Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Explore nature in all its wonder and beauty in the Australian Museum’s exhibition

It only takes an instant to press the shutter but an unforgettable wildlife photograph can be the result of months of preparation. US photographer Michael ‘Nick’ Nichols knows this well enough. His stark black-and-white image of lions lolling on a rocky outcrop in the Serengeti was taken after he had been following the pride for six months.

Nichols’ shot, with its striking, Biblical sky, landed him the award of Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2014. The image and 99 other shortlisted works are on show at the Australian Museum until October.

Co-owned by London’s Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition is now in its 50th year. Launching in 1965 when it attracted 361 entries, the competition last year received more than 42,000 entries from 96 countries and is open to all photographers, professional or amateur.

Two Australian entries made the cut this year including Matthew Smith, who took a breathtaking photo of a bluebottle washed ashore. And eight-year old Carlos Perez Narval from Spain was named Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year for a striking image of a scorpion in the sun shot near his hometown.

Entry to the museum’s permanent exhibits is included in the cost of entry to the exhibition.

Australian Museum 6 College St, Sydney 2010. 02 9320 6000. www.australianmuseum.net.au. Daily 9.30am-5pm. $12-$20. Until Oct 5.