“A hare's dream” GNPY 2020, Peter Lindel, GDT. Overall Winner. European hare in the north of Dortmund.
A photograph of a hare bathed in glowing warm light won the GDT Nature Photographer of the Year contest for German photographer Peter Lindel. The competition, which is open to members of the Society for Nature Photography, was forced to hold their voting online this year due to the coronavirus; but, nevertheless, members turned out en masse to vote for the winners.
Over 5,000 images were submitted to the contest, which were then narrowed down to the top ten photographs across seven categories during a pre-jury selection process. After that, the 307 members of the society, who are spread across 11 countries, voted for their top images in the categories of Birds, Mammals, Other Animals, Plants & Fungi, Landscapes, Nature's Studio, and this year's special category—Water.
Lindel's victory is a testament to his perseverance. The Dortmund native took the photo in his hometown, which isn't particularly known for its abundance of wildlife. “The European hare, once a common inhabitant of open countryside all over Germany, has become a rare sight,” Lindel shares. “While the large number of hares that I used to spot every morning on my way to work in the fields and meadows north of Dortmund, prompted me twelve years ago to explore this area with my camera, it has now become increasingly time-consuming to find hares and present them in an appealing photograph.
“This photo, A hare's dream, was taken in July of 2019 when months of searching a suitable location led me to a dirt road, which offered the most beautiful morning light, lovely vegetation, and three hares. Dreamy, curious, careful, anxious. These are the adjectives that I find to describe the expression of ‘my hare' best.”
By eschewing traditional hotspots for wildlife photography, Lindel proves that award-winning photography can be taken anywhere—one just needs to be patient. For his victory, Lindel will take home a cash prize and an Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III 12-40mm kit, which will certainly serve him well on his continued photography adventures.
Check out more award-winning photography from the GDT Nature Photographer of the Year contest.
“Danger in the mud” GNPY 2020, Jens Cullmann, GDT. Winner, Other Animals. Crocodile in a drying pool.
“Curious glances” GNPY 2020, Jan Piecha, GDT. 4th Place, Mammals. Raccoons, North Hesse.
“School of mackerel” GNPY 2020, Henry Jager, GDT. 3rd Place, Other Animals. School of mackerel, Cocos Island.
“The White Coastline” GNPY 2020, Stephan Fürnrohr, GDT. 2nd Place, Nature's Studio. Meltwater lake, Greenland.
“The Play of Water” GNPY 2020, Britta Strack, GDT. Winner, Special Category – Water. Hraunfossar, Iceland.
“Take Off” GNPY 2020, Flurin Leugger, GDT. Winner, Birds. Coyote panics geese.
“Yukon Gold Rush” GNPY 2020, Axel Gomeringer, GDT. 5th Place, Landscapes. Tombstone Territorial Park.
“Masai Mara sky” GNPY 2020, Jose Fragozo, GDT. 2nd Place, Landscapes.
“Ducks” GNPY 2020, Christoph Kaula, GDT. 4th Place, Birds. Tufted ducks and pochards.
“Milk and honey” GNPY 2020, Sandra Bartocha, GDT. 2nd Place, Special Category – Water. Reflection of the chalk coast.
“Flooded with light” GNPY 2020, Jan Piecha, GDT. Winner, Nature's Studio. Blackbird, North Hesse.
“Fairytale world” GNPY 2020, Florian Smit, GDT. 5th Place, Plants and Fungi. Mushrooms, Northern Germany.
“Glowing fox” GNPY 2020, Mohammad Murad, GDT. 2nd Place, Mammals. Arabian red fox in Kuwait City.
” Magic light” GNPY 2020, Benjain Waldmannr, GDT. Winner, Landscapes. Tree in the mist at the Albtrauf.
“New life in a dead forest” GNPY 2020, Radomir Jakubowski, GDT. Winner, Plants and Fungi. Dead forest, Bavaria.
“Collision” GNPY 2020, Birgit Potthof, GDT. 3rd Place, Special Category – Water. Overlap of geometric shape.
“Refraction” GNPY 2020, Burkhard Hillert, GDT. 5th Place, Nature's Studio. Refraction of light in the cobweb.
“Stony Dipper” GNPY 2020, Hermann Hirsch, GDT. 3rd Place, Birds. American Dipper in California.
“Iceland going abstract” GNPY 2020, Uwe Hasubek, GDT. 10th Place, Nature's Studio. Painting of a river, Iceland.
