Into the Wild: The Stories Behind Our Winning Wildlife Photographers

Wildlife photography isn’t just about having a quick trigger finger — it’s about patience, instinct, and a deep respect for nature. In this article, we invite you to meet the talented photographers behind the stunning winning images of our Wildlife Photography Contest 2025. These storytellers ventured into the heart of the wild to capture powerful moments that remind us of the beauty and fragility of the animal world.

Get ready to discover the passion, challenges, and unforgettable experiences that shaped their journeys — and the images that earned them a place among the best.

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LOUIS RICHTER

Hi, I’m Louis Richter.  An ocean-loving photographer and videographer based in Coral Bay, Western Australia.

I was born in Spain, grew up in the south of France, and my parents are English and German! I know it’s a bit confusing!

I have always felt a deep connection with the underwater world. My parents used to be dive instructors so I was raised around ocean-lovers. They taught me to respect the life it holds and that early connection shaped who I am today and the stories I now tell through my lens.

For the past five years, I’ve called the Ningaloo Reef home. It’s here that I work full-time as a videographer and photographer, capturing breathtaking moments with manta rays, tiger sharks, whale sharks, humpback whales and much more.

I run a media company called Ocean Collective Media with a team of ocean-minded creatives, producing photo and video content for boats operating on the reef. We help visitors take home powerful memories of their time in the water and hopefully, a deeper appreciation for what lies beneath the surface.

I’m also deeply passionate about videography as a storytelling tool. Whether it’s wildlife encounters, the subtle beauty of natural landscapes or people’s stories, I’m driven by the challenge of capturing real, emotional moments in motion. I regularly also work on land, filming and photographing in remote environments. There’s something incredible about documenting life in its rawest, wildest form and I aim to do it with respect, care, and curiosity.

I’m also part of Protect What You Love as a storyteller, using visual media to inspire others to connect with and care for the natural world. Whether it’s underwater or on land, my goal is simple: tell stories that matter, and help protect the places and creatures that make this planet so special

You can find me on Instagram and Youtube.

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XIAOPING LIN

Hello everyone! I am Xiaoping Lin, a bird photographer from Xiamen, China. Since self-learning photography in 1992, my pursuit of eternal moments has deeply fascinated me with this art form. Photography always breaks through conventional cognition and inspires me to

discover beauty in ordinary things from a new perspective, which can better convey understanding and emotional expression of life. In addition to bird photography, movies, classical music, literature, and nature tours are also my favorites.



It's interesting that I didn't initially focus on bird photography. Until 2012, the magnificent feathers of birds, like nature's "color palette", their behavior full of dramatic tension and emotional warmth, and their survival wisdom in adapting to the environment, completely touched me. Since then, my lens has been "lengthened" - because telephoto lenses are essential tools for capturing birds. The fleeting and dynamic moments of birds can only fully display their vitality under the focus of telephoto lenses. For me, bird photography is no longer just about "taking photos", but a conversation about life across species.



Xiamen City is my hometown, also known as the "Egret Island". People are responding to nature's expectations through practical actions in ecological governance and biodiversity conservation. The most commendable thing is that people cleverly used the tidal laws of seawater to introduce it into the Yundang Lake. This measure not only made Yundang Lake clearer, but also unexpectedly created a stunning natural wonder - the wonderful scene of egrets and big fish competing for small fish. I have witnessed the survival game under the laws of nature: both the cruelty of the jungle laws and the vibrant vitality that biodiversity endows the earth with.



Every summer when the tide rises, I always head to the West Sluice and wait for the exciting moment of egret fish fighting. This requires lucky favor - only the scene of the white egret and the small fish is too ordinary, only when the white egret, the big fish, and the small fish are framed together and interact vividly, can they form a masterpiece worth capturing. I often return empty handed due to the high difficulty of filming, but my enthusiasm never diminishes. I have always adhered to the photography of egrets, hoping to awaken everyone's appreciation and protection of the environment through these photographic works.

Although I have won multiple honors such as XPOSURE Winner, BigPicture Winner, HIPA Merit Medal, NBP Winner, etc., this was not my original intention to pursue photography. I hope these photographic works can evoke more resonance. If you are interested in my work,

please follow me on Instagram.

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BARB CASE

I turned to nature and photography as a way to deal with grief and stress. Outside on hikes and along lakes photographing the wildlife around me I learned to relax and just breathe.

As a child, I watched my father’s photos come to life as he developed them in the darkroom in our home. Throughout my life, I recorded family events and fun activities with a camera I always seemed to have. When my husband passed away in 2010 I bought a digital camera, not really knowing what I was going to do with it, but somehow knowing I needed to be outside. I soon realized I didn’t know as much as I should about photographing birds and wildlife. Using Auto mode only resulted in the image I wanted occasionally and the wildlife were often too small to identify. I needed help! Astonishingly, there were photography classes at our school district’s evening adult school. I began with the basic class and learned how to use Manual mode, adjust the shutter speed, ISO and other necessary elements in creating a great photo. I even learned that many of the instructors were international photography award winners with several honored by having their prints at the Smithsonian. Imagine – all in my backyard!

Soon I progressed to composition classes and after hours practicing at nearby lakes and botanical gardens received awards myself. Online workshops during COVID have led to friendships with the top wildlife photographers in the world. Hard to imagine that purchasing a digital camera during a grief-stricken period of my life would lead to this! Not only have I photographed wildlife in California where I lived for many years, but also in Alaska, Canada, Hawaii, Florida, South Africa, South Carolina and North Carolina where I now live. At art fairs throughout North Carolina and on my website – barbcasephotography.com - are the photos from those adventures!

My photography reflects the emotional moments I see in the wild, especially animal mothers, their young and behaviors. I also enjoy photographing landscapes, birds, flowers and butterflies I am an ethical wildlife photographer and do not use bait or any other practice that endangers my subject. Patience and observing behavior give the most satisfying and realistic results. Wildlife needs a voice so that their existence is valued and respected! Look closely and you will see moments that I have caught in photos that you have never seen before!

You can find me on Instagram.

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Don't forget to take a look to our other open photo contests for more opportunities to showcase your skills and creativity. Explore them here: www.theartistgallery.art/open-contests.