"Last year I participated in the Marius van der Sandt Beurs. This scholarship stimulates photography by young photographers. For a whole year I was guided by some excellent nature photographers to realize a project I wanted to accomplish. I chose a natural stream restoration project of a nature organization in the Netherlands. The first time I entered this patch of forest, I immediately saw this little beech. I came back several times to photograph it. One evening, just after sunset, all the light conditions were perfect. I stood in the cold water for more than an hour making many photos while I experimented with different shutter speeds." - Jacob Kaptein, First Place, Landscape Jacob Kaptein/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
"These polar bear remains have been discovered at one of the islands of northern Svalbard, Norway. We do not know whether the bear died from starving or aging, but more likely if we see the good teeth status, it was from starving. They say nowadays that such remains are found very often, as global warming and the ice situation influence the polar bear population." - Vadim Balakin, First Place, Environmental Issues Vadim Balakin/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
"I shot this at Amboli, Maharashtra, India, on July 24, 2016, during a morning stroll into the blissful rain forest. Ceaseless drizzles dampened the woods for 10 hours a day; the serene gloom kept me guessing if it was night or day. The heavy fog, chilling breeze, and perennial silence could calm roaring sprits. And there I saw this beauty. I wondered if I needed more reasons to capture the habitat, for I was blessed to see this at the place I was at. I immediately switched from the macro to the wide-angle lens and composed this frame." -Varun Aditya, First Place Animal Portrait Varun Aditya/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
"I captured this image during the migration of the sardines along the wild coast of South Africa. Natural predation, sardines are preyed upon by cape gannet birds and common dolphins. The hunt begins with common dolphins that have developed special hunting techniques. With remarkable eyesight, the gannets follow the dolphins before diving in a free fall from 30 to 40 meters high, piercing the surface of the water head first at a speed of 80km/h to get their fill of sardines." - Greg Lecour, Grand Prize, First Place Action Greg Lecoeur/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
An underwater photograph of a school of sardines has just earned French photographer Greg Lecoeur a portfolio review with National Geographic and a 10-day trip to the Galapagos Islands. The image recently captured the first place slot for the 2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.
The image, which also took first in the Action category, depicts two predatory birds diving under the surface and splitting the school as two dolphins chase the small fish towards the surface. Lecoeur waited for two weeks to capture the shot, working to time the dive with the fish migration.
“During the sardine migration along the Wild Coast of South Africa, millions of sardines are preyed upon by marine predators such as dolphins, marine birds, sharks, whales, penguins, sailfishes and sea lions,” Lecoeur said. “The hunt begins with common dolphins that have developed special hunting techniques to create and drive bait balls to the surface. In recent years, probably due to overfishing and climate change, the annual sardine run has become more and more unpredictable.”
The Nice, France, native took the shot in June of 2015.
Along with the grand prize, National Geographic judges Kathy Moran, senior photo editor of natural history, and Joe Riis and Jim Bradenburg, both photographers for the publication, awarded first place prizes in three additional subcategories.
A shot of a snake wrapping itself around a branch and looking into the camera took first for the Animal Portraits category, captured by Varun Aditya, of Tamil Nadu, India.
Global warming took the spotlight in the Environmental Issues category with Vadim Balakin, of Sverdlovsk, Russia, taking the title for his shot of a dead polar bear in a pile of fur resembling melting snow. The cause of the bear’s death is unknown, but the photographer said melting ice is creating a rise in the number of polar bears that die from starvation.
The landscape prize went to a young photographer, Jacob Kapetein of Gerland, Netherlands, for a shot of a small beech tree in a river, with the blue water reflecting much larger, towering trees.
Winning shots from the annual contest, including honorable mentions, can be viewed at the National Geographic website.
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