第2890期:What makes good wildlife photography

Can you imagine waiting ten years to take the perfect photograph? With phones accessible in our pocket, it's easier than ever to take photos of nature and wildlife, providing we can find it. But what skills do the most successful wildlife photographers have? Talent, patience, curiosity and resilience.

你能想象为了拍到一张完美的照片而等待十年吗？如今手机随身携带，只要我们能找到拍摄对象，拍摄自然与野生动物从未如此容易。那么，最成功的野生动物摄影师具备哪些能力呢？天赋、耐心、好奇心以及韧性。

The winner of Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 was South African wildlife photographer Wim van den Heever. His shot depicts a brown hyena lit up in an abandoned mining town in the Namibian desert and was the culmination of ten years' work. So why was it so difficult to capture? The subject is a shy creature, mostly active at night, and the Namib Desert often succumbs to thick fog, while easterly winds can pile sand up to a metre high. "I had one or two years where cameras just got absolutely trashed," he says.

2025 年“年度野生动物摄影师”大奖得主是南非野生动物摄影师温·范·登·希弗（Wim van den Heever）。他的作品拍摄的是一只棕鬣狗，在纳米比亚沙漠的一座废弃矿镇中被灯光照亮，这是他十年努力的结晶。那么，为什么这张照片如此难以拍到？拍摄对象性格羞怯，主要在夜间活动；纳米布沙漠又常常被浓雾笼罩，东风还会将沙子堆积到高达一米。“有一两年的时间，相机简直被彻底毁掉了，”他说。

The images captured in this competition are not just stunning, they are also powerful glimpses into the fragile, complex and beautiful ecosystems we share. The picture that won Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 is of a longhorn beetle appearing to look out at big logging machinery which is chopping down its habitat. The photographer has cleverly framed the beetle and machinery to be equal in size, which one of the judges commented on. "The photographer has given M. asper authority in this image. It does exactly what a strong photograph should do – it increases our understanding.”

本次比赛中的影像不仅令人惊叹，更有力地呈现了我们共同生活其中那些脆弱、复杂而美丽的生态系统。获得 2025 年“年度青年野生动物摄影师”奖的作品，拍摄的是一只长角甲虫，仿佛正注视着正在砍伐其栖息地的大型伐木机械。摄影师巧妙地将甲虫与机械构图成同等大小，这一点得到了评委的评价。“摄影师在这张照片中赋予了 M. asper 一种主导感。这正是优秀摄影作品应有的力量——它加深了我们的理解。”

A strong visual can not only provoke the urgency of conservation but can also give us glimpses into the unexpected. This year a Belgian photographer captured a startling image of one of the world's only maritime lions. These big cats moved from their traditional hunting grounds in the Namib Desert in 2017 and have since learnt to hunt fur seals along the Atlantic coast. "The photo shows how resilient these animals are… that they change their habitat to survive," says the photographer, Van Malderen.

强有力的视觉影像不仅能唤起人们对自然保护的紧迫感，也能让我们看到意想不到的变化。今年，一位比利时摄影师拍下了一张震撼人心的照片，主角是世界上极少见的海岸狮。这些大型猫科动物于 2017 年离开了它们在纳米布沙漠的传统狩猎地，并逐渐学会沿着大西洋海岸捕食海豹。“这张照片展现了这些动物的顽强生命力……它们为了生存而改变栖息地，”摄影师范·马尔德伦（Van Malderen）说道。

What wildlife could you capture? Grab your phone, explore nature and see what you can find.你又能捕捉到怎样的野生动物呢？拿起手机，走进自然，看看你能发现什么。