Nature photographers from all over the world compete in Nature TTL's annual photography competition, with eyes on the $1,500 (around £1,240 /AU$2,150) cash prize. Over eight thousand images were submitted for this year's edition, competing across eight different competition categories.
This year's top prize was granted to a striking image of a fierce flamingo-hunting caracal, with American photographer Dennis Stogsdil awarded the prestigious Nature TTL Photographer of the Year 2022 title for his image captured in Tanzania.
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Winning the Animal Behavior category, as well as being the overall winning image, Stogsdil's shot of the wild caracal with a limp and lifeless flamingo draping from its mouth can be considered pretty graphic, which is exactly the reason it won.
Nature can certainly be unpredictable and unforgiving, and the renowned wildlife competition encourages photographers to showcase the true raw realities of nature that we don't often get to perceive.
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"This is nature at its most raw," said Will Nicholls, founder of Nature TTL. "The caracal is soaked from chasing the flamingos through the waters, but has come out on top. The contrasting colors against the dark surroundings really make this image pop. A wonderful scene to have been able to observe no doubt, let alone capture exquisitely on camera."
The title of Young Nature TTL Photographer of the Year 2022 was won by 13-year-old Achintya Murthy, from India. Their image of two fighting Malabar Parakeets captured in Karnataka, India, won the Under 16 element of the competition, and demonstrates excellent understanding of composition and depth of field.
In addition to Animal Behavior, the competition's other categories were Camera Traps, Landscapes, Small World, The Night Sky, Underwater, Urban Wildlife, and Wild Portraits, all celebrating the natural world in its different aspects.
The category of Wild Portraits was conquered by Polish photographer Tomasz Szpila, and his winning portrait features a beautiful lion in Botswana, staring directly into the camera with caramel eyes.
The photographer shared how he captured the image from the safety of his car, as the lion and his brothers were busy consuming a young buffalo that was hunted just minutes before.
The winning Camera Traps image features a large grizzly bear that had passed in front of a camera trap set up along a river in the area of Klukshu, Yukon, Canada, just two days before a snowstorm. The image is titled Ice Bear and was captured by photographer Geoffrey Reynaud from France.
One of the best images in my opinion is the runner-up from the Camera Trap category, featuring a beautiful Snow leopard captured by photographer Sascha Fonseca from Germany. The image was taken in the Indian Himalayas, and sees the leopard stood in thick snow in front of a stunningly colorful sunset.
A pink whipray among a school of banerfishes was chosen as the Underwater category winning image, captured as Swiss photographer Andy Schmid was scuba diving at famous dive site the Tuna Factory (located close to Malé, the capital of the Maldives).
The Small World category winner was photographer Tibor Litauszki, from Hungary, with his image of a moth having created a motion path of flight in the night sky. The photographer used an LED headlight to light the moth with a flash and keep track of its flightpath, using multi-exposure inside the camera.
Entries for the 2023 edition of Nature TTL's Photographer of the Year competition is expected to open for entries in January 2023, so be sure to have your best nature and wildlife shots at the ready to submit for next year!
• You should take a look at our 5 wildlife and nature photography tips as well as our guides to the best trail cameras, and maybe consider getting yourself some of the best portable hides and camouflage gear for wildlife photography.
