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Nature's Best Photography, McLean, VA (2026)

10/17/2025

Order your copy of the latest NBP issue today!! Click here: (https://www.naturesbestphotography.org/store.php)
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Since 1995, Nature's Best has been showcasing the work of talented individuals to help inspire public participation in the conservation of the natural world. Thank you to all those who support us!
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ON THE COVER | Top: Torie Hilley; Insets from left: Charlie Wemyss-Dunn, Amit Eshel, Amy Ge**er, Thomas Vijayan, and Ray Bulson.
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©️All rights reserved. No use of photographs and videos without the written permission by the photographers.

06/11/2025

Order your copy of the latest NBP issue today!! Click here: (www.naturesbestphotography.org/store.php)
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Since 1995, Nature's Best has been showcasing the work of talented individuals to help inspire public participation in the conservation of the natural world. Thank you to all those who support us!
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Inside this issue:
Congratulations to the 2024 Winners from the Best Backyards and National Parks Photo Contests! View the Top 30 galleries: (naturesbestphotography.org/bb) and (naturesbestphotography.org/parks)
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Portfolios & interviews with 2024 Grand Prize winner Mangesh Ratnakar Desai; the 2024 Youth Photographer of the Year Alberto Román Gómez (instagram.com/albertoromangomez); and the 2023 Grand Prize winner Luis Vilariño (www.thedramaticlight.com).
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Feature on NBP Ambassadors: Meline Ellwanger (instagram.com/meline.ellwanger), Isaac Spotts (Isaac Spotts Photography), Sadie Hine (instagram.com/shine_photography__), Zander Galli (instagram.com/zandergalli), Carolina Fraser (Carolina Fraser Photography), Syler Peralta-Ramos (Syler Peralta-Ramos Images).
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Tribute to Paul Humann (REEF Reef Environmental Education Foundation).
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A Mindful Lens column by Charles Freligh, PhD (www.charlesfreligh.com).
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Birding for Photography: Photo Tips and Ethics from (Melissa Groo) and (Liron Gertsman Photography) by Carolina Fraser (Carolina Fraser Photography).
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Books Reviews from Frans Lanting (Frans Lanting), Art Wolfe (Art Wolfe), Thomas Mangelsen (Thomas Mangelsen), Federico Veronesi (Federico Veronesi Wildlife Photography), Remembering Wildlife (Remembering Wildlife), The New Big 5 (Graeme Green), Claudio Contreras Koob (Claudio Contreras-Koob), and John E. Marriott (John E. Marriott Wildlife and Nature Photography).
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ON THE COVER | Across top: Capitol Reef N.P., Utah By Paul Lambie (paullambie.com) | From top left, clockwise: Bengal Tiger By Mangesh Desai (gowildtravelandsafaris.com); Bald Eagle by Isaac Spotts (Isaac Spotts Photography); Longfin Bannerfish By Paul Humann (REEF Reef Environmental Education Foundation); Red Fox Pups By Donna Feledichuck (instagram.com/donnafeledichukphotographer).
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©️All rights reserved. No use of photographs and videos without the written permission by the photographers.

02/25/2025

Have you started your entry to the 2025 NBP Awards photo competition? There’s still time to create and/or continue to finalize your entry/entries!
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Entry Fee: maximum of 25 images/videos per entry ($30 for Adults, Youth are FREE — must be 18 or younger as of close of contest.) Please enter as many times as you want!
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Are you our next Grand Prize, Youth Photographer of the Year or Category (ANIMAL ANTICS, ART IN NATURE, BIRDS, CONSERVATION | STORY, CONSERVATION | SINGLE IMAGE, LANDSCAPES, OCEAN VIEWS, OUTDOOR ADVENTURE, POLAR PASSION, NATURE IN MOTION | VIDEO, WILDLIFE) winner? Enter your best to find out!
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LEARN MORE: For more information and to review the overall guidelines (naturesbestphotography.org/enter).
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Images on graphic by: ©️ Emmett Sparling (, Emmett Sparling Photography), Joaquin Fregoni (), Jaime Rojo ()
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Thank you for reading this post! We eagerly await your submissions and look forward to seeing your best!

11/13/2024

2024 WINNER | NATURE IN MOTION | VIDEO: “When Worlds Collide” | By Patricia Homonylo (instagram.com/patriciahomonylophoto) of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Watch the video: (vimeo.com/1013352891)
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“More than one billion birds die in North America annually due to window collisions. For the last 30 years, FLAP (Fatal Light Awareness Program) volunteers have patrolled the Greater Toronto Area in search of birds that have collided with windows. While their efforts have saved an impressive number of birds, many do not survive. Their bodies are collected, and their lives are honored in the yearly ‘Bird Layout,’ where volunteers come together to arrange the birds’ bodies in a moving and provocative exhibition honoring more than 5,000 birds collected from 2021 through 2022. The film’s narration includes testimonials from the volunteers. Their accounts are as heartbreaking as they are thought-provoking.” — Patricia Homonlyo
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BIO: PATRICIA HOMONYLO had a chance to visit a wildlife rescue nine years ago and felt a calling to advocate for conservation, a passion rekindled from her childhood. She learned that every animal involved in a rescue is the result of human interference. As natural habitats continue to dwindle, and wildlife struggles to survive, her work shines a light on species caught in the crosshairs.
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"The power of wildlife photography lies not only in conveying the beauty and grandeur of nature, but also in bringing the world's attention to some of the greatest harms and threats it faces." — Dereck and Beverly Joubert (instagram.com/dereckjoubert, instagram.com/beverlyjoubert) speaking to When Worlds Collide

