Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024
Deadly Bite, 2024 Ian Ford, from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024 exhibition at the Natural History Museum, London, UK.
As some of you may know, I go to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London every year. And I mean every year - except for 2020, for obvious reasons. But I go every year because I am always inspired by what I see, from images of climate change to the intimacy of animals in their natural habitats. So there I was on a cold and stormy Saturday morning, battling (literally) through the tourists on their way to see the trifecta of museums down Exhibition Road in South Kensington. As it usually is on a Saturday, the museum was packed, it made me miss the times when I worked part-time and could go during the week when it was much quieter. But I digress. This exhibition is the culmination of thousands of applicants from all over the world. Photographers from the ages of 10 and under and beyond submit images of animals in their environment. The results are always stunning.
Let's start with the youngsters; sometimes, it is startling to see just how much young talent is out there. Children entering an internationally renowned competition and being exhibited at one of the most prestigious museums in the world is quite the feather in your cap! There were a few images I liked; the two baby owls snuggled up together on a branch were very sweet, and the atmospheric, sepia-toned image of two Indian peafowls silhouetted in the background. Both of these images were taken by children under the age of 10. I’m not sure what I was doing when I was ten and younger, but it certainly wasn't taking stunning images.
In the Spotlight, 2024 Shreyovi Mehta from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024 exhibition at the Natural History Museum, London, UK
My favourite part of the show is usually the photojournalism category, which I find is the most impactful and occasionally sobering. The one I’m showing is an image taken in London by the Metropolitan Police ‘Dusting for New Evidence’. The illegal trade of ivory and fur is evident in this photo, and clearly, the issue is still ongoing. It is infuriating. We see a forensic scientist taking fingerprints off a tusk, whilst in the background, fur coats hang morbidly on a rail. It is a really impactful moment that highlights just how bad poaching and the illegal trade of ivory and fur is - especially for endangered species. It is a beautiful piece and one of the standouts from this competition, in my opinion.
Dusting for Evidence, 2024 Britta Jaschinski from Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024b exhibition at the Natual History Museum, London UK
The next piece I’d like to talk about is quite simple but beautiful in its simplicity. ‘Chamois Snow Circle’ is stunning as it shows these animals against the pure white of the snow. Whilst this piece was ‘Highly Commended’, its composition did make it stand out from the rest - evidently, the photographer wanted the chamois more prominently and how they stood out against the snow, they have clearly upped the exposure of the snow, giving it that startling white effect. I also marvel at the technology that is available today vs when the competition started over 50 years ago when camera technology was just starting to come into its own. This image was clearly taken at a distance, but the Chamois are razor-sharp.
Chamois Snow Circle, 2024 Jérémie Villet from Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024 exhibition at the Natural History Museum, London UK
As I wander around the show, I do think that this year's crop of images isn’t as impactful as the ones I've seen in years gone by. That isn't to say the quality is lacking, absolutely not, but I don’t see as many images about climate change, how nature and humanity merge, how humans are combating climate change, etc. I have noticed that there has been more use of new technologies this time round - such as layering images on top of each other to perfectly capture the moment. Not complaining about that, but I do wonder about how organic the images themselves are in comparison to previous years, where spontaneity was more evident. Perhaps I’m old-fashioned and a traditionalist, but I am equally intrigued to see what the new era of technology and editing techniques brings.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024 is on until the 29th of June 2025.