12-15 - Young Photographer Awards
12–15 years
Golden glow
Photographer
Alex George
Category
12–15 years – Winner 2023
Description
As one of our most common species of wader, the dunlin is often overlooked by birdwatchers and photographers who are in search of something rarer. I wanted to make these little, busy birds look extraordinary! I spotted a dunlin on a beach in Pembrokeshire and hoped to incorporate the sunset’s golden light into my photograph. I lay flat on the beach, eye level with the bird as it fed along the shore. I wanted the dunlin to be backlit, giving its outline a warm glow, but not completely silhouetted. I liked how the glistening seaweed provided a gold-tinted foreground.
Common basilik
Photographer
Thomas Easterbrook
Category
12–15 years – Runner-up 2023
Description
I took this photo of a common basilisk while on holiday in Costa Rica. They are sometimes called ‘Jesus lizards’ as they can run across water for brief distances. This lizard was standing next to a stream and it was difficult to spot as it was so well camouflaged. By being patient and moving very slowly I was able to get close enough to the basilisk to capture this image, using the foliage nearby to provide a colourful background and foreground.
Squabbling seals
Photographer
Alex George
Category
12–15 years – Commended 2023
Description
On an evening beach walk on holiday in Norfolk I spotted this pair of grey seals wrestling in the shallow water. When the seals clashed there was a rough symmetry between their outlines. They would tussle for short bursts before returning to a more placid state. This would repeat itself over and over again; the seals would resume their squabble with little warning, leaving me constantly on edge, waiting for the fight to continue! A black-and-white image enhanced the seals’ distinctive markings and the contrast between their glistening coats, whiskers and the droplets of water.
My way
Photographer
Vanessa Lau
Category
12–15 years – Commended 2023
Description
Veering away from the prescribed ‘penguin highway’, that continues to the left of this photo, this gentoo penguin decided to continue straight down the slope to the sea and take the road less travelled after a moment of hesitation.