Photography

Incredible drone shot wins the Nature TTL Photograph of the Year

Incredible drone shot wins the Nature TTL Photograph of the Year
Nature TTL Photography Contest. Overall Winner, Wildlife category winner. 'Above the Crabeater Seals', Antartica
Nature TTL Photography Contest. Overall Winner, Wildlife category winner. 'Above the Crabeater Seals', Antartica
View 19 Images
Nature TTL Photography Contest. Overall Winner, Wildlife category winner. 'Above the Crabeater Seals', Antartica
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Nature TTL Photography Contest. Overall Winner, Wildlife category winner. 'Above the Crabeater Seals', Antartica
Runner-up Wildlife category. 'Startled Owl', UK
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Runner-up Wildlife category. 'Startled Owl', UK
Winner Landscape category. 'Shadow game', Italy
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Winner Landscape category. 'Shadow game', Italy
Runner-up Landscape category. 'Viking Rainbows', Iceland
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Runner-up Landscape category. 'Viking Rainbows', Iceland
Winner Macro category. 'Chinese Painting', China
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Winner Macro category. 'Chinese Painting', China
Runner-up Macro category. 'Mating red-eyed damselflies', UK
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Runner-up Macro category. 'Mating red-eyed damselflies', UK
Winner Under 16 category. 'Phoenix', India
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Winner Under 16 category. 'Phoenix', India
Runner-up Under 16 category. 'The Cradle of Life', Hungary
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Runner-up Under 16 category. 'The Cradle of Life', Hungary
Winner People's Choice Award. 'I'm not going easy', Singapore
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Winner People's Choice Award. 'I'm not going easy', Singapore
Highly Commended Landscape category. 'Valley of the Scheldt', Belgium
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Highly Commended Landscape category. 'Valley of the Scheldt', Belgium
Highly Commended Landscape category. 'Flower Power', USA
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Highly Commended Landscape category. 'Flower Power', USA
Highly Commended Landscape category. 'Coexistence', Iceland
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Highly Commended Landscape category. 'Coexistence', Iceland
Highly Commended Wildlife category. 'Breathing', Romania
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Highly Commended Wildlife category. 'Breathing', Romania
Highly Commended Wildlife category. 'Badger Blues', UK
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Highly Commended Wildlife category. 'Badger Blues', UK
Highly Commended Wildlife category. 'Sleeping the fall off', Norway
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Highly Commended Wildlife category. 'Sleeping the fall off', Norway
Highly Commended Macro category. 'Nothing here but this tree', Australia
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Highly Commended Macro category. 'Nothing here but this tree', Australia
Highly Commended Macro category. 'Trailblazer', Thailand
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Highly Commended Macro category. 'Trailblazer', Thailand
Highly Commended Macro category. 'Home Sweet Home', Malaysia
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Highly Commended Macro category. 'Home Sweet Home', Malaysia
Highly Commended Under 16 category. 'Fox', Slovenia
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Highly Commended Under 16 category. 'Fox', Slovenia
View gallery - 19 images

French photographer Florian Ledoux has won the inaugural Nature TTL Photographer of the Year award for an incredible drone shot featuring crabeater seals resting on a floating chunk of ice. Ledoux’s impeccably composed shot beat 7,000 entries from over 100 countries.

The new photography competition is run by Nature TTL, a novel resource founded by wildlife photographer Will Nichols with the goal of offering educational tutorials and features to assist amateur and professional nature photographers. Accompanying Ledoux’s winning image is an interview with the photographer explaining his process, along with advice for amateur drone photographers on how to approach wildlife with this technology.

“It is very important to be aware and ethical with your approach when using drones with wildlife,” says Ledoux. “Pay attention to the behavior of the animal and don’t spook it. You should approach drone photography in the same way that you would approach wildlife photography on the ground. Slow movements and approaching from very high up will reduce the risk of disturbance. When up very high I start by taking wide shots, slowly descending and stopping the drone at different heights to ensure the animals are not frightened.”

Winner Landscape category. 'Shadow game', Italy
Winner Landscape category. 'Shadow game', Italy

The competition spans three main categories: Landscape, Wildlife and Macro. Additional prizes are offered to photographers under 16 and a People’s Choice pick.

Robert Ferguson’s fascinating shot of a great white pelican struggling to swallow a fish won the People’s Choice award. As Ferguson describes, the image captures a bird struggling to eat a non-native fish that had hooked itself onto the pelican’s beak.

Winner People's Choice Award. 'I'm not going easy', Singapore
Winner People's Choice Award. 'I'm not going easy', Singapore

“I had set up my camera to take some portraits and watch their behavior, and noticed one particular bird that had caught one of the big fish from the pond,” Ferguson explains. “I watched, intrigued, as the bird swam in circles, dipping his bill, taking water, then raising his beak to attempt to swallow his large prey. But every time the fish extended its sharp spines on its fins – you can see it hooked on the beak here – and lodged itself firmly. This went on for over 20 minutes, with no sign of either party tiring.”

Other highlights from this impressive new photo contest include a beautiful drone shot showing a flock of sheep seeking shelter from the sun in an afternoon shadow, a stunning snap of a startled owl spooked by a swooping jackdaw, and a frightening image of a camouflaged spider in Australia’s tropical north.

Runner-up Wildlife category. 'Startled Owl', UK
Runner-up Wildlife category. 'Startled Owl', UK

Take a look at all the winners and commended images in our gallery.

Source: Nature TTL

View gallery - 19 images
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