June 15th is celebrated by the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) and millions of photographers and photography lovers across the nation as Nature Photography Day. Nature photography captures the breath-taking beauty that surrounds us and reminds us to appreciate the many wonders of our Earth, so here are 10 incredible photographs of nature to celebrate the day.
1. By Alex Noriega
USA based nature photographer Alex Noriega took his ‘Witchcraft’ photo in the Southern Swamps, Appalachia in autumn 2020. The magical light and eery trees is certainly not the usual forest scene and shows the amazing scenery nature can create.
2. By Robbie Shone
Photographer and explorer Robbie Stone took this image in Zermatt, Switzerland. Looking out from inside a contact cave on the edge of the Gorner glacier, this photograph shows the shiny smooth shapes carved into the surface of the ice, each one reflecting the daylight filtering in. An incredible reminder of the unique shapes and forms of nature.
3. By Maddie McGarvey
This photo taken in rural USA by Maddie McGarvey shows pristine nature and wildlife side by side. Taken in Sioux County, Nebraska, the population density is just 0.7 person per square mile and livestock is one of the biggest industries.
4. By Jimmy Chin
Photographer and filmmaker Jimmy Chin took this photo of Central Rongbuk Glacier in 2003 during acclimatisation training at advanced basecamp below the North Face of Everest. The impressive structure is one of nature’s true marvels.
5. By Tamara Merino
In her project “Underland”, Tamara documents communities living underground or in cave homes around the world. Coober Pedy in Australia is an unconventional mining town where people live underground and most of the social and personal life takes place under the desolate Simpsons Desert. Most inhabitants go after the great wealth of opal, one of the most valuable gemstones in the world. The sky at night over this place is stunning.
6. By Karine Aigner
Nature and its creatures are fascinating to watch. Karine spent several months photographing this family of bobcats living under a house on a ranch in Texas, USA. The kittens, about ten weeks old, play energetically with each other.
7. By David Chancellor
Wildlife photographer David Chancellor captures the unique beauty of Earth’s creatures in this image of a Vulturine guineafowl in the savannah-woodland ecosystems of central-east Africa, reminding us of the intelligence and ingenuity of the natural world.
8. By Paul Nicklen
In this striking black and white photo, photographer Paul Nicklen shows the four-foot-tall, 80-pound penguin parents caring for their offspring in Antarctica’s Ross Sea as spring approaches. The Emperor penguins have unfaltering dedication and commitment for their chicks, guarding and feeding them until they can fend for themselves.
9. Tim Laman
The skill of nature photographers to capture a unique moment on camera is particularly impressive and Tim Laman’s photo of a Spectacled Eider splashing in the water, which runs straight off its feathers, is a great example of this. The bird is a near threatened species breeding on the coasts of Alaska and Siberia, although this particular male lives at the Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy in Connecticut. The ability of birds to be so waterproof is one of the wonders of nature’s evolution.
10. By Acacia Johnson
Alaska based photographer Acacia Johnson shows the beauty of nature’s diverse landscapes and colours with her image of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The coastal plain is an essential calving ground for the Porcupine caribou herd that has sustained the region’s Indigenous people for millennia, and the Gwich’in people rely on the caribou for food security and their way of life, calling it ‘The Sacred Place Where Life Begins.’
