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11 Photographs That Capture Beauty and Danger in Our World
These are the winners of the BigPicture Natural World Photography Competition
The grand prize for this year’s prestigious BigPicture Natural World Photography Competition went to British photographer Andy Parkinson for his gorgeous photo of a Scottish mountain hair in a winter storm. The competition, which awarded winners in the categories of Aquatic Life; Terrestrial Wildlife; Winged Life; Landscapes, Waterscapes, and Flora; “Art of Nature”; Human Nature; and “Photo Story,” attracts photographers from around the world, and is judged by a panel of conservation photography experts.
From the grand-prize winner to the finalists, each photograph is an awe-inspiring view of nature in its beauty, power, and endless variety, while also drawing attention to the many environmental threats the planet is currently facing. Each of the subjects of these photos is threatened by circumstances related to climate change, pollution, or other human interventions.
‘Hold on Tight’ by Mathieu Foulquié (Aquatic Life Finalist)
A male common toad in France’s Lez River fertilizes a female’s eggs as she lays them.
‘Berg Buffet’ by Greg Lecouer (Aquatic Life Winner)
Crabeater seals beneath the antarctic ice feast on the krill that is attracted to phytoplankton caused by melting icebergs.
‘A River Gone Awry’ by Juan Jesús González Ahumada (Art of Nature Winner)
Layers of multicolored sediment caused by toxic runoff from mining combine with blood red water along the Río Tinto in western Spain.
