An annual contest highlighting the best in wildlife photography shared its winning photos on Wednesday.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London.

A panel of judges shortlisted 25 images out of 50,000 submissions. Members of the public then voted for the top five photos, with the top-voted image receiving the People’s Choice Award.

The winning photos will be displayed at the Natural History Museum through June 30, 2024.

Here are the best images from this year’s contest, including the top five fan favorites.

Navigating the creative landscape of photography presents unique challenges, especially when it comes to finding and maintaining a personal style and connection to one’s work. For many photographers, the struggle isn’t just about capturing images but creating photographs that resonate deeply on a personal level.

Coming to you from Rick Bebbington, this introspective video discusses the uncomfortable truth of feeling disconnected from the art of photography despite being deeply embedded in the creative process. Bebbington candidly shares his realization of not taking photos that feel authentically his, despite his involvement in photography-related projects. This revelation is not uncommon in the photography (or any creative) community, where the pressures of producing content can sometimes overshadow the personal joy and fulfillment derived from the craft. Bebbington’s admission highlights a crucial aspect of photography— the importance of personal connection and the quest for a distinctive style that makes one’s work recognizably their own.

Bebbington’s approach to overcoming this creative rut involves setting a dedicated schedule to practice photography, exploring different genres, and studying the work of other photographers to find what resonates with him. His plan to separate his photography from his professional projects serves as a reminder that personal growth in art often requires intentional effort and exploration outside of one’s comfort zone and paid work. It underscores the necessity of continuously pushing boundaries, experimenting, and dedicating time to personal projects to foster a deeper connection with one’s art. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Bebbington.

There’s no denying that photography is a gear-focused endeavor. We are constantly pitched fancy new equipment with the idea that more gear will make us better photographers. For some photographers and their needs, that’s absolutely true. But for those just starting, some equipment simply isn’t necessary.

As you begin your photography journey, it can be challenging to filter through all the noise and decipher what is “must-have” versus “nice-to-have,” or flat-out unnecessary. Below are some tips on things that you can likely skip as you start learning, saving you money and keeping you focused on the things that matter.

The Most Expensive Camera

Obviously, a camera is the first step in getting started with photography. And while you may be tempted by the latest and greatest cameras on the market, expensive and advanced cameras may be overkill as you are learn the ropes.

When choosing a first camera, it is important to plan ahead and select an option that will give you room to grow, but only within reason. Otherwise, you’ll be paying for features you likely won’t be able to take advantage of for some time.

For example, the most high-resolution images aren’t necessary for many, and increase the barrier to entry. The same goes for the fastest cameras on the market. Photographers must learn to walk before they can run.

Super Telephoto or Ultra-Wide Angle Lenses

Lenses are a critical component of exploring the creative aspects of photography. However, don’t feel like you need to go out and buy a full kit of lenses right off the bat. It’s more important to have a few quality lenses with useful focal lengths and get used to those while learning the basics of exposure and composition.

When I taught introductory photography classes at a university, I encouraged all my students to invest in a 50mm and not worry about anything else for a while. 50mm offers a perspective close to our vision, meaning you don’t need to account for inherent distortion or perspective shifts related to different focal lengths. For those wanting a bit more versatility, a 24-70mm or 24-105mm standard zoom is a fantastic lens to start out with as well.

While ultra-wide and super telephoto lenses are fun and undoubtedly useful for certain situations, they can add a layer of complexity. This is especially true when learning about topics such as depth of field and distortion. These principles will be easier to understand with a normal lens (one with a focal length close to how we see, such as 50mm) and easier to tackle if you stick to one focal length for a while.

Once photographers find their current lens, or lenses, to not allow them to capture the kinds of images they want, it’s time to upgrade. But making the plunge at the start is a surefire way to unnecessarily spend a large chunk of change.

Niche Filters

There is no shortage of lens filters out there. They range from practical to strictly creative. It can be confusing to figure out which of those filters are worth buying and which are just extra.

Neutral density (ND) and polarizing filters have their place and may be worth purchasing even for beginners, depending on what they photograph. ND filters reduce the amount of light coming into the lens, allowing for the use of wide apertures or long exposures, even in bright light. Polarizing filters, like polarized sunglasses, reduce glare, intensify blue skies, and saturate colors, making them useful for photographing water or working in bright, sunny conditions.

ND and polarizing filters are by no means must-haves, so don’t fret if you don’t have the money for them now. But they can be useful in ways that image editing apps struggle to replicate. Beyond those two, however, most filters serve niche purposes that are rarely relevant to beginners. No matter what, the key is to invest in quality filters. The glass that the light passes through significantly impacts image quality, so opting for cheap filters (including ND and polarizing filters) can negatively impact your images.

Cheap Tripod

We get it; photography equipment is expensive, so it is tempting to look for cheap alternatives. Buying used gear is a great way to save money, for example. But there are some things you shouldn’t skimp on, tripods being one. While you by no means need the most expensive tripod, investing in a durable, sturdy tripod from a trusted manufacturer will actually save you money in the long run.

