The winners of the 57th Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition are now on display at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney.
Sourced from the Natural History of Museum in London, the prestigious competition recognises the best wildlife photography in the world. This year, it features over 100 images of animal behaviour, spectacular species and images showing the diversity of the natural world.
Creation by Laurent Ballesta, France, Winner, Underwater. Laurent Ballesta (France) peers into the depths as a trio of camouflage groupers exit their milky cloud of eggs and sperm. For five years Laurent and his team returned to this lagoon, diving day and night to see the annual spawning of camouflage groupers. They were joined after dark by reef sharks hunting the fish. Spawning happens around the full moon in July, when up to 20,000 fish gather in Fakarava in a narrow southern channel linking the lagoon with the ocean. Overfishing threatens this species, but here the fish are protected within a biosphere reserve. Nikon D5 + 17–35mm f2.8 lens at 17mm 1/200 sec at f11 ISO 1600 Seacam housing Seacam strobes1/200 sec at f11 ISO 1600 Seacam housing Seacam strobes.
French underwater photographer and biologist Laurent Ballesta was announced as this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year for his image, Creation, that captured camouflage groupers exiting their milky cloud of eggs and sperm in Fakarava, French Polynesia.
Closer to home, wildlife photographer Justin Gilligan won the Plants and Fungi category with his striking portrait Rich Reflections, which depicts a marine ranger admiring seaweed off the coast of Lord Howe island, and Australian photojournalist Adam Oswell's image Elephant in the Room won the Photojournalism category, capturing a a young elephant performing underwater for crowds in Thailand.
Rich reflections by Justin Gilligan, Australia, Winner, Plants and Fungi Justin Gilligan (Australia) creates the reflection of a marine ranger among the seaweed. At the world’s southernmost tropical reef, Justin wanted to show how careful human management helps preserve this vibrant seaweed jungle. With only a 40-minute window where tide conditions were right, it took three days of trial and error before Justin got his image. Impacts of climate change, such as increasing water temperature, are affecting the reefs at an ever-increasing rate. Seaweed forests support hundreds of species, capture carbon, produce oxygen and help protect shorelines. Nikon D850 + Sigma 15mm f2.8 lens 1/160 sec at f13 ISO 400 Nauticam housing twin Ikelite DS161 strobes + sync cord.
