2012: 11-14 Years - Specially Commended
Joshua Burch (UK)
Blood donation
The dragonflies weren’t cooperating. Joshua had borrowed his dad’s macro lens and sat down by the pond in his garden in Surrey to photograph them, but they just weren’t staying still for long enough. Then a very willing subject appeared. This one offered to sit very still indeed – but for a price. ‘I took about 10 pictures of the mosquito, starting with the ‘empty’ stage and ending when it had a full tank,’ says Joshua, who had to take the shot one-handed. ‘It’s a female – they need blood to develop their eggs (males don’t bite). My dad thought I was mad. But I told him that it was all part of the dedication of being a nature photographer, as he so often reminds me. One of the things I really like about photography is that you look at things differently and notice much more around you.’
Canon EOS 20D + 60mm macro lens; 1/250 sec at f5.6; ISO 400.
View other winners in this category
-
Winner Flight paths Owen Hearn
View
-
Runner-up Snow hide Owen Hearn
View
Search the online gallery
Enter a keyword to search for images from this year's competition
Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year is co-owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide.
All intellectual property rights in the Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition images are retained by the photographer. Any reproduction of the images without prior written consent will constitute an actionable infringement. For information regarding permission to use competition images please email us.