11/13/2024

2024 WINNER | CONSERVATION | SINGLE IMAGE | Northern Gannets, Shetland Islands, Scotland | By Khurram Khan (instagram.com/khurram_khan_photos) of Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
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“As if the Avian flu outbreak of 2022 had not taken enough of a devastating toll on the northern gannet numbers worldwide, the human practices of discarding fishing materials are not helping the situation. Birds use the trash for nesting, and here, one became caught up in a line. To me, this picture signifies the future of our planet, literally ‘hanging by a thread’ without our conservation action.” — Khurram Khan
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Nikon Z 9; 100-400mm ƒ/4.5-5.6 VR S lens at 400mm; 1/1250 sec at ƒ/5.6; ISO 640; hand-held.
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BIO: KHURRAM KHAN is a pulmonary and critical care physician by training but has been holding a camera for as long as he can remember. Ten years ago, he took his camera to photograph the Statue of Liberty and was fascinated by the gulls flying alongside his ferry. Since then, he has been hooked on nature photography and feels that showcasing the beauty of the natural world may inspire viewers to make an effort for its preservation.

11/12/2024

2024 WINNER | CONSERVATION | STORY | Saving the Monarchs, Mexico, USA, and Canada | By Jaime Rojo (instagram.com/jaimerojo) of Madrid, Spain
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“The annual migration of the monarch butterfly is one of the most iconic wildlife spectacles in North America. In the last three decades, the population of monarchs has suffered a 90% decline. An urgent threat is the loss of breeding habitat in the USA and Canada, driven by expanding industrial agriculture and housing developments in native prairies. This decline affects their ability to withstand extreme weather events, expected to increase in an era of climate change. Monarch butterflies are long-distance migrants, environmental indicators, and a flagship species among the pollinator family. Conservation actions oriented to protect their habitat will benefit many other species.” — Jaime Rojo
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BIO: JAIME ROJO is a nature photographer and iLCP (International League of Conservation Photographers) Senior Fellow who focuses on environmental stories about wilderness and wildlife. A strong advocate for conservation, Rojo hopes his images will ultimately become a tool for protecting nature.
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11/12/2024

2024 WINNER | OCEAN VIEWS | Spinner Dolphins, near Quepos, Costa Rica | By Cécile Gabillon (instagram.com/cecile_gabillon) of Toulouse, France
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“While free-diving in the Pacific Ocean, we came across a spectacular superpod of spinner dolphins herding lanternfish and guiding them toward the surface. I was swimming so hard that it seemed impossible to capture photos, and my fisheye lens was not even wide enough to take in the scene. Being surrounded by these dolphins was one of the most amazing encounters of my life. They welcomed me into their realm, and I nearly forgot to come up for air. Sadly, it has become uncommon to see these massive groups with a decrease in marine life due to pollution and overfishing.” — Cécile Gabillon
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Nikon D850; Tokina 10-17mm ƒ/3.5-4.5 Fisheye lens at 17mm; 1/640 sec at ƒ/6.3; ISO 400; Nauticam UW housing.
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BIO: CÉCILE GABILLON’s love for wildlife began as a child when she discovered wildlife reporting on television. Aspiring to be a veterinarian, she became a medical doctor instead and devoted her free time to getting close to nature. She took up photography and began working on documentary films, mainly of marine mammals, to help promote conservation. Cécile takes pictures to raise awareness of the impactful relationships between human activities and wildlife.

11/12/2024

2024 WINNER | OUTDOOR ADVENTURE | Highliner (instagram.com/sylvanslacks) During Annular Solar Eclipse, BLM Area Near Monticello, Utah, USA | By Belva Hayden (instagram.com/belva_hayden) of Waterbury Center, Vermont, USA
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“Some people are just wired to seek high adventure. Hearing that an annular eclipse was happening — where the moon passes directly between Earth and the Sun — this climber devised a way to make an extreme sport even more extreme and, in this case, an elevated experience. It took considerable planning with BASE Jump Moab (instagram.com/basejumpmoab)climbing team to find a location that was safe for the climber on the line, and also worked for our group of eight photographers. While running and scrambling on the rocks that morning, I needed to keep calm and remember to wear the protective eclipse glasses as I focused on each shot.” — Belva Hayden
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Canon R5; 100-500mm ƒ/4.5-7.1 L IS USM lens at 343mm; 1/20 sec at ƒ/8; ISO 3200; NiSi 77mm Solar Filter Pro Nano UV/IR Cut; Benro Tortoise tripod; Really Right Stuff ball-head; panning clamp.
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BIO: BELVA HAYDEN is a wildlife and adventure photographer who explores the globe chasing cultural, landscape, and wildlife photos. She shares those images and the stories behind unique experiences to help bring an appreciation of the natural world.
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11/12/2024

