Nature TTL has announced the Photographer of the Year award. The jury has declared Thomas Vijayan the winner of the 2021 competition. The picture, by Canadian photographer Thomas Vijayan, known as The World is Going Upside Down won the competition. It beat other 8000 entries from across the globe to win the top prize of £1,500.
“Thomas’s image is really unique, and immediately stood out to the judging panel,” said Will Nicholls, founder of Nature TTL.
“The unique perspective and composition mean you are immediately trying to figure out what exactly you are looking at.”
Vijayan captured the picture in Borneo, where he chose a tree in the water to get a decent reflection of the sky and make the upside-down effect.
“This image means a lot to me because presently the orangutan population is reducing at an alarming rate,” he said.
“This picture implies a great deal to me in light of the fact that as of now the orangutan populace is diminishing at a disturbing rate,” he said.
“Trees more than 1,000 years of age – which are a significant resource for our planet – are being chopped down for palm oil manor.
“As people, we have a great deal of decisions to supplant the oil, however the orangutans don’t have numerous alternatives other than losing their home.”
Vijayan’s photograph additionally won first place with the rest of the competition in the Animal Behavior category.
Animal Behavior, second place: Fish Caught by Surprise, by Johan Wandrag
Johan Wandrag’s picture of a fish trapped when it is gobbled up by a crocodile also won the second spot in Nature TTL, The picture was clicked in South Africa. The appearance of a surprise truly made this shot stand apart.
Camera Traps winner: Silhouetted Wood Mouse, by John Formstone
An off-camera flash put in a position to the back of the subject to make this silhouette.
Camera Traps second place: Pine Marten in an Abandoned Cottage, by James Roddie
A pine marten in an abandoned cottage in the Scottish Highlands.
Landscapes winner: Tree of Life, by Jay Roode
A feeling of waiting pervades this valley [in Namibia] where nothing appears to have occurred for a very long time. The shadow of an old camel thorn tree reaches out, similar to a blackened hand to the delicate tracings of the Tsauchab River; longing for the existence that used to be.
Landscapes second place: Bouquet of Flowers, by Fanny Reed
Patterns formed by mineral deposits trapped in lagoons, in Lencois Maranhenses National Park, Brazil.
Small World winner: Dance of the Termites, by James Gifford
“I had many termites crawling all over me, but it was worth it in the end.”
Small World second place: Nature’s Pitfall, by Samantha Stephens
Researchers at the Algonquin Wildlife Research Station in Canada lately got to know that juvenile spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) are being caught by northern pitcher plants. Usually, pitchers contain just one salamander prey at a time.
“When I saw a pitcher that had two salamanders, both at the same stage of decay and floating at the surface of the pitcher’s fluid, I knew it was a special and fleeting moment.”
The Night Sky winner: The Eye, by Ivan Pedretti
On Uttakleiv beach, in Norway, these rocks looked like an eye. The picture set against the wonderful colors of the Northern Lights above is a beauty. This night shot was one of top pictures in Nature TTL competition.
The Night Sky second place: Sleeping Dragon, by Amos Ravid
Night photography at -25C can be a bit tough. And yet, it is most delightful and gratifying. This shot is from Ogoy Island in Lake Baikal, Russia. “It is also called Dragon Island, hence I call it The Sleeping Dragon.”
Underwater winner: Manta Space Ship, by Grant Thomas
The Maldives is one of the few places in the world where you can dive with these sumptuous animals at night. “For this image, I positioned myself flat on the sand, watching one manta looping around and around whilst feeding on a cloud of planktonic creatures which had gathered.”
Urban Wildlife winner: Winged Family Members, by Kallol Mukherjee
These barn swallows are building their home just inside this shop in the Himalayas – securely away from hunters.
The barn swallow is also worshiped as the goddess of wealth and fortune… they are taken as the indications of peace and prosperity.
So individuals happily acknowledge the dung and different annoyances made by the birds.
Urban Wildlife second place: The Fox of Arabia, by Mohammad Murad
Arabian Red Foxes for the most part breed in the desert far away from people; discovering rearing foxes near a city is something truly strange.
I discovered two dens close to Kuwait City.
Land degradation, habitat loss, human impact, and overhunting in the desert might be the reason these two families choose to hazard everything and breed close to the city.
Wild Portraits winner: Sleepy Polar Bear, by Dennis Stogsdill
We were watching this fairly photogenic polar bear for some time in Svalbard, Norway, when he climbed a ridge and chose to simply rest.
Meanwhile the delicate afternoon skies made the ideal scenery for a “sleepy bear”.
Wild Portraits second place: The Cauldron of Creation, by James Gifford
I found this rhino mother and calf resting in the warmth of the day in Kalahari, Botswana.
Also, to make the most of the dust, I situated myself to shoot into the sun, intentionally underexposing to catch the clouds of amber dust.
Rather than zeroing in on the negative parts of rhino poaching, I needed my image to pass on a feeling of hope – a fresh start nearly – as though these were the initial rhinos produced in a fire of creation.
Under-16 winner: Spoilt for Choice, by Thomas Easterbrook
This photograph was taken while we were watching a starling murmuration. Then, a peregrine appeared unexpectedly to attack the murmuration and I was able to catch it at work!
Under-16 second place: Fight in the Mountains, by Raphael Schenker
I snapped this photo while on a long hike in Switzerland. Also, I perceived how the dad of these two mountain goats was showing them how to battle.