August 2012 GOTM

Algerian Giants

I am very proud to announce that, for the second year in a row, I won the title Nature Photographer Of The Year at the International Photography Awards (IPA), as well as several other prizes.

My entry The Valley Of Death was awarded 1st Prize in the Nature-Trees category at this year’s edition of the competition, and it was chosen as the overall winner of the Nature category. I just posted one of the shots here.

I also won 1st Prize in the Nature-Other category for my entry Dwarfed, a series of landscape photographs shot at various locations, featuring small human figures in awe-inspiring scenery. I like to do this in my wildlife photography as well, and as a result an English photo magazine once called me 'a wildlife photographer who thinks like a landscape photographer'. And although I don't consider myself a wildlife photographer (I prefer nature photographer), I see what they mean, and I think they're right. It's the landscape that I often value more than the subject itself. The winning shots were taken in Libya, Iceland, Algeria and the US. Special thanks to my wife Daniella for posing for me in three of the five pictures - you may only be a few pixels high in each shot, but they wouldn't have been the same without you.

This image shows some bizarre rock structures in the Algerian desert that are towering over Daniella like nocturnal giants. Shot about an hour after sunset. Unfortunately, Algeria is not a safe country to travel to, otherwise I would really recommend it - friendly people and spectacular landscape.