Cheap tripods are typically flimsy, defeating the purpose of a tripod. Instead of getting stable, sharp images, you’ll be left dealing with blur and camera shake. Or, in the worst-case scenario, it could even blow over in some wind, leaving you with a broken camera. Also, cheap tripods tend to break, so you will likely be buying a new one long before you would need to if you spent a bit more the first time around.

Editing Tablet

If you watch YouTube videos of photographers, chances are you’ve seen one working on an editing tablet when retouching photos. While these tablets can be useful, editing tools are complicated enough without adding another layer to the mix. Tablets typically have a steep learning curve, making the editing process even more confusing if you aren’t intimately familiar with the editing program and tools.

Instead, as you start your editing journey, focus on the basics of editing, adjusting things like exposure, contrast, white balance, shadows, and highlights. Once you get those things down pat and start diving into more complicated editing processes requiring fine adjustments, a tablet may make sense for you.

Paid Editing Software

Speaking of editing, when you are a beginner photographer, paid editing software may be more than you need. Programs like Photoshop or Lightroom are advanced tools with nearly limitless options, which makes them challenging to learn. There are some highly capable free editing programs to learn on, allowing you to get a feel for the editing process and if it’s something you want to explore before paying for an expensive program.

Lighting Equipment

Lighting equipment can be fun and is a way to create dramatic, unique images. However, for beginners, external lights are not necessary because it’s best — and free — to start with natural light. The basics of photography can be complicated enough, and things get a lot more complicated when you add artificial light, especially flash.

So, instead of spending money on constant lights or strobes, get familiar with natural light and how to adjust exposure based on different lighting conditions. You can also modify light with simple and cheap tools (such as reflectors) instead of investing in lights.

As your skills improve and you find ways in which natural light is limiting your creativity, you’ll know it’s time to jump into artificial lighting. Of course, by that point, you’ll be far from a beginner!

Invest In Gear You’ll Actually Use

At the end of the day, what gear you buy depends on your goals and what you shoot. Certain genres are more gear-heavy or gear-specific than others. Likewise, a beginner casual hobbyist will have different needs than someone who aims to pursue photography as a career or side gig. No matter what, give yourself some room to grow and try to avoid getting sucked into the hype of fancy or niche gear that you likely won’t end up using.

More gear doesn’t always mean better photos, and more expensive equipment is not a shortcut to reaching your photography goals.

Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.

WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas photographer entered into a consent judgment with the Office of the Sedgwick County District Attorney earlier this month.

The District Attorney’s Consumer Protection Division investigated Caitlin Payne of Derby doing business as CP Family Photography, after receiving several consumer complaints.

The District Attorney’s Office alleged Payne violated the Kansas Consumer Protection Act (”KCPA”) by deceptively advertising photography services using photographs taken by other photographers and failing to disclose to the consumers that the photographs were not her own.

As part of the investigation, the Consumer Protection Division received an additional complaint involving Payne sending a replacement photographer to a wedding while she was allegedly attending another event and failing to disclose the replacement lacked the skills to perform the contracted services.

While Payne denied intentionally violating the KCPA, she accepted a consent judgment to resolve the matter. The agreement calls for Payne to be liable for $30,000.00 in civil penalties, additional investigative expenses, and court costs while on a 48-month probationary period with the Consumer Protection Division. Payne will have to pay over $2,000.00 in restitution to two impacted consumers.

The consent judgment also calls for an injunction from engaging in deceptive or unconscionable acts and cooperation with any future complaints. Payne promised in future offers for photography services not to use photographs of other photographers unless they are clearly and conspicuously disclosed as only a style of photography that she is capable of reproducing.

The District Attorney reminded that “when hiring a professional for a service, you shouldmake sure to get the scope of work and all promises in writing. If you pay for the services in advance or make a deposit, make sure you understand if you are entitled to a refund in the event the professional fails to perform services or you need to cancel. When selecting a professional you should always research the provider, including on available websites such as the Better Business Bureau. If the professional provides references, be sure to verify they are  legitimate and ask for samples of work the professional has previously performed.

(CNN) — An image of a napping Polar Bear curled up on an iceberg is the winner of this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award.

It’s called “Ice Bed.”

British amateur photographer Nima Sarikhani captured the image off Norway’s Svalbard Archipelago.

He said he hopes it inspires hope that there’s still time to reverse climate change.

More than 75,000 people voted in the competition, a record number. It was chosen from a shortlist of 25 images. Those were narrowed down from around 50,000 entries.

In addition to the winner, there are four finalists. All five images will be exhibited at the Natural History Museum in London through June 30.

A photographer spent five years traveling the world to turn the lens on amateur astronomers who have contributed to science.

Dan Homer visited stargazers across four different continents to take gorgeous black and white photos that document the environment of amateur astronomers as well as the citizen scientists themselves.

