From years spent studying the oceans’ great predators to sleepless nights waiting for a glimpse of an endangered species, wildlife photographers have gone to great lengths to capture rare moments in nature.

Although it is not just rare and exotic species that are likely to have caught the judges eye, Mark Carwardine, zoologist, award-winning writer and photographer and chairman of the competition judging panel, said ‘It’s not what you photograph – it’s the way you do it. Despite many people’s fears, pictures of common and familiar species close to home stand just as much chance of winning as pictures of more exotic, rare and unfamiliar ones. Successful photographers work hard at their photography. They get down low, climb high, move backwards, crawl forwards, creep from side to side, think laterally, get up early and stay out late. They are passionate people, determined to get something different.’

 

Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year is owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine, and sponsored by Shell. It displays the winners of the Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, the most prestigious, innovative photographic contest of its kind. With a history spanning more than 40 years, it is an international leader in the artistic representation of the natural world.