Inside The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition

Produced by the Natural History Musuem and now running for the 58th year, the esteemed Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition has once more received entries from over 90 countries.

The 100 winning photographs, selected for their creativity, originality and technical excellence, are a truly global reflection of the abundance and depth of photographic talent out there.

As we find ourselves in a time of extreme ecological fragility, the power of imagery to amplify messaging has never been more keenly felt.

M Shed is hosting the exhibition for the first half of 2023. Bristol24/7 takes a look at some of the exceptional images featured within a range of categories.

Dipper dispute by Heikki Nikki, Finland – Highly commended, Behaviour: Birds

Dipper dispute – photo: © Heikki Nikki, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

White-throated dippers are known for suveying the river from so-called ‘dipping’ rocks, vantage points from which to launch themselves down into the water and catch caddisfly larvae, mayfly and small fish.

Nikki was very familiar with the river, and sat quietly nearby to a dipping rock that he knew was submerged beneath the flow. His moment came, when a pair of dippers became embroiled in a frenetic argument – and he was there to capture it.

Location: Kuusamo, North Ostrobothnia, Finland
Canon EOS R5 + 600mm f4 lens + 1.4x extender; 1/2500 sec at f5.6; ISO 6400; Gitzo tripod

The right look by Richard Robinson, New Zealand – Highly commended, Animal Portraits

The right look – photo: © Richard Robinson, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Hunted by European whalers in the 1800s and then Soviet whalers in the subsequent century, New Zealand’s southern right whales – known in Māori as ‘tohorā’ – were under severe threat of extinction. Today, the population is protected by law, and from what was initially a small group, with only 13 breeding females amongst them, it has now increased to more than 2,000.

In an encounter lasting half an hour, Robinson found himself being investigated by a young whale calf, who circled him, swam off, and then came back for a second look. As a photographer, Robinson’s task was to swim away far enough to be able to capture the shot.

Location: Port Ross, Auckland Island, New Zealand
Canon EOS 5DS R + 8–15mm f4 lens at 15mm; 1/500 sec at f4.5; ISO 640; Aquatica housing

Just one day’s catch by Srikanth Mannepuri, India – Highly commended, Oceans: The Bigger Picture

Just one day’s catch – photo: © Srikanth Mannepuri, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Using a drone, Mannepuri was able to photograph the scale of unsustainable fishing, showing the startling number of marlin and sailfish caught for one fish market in a single morning. As ocean predators, these fish are an essential component of the marine ecosystem.

With 85 per cent of global fish stocks overfished, urgent and unified efforts to safeguard marine habitats and to make fishing sustainable are required to avoid widespread loss of species.

Location: Kakinada Andhra Pradesh, India
DJI Mavic 2 Pro + Hasselblad L1D-20c + 28mm f2.8 lens; 1/500 sec at f5.6 (+2.3 e/v); ISO 100

The octopus case by Samuel Sloss, Italy/USA – Highly commended, 15-17 Years

The octopus case – photo: © Samuel Sloss, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The coconut octopus feeds predominantly on clams, crabs, shrimps and small fish, often hiding to project itself when hunting and foraging on the ocean floor.

While muck diving, Sloss noticed a coconut octopus sheltering in a clam shell, and looking out at him. Careful to soften his strobe lamp to avoid upsetting it, he approached. Initially closing the lid of its hiding place, the octopus tentatively opened it again, revealing the colour and pattern of its tentacles.

Location: Lembeh Strait, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Nikon D300 + 105mm f2.8 lens; 1/320 sec at f6.3; ISO 200; 2x Inon Z-240 strobes; Nauticam housing

Underwater wonderland by Tiina Törmänen, Finland – Highly commended, Under Water

Underwater wonderland – photo: © Tiina Törmänen, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

In the three years preceding this moment, in her annual snorkel of the lake, Törmänen had only ever seen dead fish. This time, she was exhilarated to find herself amongst a school of orange-finned European perch.

Her image shows the fish swimming through a pinkish haze of algae. Although beautiful, it is a demonstrable effect of the harm that climate change and warming waters can do to aquatic wildlife – absorbing oxygen, and blocking out sunlight.

Location: Posio, Finland
Canon EOS R5 + 15–35mm f2.8 lens at 15mm; 1/250 sec at f8; ISO 500; Nauticam housing

Life and death in fur farming by Jo-Anne McArthur, Canada – Highly commended, Photojournalism

Life and death in fur farming – photo: © Jo-Anne McArthur, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

McArthur is passionate about the power of images to document cruelty that spearheads positive change. This photo, taken at a Swedish mink farm, shows a confined and forbidding cage of kits, the sign above it noting that two of them have died.

Since the shot was captured, legislation has been updated and mink farm cages are now mandated to be slightly larger, though quality of life has not significantly improved.

In 2020, Denmark closed down its mink industry, after the discovery that the animals could catch the Covid-19 virus, and transmit it to humans. In 2022, after a temporary breeding ban, the government in Sweden allowed some mink farms to reopen.

Location: Lindasen, Sweden
Nikon D700 + 17–35mm f2.8–4 lens; 1/250 sec at f6.3; ISO 3200

The bonobo and the mongoose by Christian Ziegler, Germany – Highly commended, Behaviour: Mammals

The bonobo and the mongoose – photo: © Christian Ziegler, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Tracking a group of bonobos through the rainforest, Ziegler was used to walking up to 12 miles a day, often setting out before light, and up to his chest in water.

He caught the extremely unusual sight of a young male bonobo gently holding and stroking a mongoose pup, which he did for over an hour. With a diet of mainly fruit, bonobos are omnivores, but they do hunt occasionally. Though this pup was released unharmed, it’s possible that it was taken when its mother was killed.

Location: Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Canon EOS R5 + 100–500mm f4.5–7.1 lens at 200mm; 1/200 at f5; ISO 25600

The disappearing giraffe by Jose Fragozo, Portugal – Highly commended, National Artistry

The disappearing giraffe – photo: © Jose Fragozo, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Following the giraffe from a moving vehicle, Fragozo had to keep his camera steady and trained on nature’s tallest land mammal, dwarfed by the grey monoliths holding up the railway.

Juxtaposing the human and the natural world, the resulting image is indicative of the ways in which space for wildlife is increasingly threatened by the sprawl of industry, encroaching on the diversity of animal habitats.

Location: Nairobi National Park, Kenya
Canon EOS-1D X Mark II + 600mm f4 lens; 1/1000 sec at f9; ISO 800

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2022 is at M Shed until May 29, 2023. Tickets can be purchased through Bristol Museums. Booking a time slot in advance is recommended, to guarantee entry.

Main photo: Polar Frame by Dimitry Kokh, Wildlife Photographer of the Year (Highly Commended, Animal Portraits)

Read more: Inside The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition 2021

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