Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2012

The Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, founded in 1964, is an annual international showcase for the very best nature photography.

WINNER

“Photographer Richard Peters sat in his car and from a distance watched the fox hunting, just enjoying the performance.” This quirky image was taken at Yellowstone National Park.

SECOND

Hannes Lochner, who was taking night shots in the South African part of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, came across the beast stretched out beside the track.

THIRD

Ever since Daniel Eggert first fell in love with pasque flowers, among the first flowers of spring, he had wanted to photograph them covered in hoar frost.

FOURTH

The grey-headed flying fox is the largest bat in Australia — and one of the most vulnerable. Once abundant, there are now only around 300,000 left. The main threats include loss of habitat, extreme-temperature events and human persecution.

FIFTH

It was a night of snow that gave Owen Hearn the advantage. “After spending countless hours lying in hedges and long grass trying to photograph hares,” says Owen, “I couldn’t believe my luck when I came across this hare just meters away, crouched down in the snow.”

SIXTH

Photographer Anna Henly saw this polar bear at around four in the morning, walking on broken-up ice floes, seemingly tentatively, not quite sure where to trust its weight. The symbolism, of course, is that polar bears rely almost entirely on the marine sea ice environment for their survival, and year by year, increasing temperatures are reducing the amount of ice cover and the amount of time available for the bears to hunt marine mammals.

SEVENTH

As the snow started to melt, a thick fog began to wrap itself around the forest near Sandra Bartocha’s home in Potsdam, Germany. “The evening sun created a glow around the tall, wet trunks of the Scots pines,” she says.

After having a poke around at the photos from this exhibition and their power to express environmental problems I think I’ve found a new calling. Although I’m not sure I have the courage to get that close to predators!

🙂