2024 WINNER | LANDSCAPES | “Fireworks,” Wildflowers at Sunrise, Goiás, Brazil | By Marcio Cabral (instagram.com/marciocabralphotography) of Brasília, Brazil
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“At dawn’s light on the Alto Paraíso (Highland Paradise) plateau, a stunning field of Paepalanthus mirrors the sun’s rays, giving the impression of self-luminescence. Utilizing two bracketed shots, one for the sky and another for the wildflowers, I captured the harmony between the vivid sky and these unique backlit plants. This biodiverse high-altitude Cerrado, or tropical savannah, adjacent to Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park is part of an environmental protection area, safeguarding it from deforestation.” — Marcio Cabral
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Canon 5DS R; 16-35mm ƒ/4L IS USM lens at 16mm; 1/250 sec (sky) at ƒ/16; 1/6 sec (flowers) at ƒ/16; ISO 100; Manfrotto tripod; Acratech GXP ball-head.
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BIO: MARCIO CABRAL is a landscape photographer and geographer. By capturing the vibrance of natural paradises, his passion for nature has become his career. He has won several prestigious nature photo competitions, demonstrating his expertise through global acclaim. Cabral also holds the Guinness World Record for his creation of the largest underwater panoramic image, with an amazing 826 megapixels. Currently, he produces high-quality art prints and leads photographic expeditions and immersive virtual tours for ecotourism destinations and resorts.
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11/12/2024

2024 WINNER | POLAR PASSION | Beluga Whales, Hudson Bay, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada | By Brett Freliche
(instagram.com/the.oceanexplorer) of Morgan Hill, California, USA
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“To photograph this group of very curious and vocal belugas, I was positioned on a foam raft connected by rope to a Zodiac boat. Wearing a 7mm wetsuit with my underwater camera housing in hand, I would bend over the raft at my waist. My fingers and face became numb after exposure to the cold Hudson Bay where visibility was less than optimal. On the final day of the tour, a pod of belugas came within a few feet, which enabled me to capture this photo.” — Brett Freliche
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Sony α1; 16-35mm ƒ/2.8 GM lens at 23mm; 1/160 sec at ƒ/4.5; ISO 640; Nauticam UW housing; Zen Underwater glass dome.
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BIO: BRETT FRELICHE is a photographer who loves being out in the middle of nowhere, observing our wild earth in its purest form and capturing moments in time. His passion for photography started in college, where he worked in the darkroom developing rolls of film. Since then, he has traveled to all corners of our planet, from chasing supercell storms across the USA to Kenya, photographing the “Big Five,” and to Northern Canada to document the lives of beluga whales.

11/04/2024

2024 WINNER | ART IN NATURE | Eye of Frozen Lake, Baingoin, Nagqu, Tibet, China | By Lei Li of Honghe, Yunnan, China
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“I have traveled around Tibet for many years photographing its natural wonders. In addition to using a camera on the ground, drone usage is permissible. This aerial photo of a frozen lake revealed a symmetrical design that is not visible while standing at ground level. From an altitude of about three miles, the lake’s surface naturally creates a pattern when it freezes in winter. I have not detected this phenomenon anywhere else in Tibet, where there are more than a thousand picturesque lakes amid the gigantic mountains.” — Lei Li
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DJI Royal 2 drone; Hasselblad 28mm ƒ/2.8 lens; 1/400 sec at ƒ/8; ISO 200.
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BIO: LEI LI has been fascinated with documentaries on nature subjects ever since he was a child. His parents purchased a side-axis camera for him in 1986, and he took steps to realize his dream of becoming a nature photographer. He enjoys shooting scenes of wild places to share with the public.

11/04/2024

2024 WINNER | ANIMAL ANTICS | Kit Foxes, Onaqui Mountain Herd Management Area, Dugway, Utah, USA | By Brian Clopp (instagram.com/BrianClopp, , and ) of Huntsville, Utah, USA
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“In a heartwarming display of sibling affection, one fox encircles its tail around the other. They are perching on top of an underground den, where they will go to escape the scorching summer heat. Getting this shot involved camping in a remote desert area for three nights. The genuine tenderness between these wild animals made me smile and serves as a poignant reminder that each living creature has a unique value within our vast universe.” — Brian Clopp
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Nikon D850; 600mm ƒ/4E FL ED VR lens; 1/2000 sec at ƒ/8; ISO 4000; hand-held.
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BIO: BRIAN CLOPP is a wildlife photo tour guide leading workshops in the USA and abroad through LensExplorers.com, where a portion of the proceeds supports conservation. After co-producing a Golden Globe-nominated film with Angelina Jolie, he shifted from the city lifestyle of Los Angeles to a newfound passion for wilderness photography. Clopp also won a Travel Photographer of the Year award for his photo series on wild stallions.
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Nature's Best Photography

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Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
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