Nature TTL POTY 2024: Winners Gallery
The 2024 competition saw over 8,500 images competing for the title of Nature TTL Photographer of the Year 2024, with photographers submitting images from all around the world.
The Overall Winner took home a £1,250 cash prize, whilst the Young winner secured a £250 camera voucher prize.
Nature TTL Photographer of the Year 2024
‘Play the Game’ by Bence Máté, Hungary
“I never get tired of photographing the playful wrestling of young ground squirrels. Their lively antics are a joy to watch, as they dart around, nipping and tumbling over each other with boundless energy. The dust kicked up into the air from their swift movements creates a sense of motion and excitement, adding a dynamic element that brings the image to life.”
Young Nature TTL Photographer of the Year 2024
‘Amberwing Silhouette’ by James Fatemi, USA
“During an evening at the local marsh, the sun was setting beyond the trees on the horizon. I noticed numerous dragonflies foraging just above the water, eventually perching on one of the sticks protruding from the surface. This behavior allowed me to predict where they would land, especially since certain individuals seemed to have their own preferred perches. I chose this particular stick because of its proximity to the water, which allowed me to capture a low-angle shot with the bright reflection from the bank framing the dragonfly and illuminating its amber wings.”
Wild Portraits
WINNER – Lewis Burnett, Australia
“Staring into the eye of this mighty male lion is enough to make you shrink back in your seat. An old injury has blinded one of his eyes, leaving behind a galaxy—a window to his soul…”
RUNNER-UP – Paul McDougall, UK
“It was the end of our game drive in Kenya, and the sun was beginning to set. We were making our way back to camp when we noticed lightning in the distance and heard the rumble of thunder. An elephant walked across the horizon as storm clouds gathered in the background. As the rain began to pour and the elephant paused on the horizon, I captured this image of the Elephant in the Storm.”
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Gina Goodman, UK
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Greg Du Toit, South Africa
Animal Behaviour
WINNER – Bence Máté, Hungary
“I never get tired of photographing the playful wrestling of young ground squirrels. Their lively antics are a joy to watch, as they dart around, nipping and tumbling over each other with boundless energy. The dust kicked up into the air from their swift movements creates a sense of motion and excitement, adding a dynamic element that brings the image to life.”
RUNNER-UP – William Steel, South Africa
“African elephants are drawn to the floodplains as the blooming lily bulbs and flowers offer a very nutritious meal. While this is an incredible sight, climate change has made these floods less predictable than they once were, and extremes like the drought of 2024 could drastically affect the wildlife that calls Chobe National Park home.
This photograph was taken from a boat on the Chobe River. I leaned over the side with my lens just above water level, capturing a beautiful, lily-height view of an elephant’s dexterous trunk. Chobe National Park, Botswana.”
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Sergey Gorshkov, Russia
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Florian Ledoux, Norway
Camera Traps
WINNER – Victor Soares, UK
“Meerkats are inquisitive, incredibly funny, and always up to something. While in the Kgalagadi in South Africa, I noticed a group of meerkats with some young ones and wanted to capture more intimate images. A wider angle was sure to bring something different, so I set out to capture some of their behaviors and antics.
The trick with getting these wide-angle shots is to make your setup both safe and discreet while positioning it in a way that gives you the best chance to capture the interactions you expect. I hid my Canon R6 in what I thought was a well-camouflaged spot and, with a 16mm lens and a remote trigger attached, I hid away and waited for the meerkats to come within range. Well, I was wrong. In no time at all, my “well-hidden” setup was discovered, and the meerkats began to scratch and inquisitively examine this strange contraption. It wasn’t my ideal scenario, but it did allow me to capture this amazing scene.”
RUNNER-UP – Tibor Litauszki, Hungary
“A Great Tit gracefully flies next to a cutleaf teasel bush, its wings outstretched in a moment of perfect balance and poise. This shot was captured using a GoPro Hero 12 camera, a challenging endeavor that required patience and persistence. Out of thousands of attempts, I occasionally managed to capture a good picture, but it was a labor of love that paid off when moments like this came together.”
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Pruthvi B, India
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Liron Gertsman, Canada
Landscapes
WINNER – Dan Mitler, USA
“Although heavy clouds rolled in across the base of Tre Cime at sunset, reducing visibility to zero, I decided to take to the air for a different perspective. Using my drone, I captured a unique view of the peaks still visible above the thick cloud cover.”
RUNNER-UP – Marek Biegalski, Ireland
“Iceland, the land of fire and ice, boasts stunning glacial rivers that weave through black volcanic sands, creating incredible scenery. As glacial meltwater cascades from the ice cap, it flows gracefully amidst vibrant vegetation, illustrating nature’s resilience. The turquoise blue of the rivers stands in stark contrast to the dark landscape shaped by ancient volcanic activity. Capturing this view reveals a breathtaking harmony where water nourishes the land, highlighting a unique ecosystem. This remarkable blend of elemental forces leaves a lasting impression, urging us to appreciate and protect Iceland’s exquisite natural beauty for generations to come.”
