Alessandro had visited this spot more than 50 times, but he had never seen these conditions. The water had frozen to a rich blue, the first snowfall of the year edging the pond’s curves with a delicate beauty. Alessandro composed his image so that the sky and foreground would mirror each other, bisected by the dramatic Dolomites.
The Lagorai mountain range is formed of fine-grained volcanic rock. This makes the ground impermeable, so rainwater tends to sit on its surface, forming many lakes and ponds. The nearby Dolomites, once a geological mystery, are now known to have originated as ancient coral atolls, elevated to great heights over the past 60 million years.
Italy
Alessandro was raised in the foothills of Italy's Dolomites and even from an early age appreciated nature. He became a professional photographer in 2013 and in 2018 founded Munay Publishing. In addition to publishing several books, Alessandro has also won many awards in photography competitions and staged multiple exhibitions. His photographs are permanently displayed at the Centrum Jana Pawla II in Krakow, Poland.
Help us harness the power of photography to advance scientific knowledge, spread awareness of important issues and nurture a global love for nature.
Nima Sarikhani’s stunning picture of a sleeping polar bear was crowned 2023's People's Choice.
Read article
Discover this year's shortlisted images and don't forget to vote for your favourite.
Read article
The image, titled The Golden Horseshoe, has won Laurent Ballesta his second Wildlife Photographer of the Year Grand Title award.
Read article