Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Julian Smith (New Zealand)

Bogong swarm

Some photographers spend months trying to get a winning shot. Julian Smith was simply killing time in a dusty Australian town, waiting for his car to be fixed. But as he wandered the streets for three days, he never stopped thinking as a photographer - and opportunity loves a receptive mind. On his last evening, he watched players on a rugby field and spotted the bogong moths swarming around the floodlights. 'The locals told me that millions of bogongs often descend on the town in spring as they migrate south,' he says. Julian realised that a long exposure would translate the moths' flutters as scribbled signatures on the black sky. He had just one frame left on his last roll of film. By the time he returned with fresh film, the lights were off, and the moths and the opportunity were gone.

Canon F1n with Canon 135mm f3.5 lens and 2x teleconverter; 8 sec at f7; Fujichrome Velvia 50; tripod.