With the climate crisis accelerating, wild animals are facing unprecedented threats to their survival as food sources disappear and migration patterns shift. Recent research suggests that more than 3,500 animal species are already threatened by climate change, and this number is only expected to climb as global temperatures rise.
At a time when the natural world is under such pressure, we are in urgent need of art and photography that captures the beauty of wildlife and communicates its fragility and vitality. Compelling visual storytelling can awaken empathy, educate broad audiences and catalyse conservation. Thankfully, there is no shortage of brilliant wildlife photographers whose work elevates awareness. Here are seven wildlife photographers whose work is bound to impress this year:
Kayla Wildlife
Advocating against AI in art, Kayla Wildlife’s photography centres care and presence amid an increasingly synthetic visual landscape. Her images often place animals traditionally viewed as rough or dangerous, from bears to oxen, in a wonderfully soft and tender light.
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Kyle Goetsch
Kyle Goetsch’s photography moves fluidly between sweeping, almost magical scenes of the natural world and intimate portraits that capture the distinct, quirky personalities of its inhabitants. From bee-eaters mid-motion to watchful meerkats, his images feel playful and expressive without losing their reverence for nature.
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Jill Taylor
Jill Taylor’s specialty is puffins, with a focus on bringing these charismatic but vulnerable birds into vivid visual storytelling. The researcher, science communicator and underwater videographer based in Newfoundland blends field science with engaging imagery and film to demonstrate the behaviours and environments of Atlantic puffins and other coastal wildlife.
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Swahili Traveler
Sharing her work as Swahili Traveler on Instagram, Lilian is a wildlife photographer and filmmaker based in East Africa who focuses on nature and conservation storytelling. Her feed blends memorable moments of wild animals with striking character and intensity, from a zebra baring its teeth to visceral shots of big cats.
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Michel d’Oultremont
Belgian wildlife photographer Michel d’Oultremont is known for his alluring images of wild animals, especially birds, created with a skilled eye for light and form. His work stands out with pronounced silhouettes and intense framing to lend his subjects visual edge. Many of his shots focus so tightly on a single eye or expression that they seem to reveal a world of feeling within a single frame.
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Varun Aditya
A leading wildlife photographer from India, Varun Aditya has earned global acclaim for his evocative nature images, including winning first place in the National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year in 2016. His work spans intimate animal portraits and sweeping natural scenes, marked by a deep understanding of composition.
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Karine Aigner
After spending nearly a decade shaping imagery at National Geographic, Aigner turned her full focus to photographing the natural world herself. In 2022, she became the fifth woman ever to win the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year award, pointing to her exceptional patience and dedication to the craft.
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