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Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Portfolio 19
More than 120 stunning images from the 2009 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition are gathered in this astounding compilation. The winning and commended photographs, each selected by an international panel of expert judges, are all included, and together these images cover a wide range of subjects and a diverse portfolio of styles. The photos include nature abstracts, depictions of animal behavior, and environmental reportage, and each image celebrates the splendor, drama, and variety of life on earth. The photographs are also accompanied by memorable captions that tell the story of how and why each shot was taken.
- GenresPhotographyNonfiction
160 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 11, 2015
I have been collecting these yearly albums almost since the series started, and have more than half on my shelf. They never fail to move and to impress. As a former part-time wildlife photographer myself, and today a hobbyist, I can only stand back in awe at the quality of some of this work.
The style has altered over the years. Reviewing Portfolio 20 yesterday I drew attention to the use of monochrome, impressionism and movement blur. Looking over 19 today for this review reminds me that the trend had already started beforehand. There is one lovely two-page spread entitled "a settling of Bramblings" which defeats all the naive presumptions about how a bird photograph should appear - a seething mass of tiny bodies punctuated by the streaks of their passing companions. Another high-key monochrome shot of a fairy tern in flight almost washes out the white-on-white detail to provide a light, almost ghostly effect. Two bird shots show only graphic silhouettes, while a monochrome picture of Baboons reveals only the brightly backlit outline of the animals.
My favourite, and one of the most striking pictures I have ever seen, is Alexander Safonov's "The plunge diver", an underwater shot of a gannet "flying" through the water before a sardine shoal. It was shot with a Nikon D300, which happens also to be my own camera, so I suspect some subtle post-processing. The picture is stunningly clear and almost monochrome, like a split-tone print back in the halcyon days of steam-powered cameras. Quite the most graphic action shot I have seen in recent years, at least until the next Portfolio turned up! In a way, it seems to me that digital photography has taken wildlife work back to the days of the daguerreotype and the pot of toxic toners, but without the fumes, so that the photograph is once again a complete work of art rather than a balancing act trying to fit the entire concept into 1/30sec illumination of a transparency. This, at least, is the approach I try to bring to photography these days, and I see indications that these photographers sometimes think the same way.
Unfortunately, this year's competition was accompanied by some controversy, as the winning picture was stripped of its prize after it emerged that the wolf in question was tame. I am not sure how I feel about this. It is certainly a breach of the rules, but as a nature photographer I am not sure that I believe that these rules are appropriate. Very few shots of wild animals can be acquired without bait or camera traps, and even the most straightforward of flower photos will require some "gardening" in the way of pushing intruding grass aside. For me, the art is in the picture and I am no stranger to Photoshop and the Gimp, but there is a realism "ethic" at work in nature photography which dictates, in effect, that the photographer must be absent. I struggle with this sometimes. At any rate, such events are exceptionally rare in this competition and the results are still astonishing, so perhaps I quibble in vain.
The work in these competitions goes from strength to strength. Whether you wish to master the art and science of photography or merely love nature, these books richly reward every turn of the page. If you want to do wildlife photography, I would almost say they are a necessity. If you do not, they will still grace your coffee table like few other books.
The style has altered over the years. Reviewing Portfolio 20 yesterday I drew attention to the use of monochrome, impressionism and movement blur. Looking over 19 today for this review reminds me that the trend had already started beforehand. There is one lovely two-page spread entitled "a settling of Bramblings" which defeats all the naive presumptions about how a bird photograph should appear - a seething mass of tiny bodies punctuated by the streaks of their passing companions. Another high-key monochrome shot of a fairy tern in flight almost washes out the white-on-white detail to provide a light, almost ghostly effect. Two bird shots show only graphic silhouettes, while a monochrome picture of Baboons reveals only the brightly backlit outline of the animals.
My favourite, and one of the most striking pictures I have ever seen, is Alexander Safonov's "The plunge diver", an underwater shot of a gannet "flying" through the water before a sardine shoal. It was shot with a Nikon D300, which happens also to be my own camera, so I suspect some subtle post-processing. The picture is stunningly clear and almost monochrome, like a split-tone print back in the halcyon days of steam-powered cameras. Quite the most graphic action shot I have seen in recent years, at least until the next Portfolio turned up! In a way, it seems to me that digital photography has taken wildlife work back to the days of the daguerreotype and the pot of toxic toners, but without the fumes, so that the photograph is once again a complete work of art rather than a balancing act trying to fit the entire concept into 1/30sec illumination of a transparency. This, at least, is the approach I try to bring to photography these days, and I see indications that these photographers sometimes think the same way.
Unfortunately, this year's competition was accompanied by some controversy, as the winning picture was stripped of its prize after it emerged that the wolf in question was tame. I am not sure how I feel about this. It is certainly a breach of the rules, but as a nature photographer I am not sure that I believe that these rules are appropriate. Very few shots of wild animals can be acquired without bait or camera traps, and even the most straightforward of flower photos will require some "gardening" in the way of pushing intruding grass aside. For me, the art is in the picture and I am no stranger to Photoshop and the Gimp, but there is a realism "ethic" at work in nature photography which dictates, in effect, that the photographer must be absent. I struggle with this sometimes. At any rate, such events are exceptionally rare in this competition and the results are still astonishing, so perhaps I quibble in vain.
The work in these competitions goes from strength to strength. Whether you wish to master the art and science of photography or merely love nature, these books richly reward every turn of the page. If you want to do wildlife photography, I would almost say they are a necessity. If you do not, they will still grace your coffee table like few other books.
September 2, 2021
This is the third of these collections I’ve read and it’s my least favourite. There are still some stunning photos though. The Jaguar going down a tree is amazing.
June 22, 2025
Lovely photos printed in large with useful captions explaining the context of them, where they were shot and a bit about the photographer.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews