The Winners of the 2019 Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The winning images in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2019 contest have been announced by the Natural History Museum in London. Here are a few of my favorites (by Audun Rikardsen, Max Waugh, and Shangzhen Fan):

Here’s how Rikardsen got that incredible shot of the eagle:

Audun carefully positioned this tree branch, hoping it would make a perfect lookout for a golden eagle. He set up a camera trap and occasionally left road-kill carrion nearby. Very gradually, over the next three years, this eagle started to use the branch to survey its coastal realm. Audun captured its power as it came in to land, talons outstretched.

You can check out the rest of the winners here. See also First Look: 2019 Wildlife Photographer of the Year, featuring a selection of entries from the contest. (via in focus)

• best of
• best of 2019
• photography