The Natural History Museum of London recently crowned their winner for Wildlife Photographer of the Year. This year, congratulations go to marine biologist Laurent Ballesta, a French underwater photographer.
The Museum elected Laurent from nearly 50,000 entries from 95 countries. The winning photo is a luminescent image of a horseshoe crab on the seafloor, with three golden trevally fish swimming above its back in the protected waters of Pangatalan Island in the Philippines.
The Natural History Museum of London aims to inspire people to care and advocate for the natural world by showcasing the diversity of life on Earth. While selecting the winning image may sound like an easy job, it most certainly is not. Have a look at the gallery - click on finalists and you may agree that many of the submissions are worthy of the crown.
My personal favorite of the finalists is the porcupine defending against a leopard.
Latitude Expeditions Photography Workshop in Costa Rica 2024
If you would like to hone your photo skills consider joining Latitude’s Dennus Baum on his photography workshop trip to Costa Rica in May 2024. Dennus is joined in Costa Rica by photographer/guide Alex Arias, a professional photographer we have been using in past trips with Dennus’ small groups.
See the Itinerary here: CostaRica2024
Enjoy photographs from Dennus' trip last May 2023- these are from both Dennus and his guests, Dan Orr, Betty Orr, Julia Read and Mark Beaubien.
One of the highlights of the workshop will be learning how to photograph hummingbirds in flight. You'll gain insight into the correct exposure for backlit subjects and even learn how to use and set up multiple strobes for capturing hummingbirds and bats in action. You will also have the chance to explore macro photography. You will learn how to capture stunning images of frogs, insects, and butterflies using a ring strobe light.
Throughout the workshop, there will be nightly Q&A sessions and image reviews, allowing you to receive feedback on your work and further enhance your skills. The workshop is designed to be educational and immersive, ensuring that you have ample opportunities to capture a variety of birds and wildlife in their natural habitats.
You may agree that many of these are worthy submissions for the contest. Indeed, Dan, Julia and Betty have submitted some of their photos to local contests and have won recognition.
Give it a chance! Who knows: right place, right time, right subject, right light .... you might also win, but you will surely get 'wall worthy' photos of your own.