The man braving the snow in the image above is French photographer Florian Ledoux, who took home the top prize in the new Nature TTL Photographer of the Year Competition.

He beat out 7 000 entries from 117 different countries to take home the award for his beautiful drone photo of crabeater seals in Antarctica.

Ledoux told the BBC that his photography aims to shed some light on the environment and the threats faced by the wildlife in the Antarctic due to global warming.

“It is also important that anyone inspired by this style of drone image understands the importance of wildlife, and being ethical in your approach.”

Photo: Crabeater Seals, Florian Ledoux

“Ensure that your drone does not spook animals or disturb them, and always conduct yourself within accordance of local regulations.”

Here are a few of the other category winners for you to enjoy.

Landscape category winner: Shadow Game, by Marek Biegalski, taken in Italy

Photo: Shadow Game, Marek Biegalski

Macro category winner: Chinese Painting, by Minghui Yuan, taken in China

Photo: Chinese Painting, Minghui Yuan

People’s Choice Award: I’m not going easy, by Robert Ferguson, taken in Singapore

Photo: I’m not going easy, Robert Ferguson

Wildlife category, highly commended: Badger Blues, by Dave Hudson, taken in the UK

Photo: Badger Blues, Dave Hudson

Wildlife category, highly commended: Sleeping the fall off, by Terje Kolaas, taken in Norway

Photo: Sleeping the fall off, Terje Kolaas

Wildlife category, highly commended: Breathing, by Bence Mate, taken in Romania

Photo: Breathing, Bence Mate

Landscape category, highly commended: Flower Power, by Brandon Yoshizawa, taken in USA

Photo: Flower Power, Brandon Yoshizawa

Landscape category, highly commended: Coexistence, by Dipanjan Pal, taken in Iceland

Photo: Coexistence, Dipanjan Pal

You can see more gorgeous nature shots here.

For more of your nature fix, check out the winners of The British Ecological Society’s Photography Competition, and Nature Photographer of the Year 2019. For a bit of comedic relief, the 2019 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards should do the trick.

It’s good to remember that there’s a whole world out there, and it’s pretty amazing.

[source:bbc]