Close-up Photographer of the Year Competition Winners
A photo of a Eurasian nuthatch soaring through a forest in Hungary was the overall winner of this year’s Close-up Photographer of the Year competition. Csaba Daróczi took the photo using a GoPro placed inside a hollowed-out tree stump.
Csaba Daróczi/cupoty.com
The contest celebrated macro and micro photography across 11 categories. Winning the insects title was this photo taken by René Krekels in the Netherlands that shows wood ants defending their community by spraying acid.This image of an oak peacock moth resting on a window as a wedding party takes place inside won the butterflies and dragonflies category. Also taken by Csaba Daróczi, he recalls how he had seen insects being attracted to the lights of the wedding hall in Uzsa, Hungary, and when he moved closer he spotted the exquisite moth.A comical photo of a Stiphra, part stick insect and part grasshopper, won the invertebrate portrait category. It was taken by American photographer Tibor Molnar in Yasuni National Park, Ecuador.Simon Theuma’s photo of a commensal shrimp floating above a mosaic sea star won the underwater category. Taken in Shellharbour, Australia, Theuma says that the image is a reminder of the delicate balance that exists in the natural world.Winning the plants category is this Monet-esque image of a magnolia tree reflected in the water of Trompenburg Botanical Garden, Netherlands. Taken by Ria Bloemendaal.
