After his previous success with a split-second wildlife shot showing a Eurasian hobby catching prey in mid-air, 16-year-old photographer Jack Crockford has now been recognized by another prestigious photography competition – this time for an extraordinary image of a swift flying almost perfectly aligned with an airplane.
The Art of Flying has now been highlighted by the world's leading wildlife photography competition, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year, developed and produced by the Natural History Museum in London, England.
The awards published a sneak peek of this year's Highly Commended images and, in the 15-17 Years category, Jack's shot of a low-flying swift, as its shape is echoed by an incoming plane approaching Heathrow Airport, stood out.
Using the same kit as he used to capture his previous award-winning image, Jack shot with the Nikon D500 – a DSLR camera that Digital Camera World praised as a "dream camera" when reviewing it – paired with a 200-500mm telephoto lens to get close.
When observing the swifts, Jack recalls that most were flying too high to capture, but one of the occasional low-flyers finally enabled him to create the composition he'd been hoping for.
'The Art of Flying' – Shortlisted at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 competition
Tech details
Nikon Nikon D500 + Nikon AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR
Exposure info
1/5000 sec, f/8, ISO1600
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year states, "Jack observed swifts flying overhead, completing their yearly migration back to London and filling the air with their piercing, high-pitched calls.
"Swifts' physical characteristics allow them to migrate from equatorial and southern Africa to breeding grounds in northern Europe.
"Their long, scythe-shaped wings enable exceptional speed and maneuverability. Living almost their entire lives in the air, they usually only land when they’re ready to breed. "
The category winners and the prestigious Grand Title and Young Grand Title awards will be announced on October 13. You can watch the ceremony live on YouTube. The full set of highlighted images will be showcased in an exhibition from October 16 at the Natural History Museum, with tickets available here.
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