“The people I photographed are people who have contributed to research in some way,” Homer tells PetaPixel.

During the course of his project, which is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter, he met Jack Newton whose research on supernova 2010O in Arp 299 led to him being granted time as an investigator on the Hubble Space Telescope.

“It’s all these people who are connected all over the world who contribute to research,” he says.

“Where they are [on Earth] is important because if they’re in South Africa or India or wherever, and a NASA telescope on the ground is on the opposite side of the Earth, these astronomers have a view of the object NASA wants to look at.

“The billion-dollar telescope is useless and these people who might have a $500 or a $1,000 telescope become valuable just because of their geography.”

Homer is from the U.K. but traveled to Canada, Australia, India, The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and France for the project he calls Route de la Belle Etoile (Route of the Beautiful Star).

“Some of them live in the middle of nowhere [for the dark skies],” he explains.

“Trevor Barry in Australia lives in Broken Hill which is a frontier town; the last town before nothingness in the middle of Australia.

“You can drive to the end of the town in about 30 seconds but when you get there it just turns into desert.”

Homer says a lot of the people he met were of retriment age and had been inspired by the Apollo missions in the 1960s and 1970s which caused people to “look up.”

“To me, space is magic. It’s slightly surreal to think we’re sitting on this rock looking out into the cosmos and experiencing meaning as a result,” he says.

“That’s why I approached it in black and white, the various geographies I visited all over the world all look very different.

“The general background and the colors, the houses, or what people were wearing was so at odds.

“I think the black and white eliminated that a little bit which decontextualizes it and knits all these geographies together without them looking too different.”

Homer, who does not partake in astrophotography himself, says that he has spoken to scientists who confirmed that amateur astronomers make a “small but significant contribution” and have helped astrophysics meaningfully.

“They’re unpaid and they do it in their free time,” he adds.

Homer is crowdfunding to release the project as a book entitled Route de la Belle Etoile (Route of the Beautiful Star). His Instagram can be found here.

Image credits: Dan Homer

Disclaimer: Make sure you do your own research into any crowdfunding project you’re considering backing. While we aim to only share legitimate and trustworthy campaigns, there’s always a real chance that you can lose your money when backing any crowdfunded project.

A Look at the 2024 Sony World Photography Awards

This year’s Sony World Photography Awards attracted 395,000 submissions from over 220 countries, highlighting a variety of subjects and locations. The winning photographs, spanning from lush landscapes to poignant portraits, offer diverse perspectives from various corners of the world. Among the entries were captivating images: endless horizons merging with the sky, towering buildings reaching toward the moon, and serene faces evoking childhood nostalgia. These snapshots provide a glimpse into the varied array of photographs featured in the competition. Through this visual exploration, buildings take on distinct personalities, and human subjects find a seamless connection with the natural world.

image © Tran Tuan Viet, National Awards 1st Place, Vietnam, 2024 Sony World Photography Awards

Rewards and Exhibitions for Award Recipients

All recipients of the National and Regional Awards will receive Sony digital imaging equipment and will be featured in the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition and book. The overall winners across the Student, Youth, Open, and Professional categories of the Sony World Photography Awards 2024 will be unveiled on April 18, 2024, and their works will be showcased in the exhibition at Somerset House, London, from April 19 to May 6, 2024.

Discover the full list of winning photographers on the World Photography Organisation’s website here.

image © Lim Chien Ting, National Awards 1st Place, Malaysia

image © Ana Skobe, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Bosnia & Herzegovina Regional Award 1st Place, Slovenia

image © Yasser Alomari, National Awards 1st Place, Saudi Arabia

image © Ieva Lozuraityte, European Regional Awards Shortlist, Lithuania

Photography is a journey marked by constant learning and growth, where success is as diverse as the individuals behind the lens. Understanding how to accelerate this path to success while embracing the challenges is crucial for both aspiring and seasoned photographers.

Coming to you from Joshua Peg, this enlightening video shares Peg’s personal insights and experiences over the past year to illustrate key strategies for advancing in photography. Peg emphasizes the importance of relentless practice, having taken tens of thousands of photos to refine his skill set. Most of these images, he admits, did not meet his standards, highlighting a critical lesson: the journey to capturing those few exceptional shots is paved with countless attempts and failures. This process is vital for photographers to understand what works and what doesn’t in their craft. Peg’s approach underscores the significance of persistence and the willingness to experiment, even when doubts about the outcome exist.

Furthermore, Peg explores the concept of simplicity in photography, stressing the power of focusing on what to exclude from the frame as much as what to include. This principle has guided him to produce more impactful and focused images. Peg also discusses the evolution of his inspiration sources, shifting from tutorials to studying the work of other photographers to foster his creativity and define his unique style. This transition from emulation to innovation is a pivotal stage in a creative’s development, where finding one’s voice becomes the foundation of true success. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Peg.