also bringing attention to the importance of conservation.
“In line with Nature’s Best’s mission to display the beauty, diversity, and importance of nature, our goals are to attract photographers at all levels of expertise, while encouraging them to become advocates for change towards wildlife conservation,” a statement reads. “It is the passion and skill of our photographers to capture amazing moments from the field that inspires the public each and every year, making a difference in how we all view, enjoy, and preserve the natural world.”
(Photos courtesy of Nature’s Best Photography. All rights reserved. Click to expand images to their full, stunning glory.)
“The daily opening of the ‘sluice gates’ at Yundang Lake is a key draw for wildlife photographers as it allows seawater to enter the lake, causing the tide to rise. One can observe egrets and migratory shore birds during this period. In this scene, a ladyfish chased a tiny fish; both leaped out of the water simultaneously as they passed the egret. The egret looked surprised and couldn’t decide which one to choose. I used continuous high-speed shooting to capture this fleeting moment.Through advanced development, such as building gates to let in fresh seawater, and by implementing environmental safeguards, we can create habitats for wildlife that are both suitable and sustainable, benefiting us all.”
Credit: Xiaoping Lin of Xiamen City, Fujian Province, China / 2024 Nature’s Best Photography
“In a heartwarming display of sibling affection, one fox encircles its tail around the other. They are perching on top of an underground den, where they will go to escape the scorching summer heat. Getting this shot involved camping in a remote desert area for three nights. The genuine tenderness between these wild animals made me smile and serves as a poignant reminder that each living creature has a unique value within our vast universe.”
Credit: Brian Clopp of Huntsville, Utah,USA / 2024 Nature’s Best Photography
“On a summer afternoon, my father and I visited an agricultural area on the outskirts of Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park to photograph birds. From our car’s back window, I noticed a young stonechat perched on a gate; the bird was diving to the ground repeatedly to capture insects. One time the bird landed briefly on a fence, and I was able to take this photograph. At this moment, it appeared to be guardian of the territory.”
Credit: Alberto Román / 2024 Nature’s Best Photography
“To photograph this group of very curious and vocal belugas, I was positioned on a foam raft connected by rope to a Zodiac boat. Wearing a 7mm wetsuit with my underwater camera housing in hand, I would bend over the raft at my waist. My fingers and face became numb after continuous and repeated exposure to the coldHudson Bay. Visibility was less than optimal. On the final day of the tour, a pod of belugas came within a few feet, which enabled me to capture this photo. Each year, more than 50,000 white belugas migrate to this bay to feed and give birth.
Credit: Brett Freliche of Morgan Hill, California, USA / 2024 Nature’s Best Photography
“While free-diving in the Pacific Ocean, we came across this spectacular super pod of spinner dolphins herding lanternfish and guiding them toward the surface.I was swimming so hard that it seemed impossible to capture photos, and my fisheye lens was not even wide enough to take in the scene. Being surrounded by these dolphins was one of the most amazing encounters of my life. As they welcomed me into their realm, I nearly forgot to come up for air. Sadly, it has become uncommon to see these massive groups with a decrease in marine life due to pollution and overfishing.”
Credit: Cécile Gabillon of Toulouse, France / 2024 Nature’s Best Photography
“Some people are just wired to seek high adventure. Hearing that an annular eclipse was happening—where the moon passes directly between Earth and theSun—this climber devised a way to make an extreme sport even more extreme and, in this case, an elevated experience. It took considerable planning with BASEJump Moab climbing team to find a location that was safe for the climber on the line, and also worked for our group of eight photographers. While running and scrambling on the rocks that morning, I needed to keep calm and remember to wear the protective eclipse glasses as I focused on each shot.”
Credit: Belva Hayden of Waterbury Center, Vermont, USA / 2024 Nature’s Best Photography
“As if the Avian flu outbreak of 2022 had not taken enough of a devastating toll on the northern gannet numbers worldwide, the human practices of discarding fishing materials are not helping the situation. Birds use the trash for nesting, and here, one became caught up in a line. To me, this picture signifies the future of our planet, literally ‘hanging by a thread’ without our conservation action.”
Credit: Khurram Khan of Piscataway, New Jersey,USA / 2024 Nature’s Best Photography
“I have traveled around Tibet for many years to photograph its lakes and natural wonders. In addition to using a camera on the ground, drone usage is permissible for shooting from overhead. This aerial photograph of a frozen lake revealed asymmetrical design that is not visible while standing at ground level. From an altitude of about three miles, the lake’s surface naturally creates a pattern when it freezes in winter. I have not detected this phenomenon anywhere else in Tibet, where there are more than a thousand picturesque lakes, along with the gigantic mountains.”
Credit: Lei Li of Taizhou, Zhejiang, China / 2024 Nature’s Best Photography
“At dawn’s light on the Alto Paraíso (Highland Paradise) plateau, a stunning field of Paepalanthus mirrors the sun’s rays, giving the impression of self-luminescence. Utilizing two bracketed shots, one for the sky and another for the wildflowers, I captured the harmony between the vivid sky and these unique backlit plants. This biodiverse high-altitude Cerrado, or tropical savannah, adjacent to Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park is part of an environmental protection area (APA), safeguarding it from deforestation.”
Credit: Marcio Esteves Cabral of Brasília, Brazil / 2024 Nature’s Best Photography
“More than one billion birds die in North America annually due to window collisions. For the last 30 years, FLAP (Fatal Light Awareness Program)volunteers have patrolled the Greater Toronto Area in search of birds that have collided with windows. While their efforts have saved an impressive number of birds from collisions, many do not survive the impact. Their bodies are collected, and their lives are honored in the yearly ‘Bird Layout,’ where volunteers come together to arrange the birds’ bodies in a moving and provocative exhibition.‘
The Layout’ honors birds collected from 2021 through 2022 when FLAP recovered more than 5,000 birds—the largest collection to date. The film’s narration includes testimonials from the volunteers as the birds are being arranged.Through their words, you will walk in their shoes, see what they see, and hear howt hey feel. Their accounts are as heartbreaking as they are thought-provoking. You will never see buildings the same way again. The making of this film was driven by my personal experience. I am not only the filmmaker; I am also a FLAP volunteer. Once I discovered my first bird that had died due to a window collision, I was forever changed.”
Credit: Patricia Homonylo of Toronto, Ontario,Canada / 2024 Nature’s Best Photography
Monarchs stream through trees in El Rosario sanctuary within the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Michoácán, Mexico. The migrating butterflies winter in the same oyamel fir groves that sheltered earlier generations.
Credit: Jaime Rojo of Madrid, Spain / 2024 Nature’s Best Photography
Returning for the night within Mexico’s Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, this monarch stretches its wings and maneuvers into a roosting place to join the otherbutterflies, packed in closely for protection and warmth.
Credit: Jaime Rojo of Madrid, Spain / 2024 Nature’s Best Photography
