45 Stunning Photos That Capture the Majesty of Nature
These gorgeous images are the winners of the Nature Photographer of the Year competition
The overall winner of the latest Nature Photographer of the Year (NPOTY) competition is a photo by Roberto Marchegiani of a lone giraffe emerging from a forest in Kenya, reminiscent of a dinosaur navigating an ancient landscape, standing out in striking contrast to the dark and forbidding forest that frames her. Magdalena Herrera, the chair of the NPOTY jury, which selected the winner from nearly 20,000 submissions, explains their choice:
This image has a fairy-tale quality that goes far beyond a wildlife document. The contrast of the dark forest with branches like flashes of lightning and the little giraffe, who seems so innocent, is astonishing. Equally striking is the difference in scale and the relationship between a vibrant, threatening nature and the living element. The result, paradoxically, is a feeling of harmony and peace. We applaud here the poetic approach to this moment that was made possible by the photographer’s patience and respect for his subject.
Marchegiani’s gorgeous photo joins an incredible array of nature photographs that were selected for commendation in the competition, each a testament to the majesty and variety of nature—whether…
