15 Winners Of Nature Photographer

Showcasing the beauty and diversity of our planet’s wildlife, the winning images from the GDT Nature Photographer Of The Year competition document breathtaking landscapes, the fascinating behavior of wild animals and gorgeous glimpses of Earth’s wonders.

From birds’ courting to a curious lion cub meeting a turtle for the first time to a perfectly camouflaged rock ptarmigan in the snow-covered Swiss Alps (winner of the jury prize), the winning photos were selected from more than 8,000 entries submitted by photographers from 11 countries across 7 categories that include Birds, Mammals, Other Animals, Plants and Fungi, Landscapes, Nature’s Studio and the Special Category.

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Photographer Konrad Wothe from Germany won this year’s title with his spectacular sharp-focused, split-second image Dipper flying through waterfall, taken as a small Dipper bird was flying back and forth to a nest tucked away safely behind a dense curtain of water.

The German Society for Nature Photography that organizes the annual Nature Photographer Of The Year contest is a members-only association founded in 1971 that currently has over 2,000 members from Germany and 26 other countries.

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Nature Photographer Overall Winner

A dipper bird flies through a waterfall in Germany’s Bavarian Alps. Konrad Wothe explains: “It’s been over 20 years since I first witnessed a dipper darting through a waterfall, flying back and forth to a nest tucked away safely behind the dense curtain of water.

“Two years ago, I had the good fortune to encounter another dipper nesting behind a waterfall—this one also regularly shot through the curtain of water. Interestingly, the bird alternated between the wet approach and flying around to the side of the waterfall.

Frustratingly, the bird didn’t always follow the same path and getting the correct focus and perfect composition took thousands of exposures. I lost count of the number of trips I took to the dipper’s nesting site before I was reasonably satisfied with the result.”

Amazing Birds

The image shows a perfectly camouflaged rock ptarmigan bird in the snow-covered Swiss Alps.

These two male common redstarts are having a territorial fight in a meadow orchard.

Marsh male warbler simultaneously serenades its partner while grabbing a quick snack.

Nature Photographer: Other Animals

This chamois was photographed through blades of dew-covered grass in the Vosges, France.

A curious young lion plays with a tortoise in the Kalahari Desert.

The photographer had a face-to-face surprise encounter with this red fox while on the lookout for fallow deer and stonechats.

A snow leopard in Hemis National Park tumbles down a slope as it attacks a stray small dog from the nearby village of Rumbak in Ladakh, India. The dog escaped with injuries from bites and was treated.

Wind and waves create striking patterns in the sand along the rugged west coast of Spain’s Fuerteventura. This dragonfly was a perfect eye-catcher.

A weevil walks on the stem of a mushroom.

Nature Photographer: Plants, Landscapes

An upward look at Quiver trees in Namibia near Keetmanshoop. These trees are native to Southern Africa.

Wild garlic flowers in Teutoburg Forest on an early spring morning with fine mist hanging in the trees.

Like a scene of “flamenco in a meadow,” this Pasque flower grows in the German Bliesgau of Saarland.

Even today, old-growth forests in Sweden are regularly cut down and replaced with commercial plantations. “Undisturbed forests can harbour over 2,000 species (many of which are endangered) and must be preserved at all costs,” says Hanneke Van Camp.

A long-exposure photograph weaves the movements of the waves, reeds and camera into an abstract image.

Dewdrop-covered spider webs blanket a field on a misty morning in Kochelmoos.

An exhibition presenting the 104 prize-winning images selected by the international jury of experts will tour through Germany and Europe.

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The GDT Nature Photographer of the Year contest is open to members of the society, while the GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is open to all photographers based in Europe.

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