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Abderazak Tissoukai, United Arab Emirates
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Talia Greis, Australia
Small World
WINNER – Soumya Ranjan Bhattacharyya, India
“I captured this image of a scorpion in the sand dunes of the Thar Desert in Jaisalmer on a late monsoon evening. The scorpion was lit by a UV flashlight, which made it glow blue as its exoskeleton emitted a blue luminescence. The wind-swept sand patterns were illuminated by a normal LED flashlight at a glancing angle. I used a wide-angle lens to capture this photograph.”
RUNNER-UP – Yuan Minghui, China
“In summer, the leaves of Victoria regia Lindl in the pond at Xishuangbanna Botanical Garden are cleaned by the garden workers. On the shore, I spotted a water wolf spider on the back of a large Victoria regia Lindl leaf. The leaf’s venation created natural frames filled with water that reflected the spider, combining shapes, lines, and points in a unique composition.
Water wolf spiders live near water and can float or run on the surface due to their light weight and hydrophobic leg hairs. Occasionally, they dive underwater, forming air bubbles to feed and rest. Finding this spider resting in the leaf’s vein frame, I carefully approached, adjusted my position, and captured the scene. The dim light required increased sensitivity and exposure, but I managed to shoot handheld and keep the subject clear.”
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Soumya Ranjan Bhattacharyya, India
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Christopher Meyer, Germany
Underwater
WINNER – Merche Llobera, Spain
“Two Chilean devil rays swim gracefully through a perfect baitball of lantern fish, working together in synchronized movements to scoop up as many fish as possible. I was in the water, waiting for the moment they would pass through the baitball to dive down in apnea, but this time, I chose to stay on the surface to better admire the sunlight reflecting in the water.”
RUNNER-UP – Rowan Dear, Australia
“One of the most fascinating-looking animals on the planet, I had wanted to see one since I first learned of their existence and had been eager to get a perfect head-on shot. After spending several days photographing the leafies and their habitat, I decided to switch to the Sony 90mm macro lens for a night dive. Although shy at first, this male leafy, who was also carrying eggs, eventually became more comfortable in my presence. Using a red video light to help focus without scaring it away, the leafy finally turned, paused momentarily, and looked straight at me, allowing me to capture this perfect portrait.”
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Merche Llobera, Spain
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Remuna Beca, USA
The Night Sky
WINNER – Justin Minns, UK
“This is the Quiver Tree Forest in Namibia. It isn’t strictly a forest, as these are large aloe plants rather than trees, but it is special nonetheless because nowhere else in the world do they grow wild in such numbers. Their distinctive shapes, outlined against Namibia’s dark skies, make a fantastic subject for night photography. With a new moon, this was an especially dark night, and the images I had taken with the trees in silhouette felt lacking somehow, so I used the light from my phone screen to reveal the color and texture in the bark of the nearest tree.”
RUNNER-UP – Josselin Cornou, UK
“This photo was taken during a single 30+ minute exposure on a frigid night in Iceland, where temperatures dipped to -15°C. I carefully set up my camera, ensuring the exposure settings were perfectly balanced to capture the ethereal glow of the auroras. Behind me, a lighthouse provided just enough light to illuminate the ground. I leveraged the Fuji GFX’s capability, allowing me to capture up to a 1-hour exposure in-camera. For me, photography is like meditation, allowing me to immerse myself in the moment as the camera captures the beauty before me. Iceland’s dramatic landscape, coupled with the breathtaking auroras, makes every late night worth the effort. Iceland is truly unique, and I don’t mind staying up until 3 a.m. to witness such an aurora show!”
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Ivan Pedretti, Italy
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Virgil Reglioni, Norway
Urban Wildlife
WINNER – Mano Aliczki, Hungary
“A gray heron perches in a pond as people walk by in an urban park in Budapest, Hungary. The bird went unnoticed by most passersby, much like the wildlife we often overlook in the city. However, if we slow down, look, listen, and keep an open mind, the city-dwelling creatures reveal themselves.”
RUNNER-UP – Zhengze Xu, China
“I took this photo in the Tibet Autonomous Region, inside a Tibetan Buddhist temple where Buddhist nuns come and go during the day. These blood pheasants gather around the temple in winter because there is almost no food in the snow in the wild, but the monks and nuns feed them with highland barley every day. As a result, the pheasants are not afraid of people. I captured this moment with two blood pheasants in the snow and some Buddhist nuns in the background to illustrate this harmonious relationship.”
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Mano Aliczki, Hungary
HIGHLY COMMENDED – Anand Iyer, Canada
Youth Award
WINNER – James Fatemi, USA
“During an evening at the local marsh, the sun was setting beyond the trees on the horizon. I noticed numerous dragonflies foraging just above the water, eventually perching on one of the sticks protruding from the surface. This behavior allowed me to predict where they would land, especially since certain individuals seemed to have their own preferred perches. I chose this particular stick because of its proximity to the water, which allowed me to capture a low-angle shot with the bright reflection from the bank framing the dragonfly and illuminating its amber wings.”
RUNNER-UP – Quinn Smilgis, Canada
“It was early on a cool summer morning when I found this raccoon digging for clams. Knowing that the raccoon would spend the whole time facing the water, I waded out into the ocean to get a head-on angle. Despite soaking my jeans and hiking boots, I finally got into the perfect position and snapped this unique shot of one of my favorite animals.”