Best Nature Photography Of 2024: International Photo Awards Winners

1st Place in Nature, Landscape "The supercell thunderstorm. The most violent and the most beautiful storm on earth. This series of images were taken at various locations across the plains of the United States. These storms produce incredible lightning, gigantic hail and often tornadoes. A treat to witness and photograph!"

1st Place in Nature, Sunrise, Sunset "A series of wildlife images showcasing the beautiful light and color of sunrise and sunset."

Nature Photographer Of the Year "Photo shooting with the sardines is such an amazing experience, they can create incredible unique forms. I love how in this photo, the sardines are welcoming the freediver or swallowing it ( depends how you see it)."

3rd Place in Nature, Animals, Pets "Full of power, beautiful, and at the same time delighting with their beauty and delicacy. They can touch the human soul like angels. That's what horses are like."

3rd Place in Nature, Wildlife "Early morning image of a Yacare caiman in the Brazilian Pantanal with a fish it had just captured suspended in midair between its jaws as it positioned it to be swallowed. It was a challenge as the deer flies were thick (can be seen flying around the caiman's head) and I was getting bitten while hand holding a Nikon D500 with a Nikkor AFS 500mm f/4 lens attached. The movements repositioning the prey in its mouth are extremely fast so freezing this moment was difficult. In addition, having minimal rippling in the water allowed for a decent reflection."

2nd Place in Nature, Wildlife "Greater Flamingos are taking off from a wild lagoon of the St Martin island, based in Southern France. Almost white in summer, their plumage becomes flamboyant, with a very pink color during winter time, to attract their future partner. Thanks to the natural beauty of this French colorful area, which never ceases to amaze my pupils and together, with my aerial shot, I like creating a confusion between reality and illusion, photography and painting, to push the boundaries of form and color, to make photos appear as 'painting-like' as possible."

3rd Place in Nature, Landscape "In the darkness of night, the Fuego Volcano in Guatemala becomes an imposing and powerful protagonist, a presence that transcends the landscape and the atmosphere itself. Its black silhouette stands out against the night sky, but it is in eruptions that this giant comes to life, transforming into an apotheotic spectacle of fury and beauty."

2nd Place in Nature, Other "The photo captures the eye-shaped scenery of the cave. That's why I called it 'Blue eye'. This image was taken while diving in the 'Otoch Ha-David's line' cave in Yucatan, Mexico."

1st Place in Nature, Aerial, Drone "I always get mesmerized when looking at Iceland's highland rivers. They may seem ordinary from the ground, but they become so fascinating when you fly a drone up high."

1st Place in Nature, Wildlife "A series of 10 photographs taken in Amboseli (Kenya in 2021 & 2022), mostly black and white. Taken with full frame and cropped sensor cameras and different settings according to the conditions."

3rd Place in Nature, Underwater "On Ishigaki Island, located in the south of Japan, the water temperature rises every summer, putting coral and sea anemones at risk of bleaching. The summer of 2022 saw a significant increase in water temperature, leading to the death of many corals. This sea anemone also bleached due to the stress of high water temperatures. Nature is facing the harsh reality of global warming. However, it is ironic that we find the bleached, pale-colored sea anemone beautiful. I wonder how the clownfish, which is on the verge of losing its home, feels about this?"

3rd Place in Nature, Sunrise, Sunset "My journey took me to wild Kenya, to the Masai Mara. On our daily game drives, we had fascinating animal experiences and breathtaking sunsets. With this picture, I was able to combine these experiences."

3rd Place in Nature, Other "There are a few volcanoes around the world where the lava appears blue or has blue flames, but none that consistently exhibit blue flames as Kawah Ijen does. The electric-blue flames are caused by the combustion of sulphuric gasses in the oxygen-rich air. Through the combustion, the sulphuric gasses condense into blue molten sulphur that spills down the mountainside, in dazzling electric-blue flames through a phenomenon called electronic excitation. At such high pressure, sometimes the temperature reaches 600°C."

1st Place in Nature, Other "A lone musher with his dogs drives through the vast arctic expanses of Spitsbergen."

2nd Place in Nature, Macro "This series is a colorful look into the mysterious and mesmerizing world of living insects. These tiny animals were all encountered and photographed in their natural habitats without any stilling methods used. A background card was placed behind them for some pop and for a different look than the normal black backgrounds I get while using flash and shooting pre-dawn. Each image is a high-frame focus bracket, which requires a lot of technique and patience on living subjects, and has a high failure rate."

3rd Place in Nature, Flowers "This photographic image is a 2 month-old dead and very fragile poppy which has lost most of its pigment giving the petals a clear plastic appearance but still maintaining all the vascular detail whilst the sepals have faded to white."

2nd Place in Nature, Animals, Pets "Unreal The Dutch Friesian horses are by nature soft but giants when they are showed, a contrast in itself. So beautiful and in this picture he is almost an unreal beauty. Friesian horse Wytse photographed at his own stables. Owner V. Brioch."

2nd Place in Nature, Flowers "Intimate and minimalist portraits of flowers to emphasize texture and organic forms without distractions."

Nature Photographer Of the Year "The series 'Everything in Our Hands' is a collection of photographs of animals living in my home during the fight for their health and life, but also those waiting for adoption, whom I took care of as a caregiver in the so-called 'temporary home'. The animals were depicted in the company of the hands of people who visited me at that time, who often helped to support my activities. The whole series consists of 13 photographs, from which the author's calendar under the same title was created."

2nd Place in Nature, Underwater "This photograph captures the ethereal beauty of a golden jellyfish floating in the deep sea. Against the dark abyss, its transparent, bell-shaped body emits a strong golden glow, creating a striking contrast of light and shadow. The intricate patterns of its delicate tentacles are vividly displayed. The interplay of light and shadow accentuates the jellyfish's fragile yet mesmerizing structure, showcasing nature's artistry in the deep ocean. This work reveals a fragment of the grand creation in the ocean depths, presenting the jellyfish as a breathtaking work of art crafted by nature."