“Contrails at Dawn (Daubenton’s Bats),” Coate Water Country Park, Wiltshire by Paul Colley. Overall Winner. Winner, Black and White.
Thousands of entries flooded into the 2018 British Wildlife Photography Awards, with amateur and professional photographers submitting their best work across 15 categories. The winning photographers are as young as 9 years old and their varied work shows the diversity of wildlife across Britain.
Photographer Paul Colley was named the overall winner for his striking black and white image of a Daubenton's bat's flight path. Using an infrared camera system and lighting that took 14 months to develop, Colley's dedication paid off in the resulting photograph. The Daubenton's bat is captured in double exposure, its body leaving ghostly trails as it swiftly flies through the night.
“No other image in my portfolio had been so clearly conceived and yet so difficult to achieve,” shared Colley. “My artistic intent was to capture this extraordinary little bat's speed of movement and hunting flight path, but the journey to success was littered with disappointing failures. Fortunately, fellow photographers encouraged imaginative experimentation and taught me to anticipate setbacks as a reasonable price for ultimate success.”
Aside from a cash prize of £5,000, Colley—as well as all the category winners—will have their work displayed as part of a traveling exhibition. For those not able to see the works in person, British Wildlife Photography Awards 9 is a publication that contains 150 of the winning, commended, and shortlisted entries from the 2018 competition.
“Once again, this collection of images from the British Wildlife Photography Awards leaves us in awe of the skill, patience, and artistry of the photographers whose work is showcased here,” comments naturalist, author and wildlife TV producer Stephen Moss. “But stunning though this book is, it is not simply a collection of beautiful images, preserved like museum specimens for us to enjoy. It is also a snapshot of Britain's diverse and beautiful wildlife, at a time when these wild creatures—and the places where they live—are under threat as never before.”
Photographers young and old submitted their best photos of Britain's wildlife to the 2018 British Wildlife Photography Awards. Here are the winners.
“Life and Death at the Edge of the World (Great Skua and Puffin),” Fair Isle, Shetland by Sunil Gopalan. Winner, Behaviour.
“Goose Barnacles (Goose Barnacles),” Sanna Bay, Highland by David Bennett. Winner, Close to Nature.
“Waiting for her Prey (Nursery Web Spider),” Dunchideock, Devon by Andrew McCarthy. Winner, Hidden Britain.
“Seasonal Overlap (European Beech),” Aviemore, Highlands, Scotland by James Roddie. Winner, Wild Wood.
“Bean (Badger),” Peak District National Park, Derbyshire by Tesni Ward. Winner, Animal Portraits.
“Spectacular Isolation (Mountain Hare),” Cairngorms National Park, Highlands, Scotland by Andrew Parkinson. Winner, Habitat.
“Kelp Bed at Dawn (Oarweed),” Kingsgate Bay, Kent by Robert Canis. Winner, Botanical Britain.
“Who Says Bugs aren’t Cute (Cockchafer),” Borrowdale, Cumbria by Lucy Farrell, Age 9. Winner, Under 12.
“Eye of the Spawn (Common Tadpoles),” Walmer Castle, Kent by Ivan Carter, Age 17. Winner, 12 – 8 Years.
“Magpie in the Snow (Magpie),” Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow by Christopher Swan. Winner, Urban Wildlife
“Storm Gull (Lesser black-backed gull),” New Haven, East Sussex by Craig Denford. Winner, Coast and Marine.
The Scottish Red Squirrel is the model for the winning set of 4 photos in the Seasonal category.
“Seasonal Scottish Red Squirrels (Red Squirrel),” Rothiemurchus Forest, Highland by Neil Mcintyre. Winner, British Seasons.
Ben Watkins won the documentary category with his set of 6 photographs that capture the moment rehabilitated seals were released into the wild.
“Rehabilitated Grey Seals Being Released into the Wild,” Cornwall by Ben Watkins. Winner, Documentary Series
