Unique Wildlife Photography From Smithsonian's Annual Photo Contest

Wildlife photography is so amazing. Just like no person is exactly the same, the same goes for wildlife. They all have different environments they live in, they have their own unique personalities which in turn makes every single one unique. That is why when photographing wildlife, you never know what you will find or what you will come up with in the end.  

Every year the Smithsonian has their annual photo contest and we wanted to share with you a few unique wildlife photos from the submissions that poured in during their 13th Annual Photo Awards that we saw on the Mother Nature Network. We hope you enjoy these as much as we do! 

"Red Squirrel Appears To Wear Flower As A Hat"

Photo credit: Geert Weggen via Smithsonian.com.

"Catching Fish"

Photo credit: Simone Sbaraglia via Smithsonian.com

"Papa's Got a Brand New Bag"

Photo credit: Suzan Meldonian via Smithsonian.com

"Wildebeest Leap"

Photo credit: Ricardo Cisneros via Smithsonian.com

"Mating Red-Eyed Tree Frogs"

Photo credit: Jennifer Guyton via Smithsonian.com

"Synchronized Fireflies" 

Photo credit: Radim Schreiber via Smithsonian.com

"Leatherback Pair"

Photo credit: Ben Hicks via Smithsonian.com

"A Little Monkey on the Cliff"

Photo credit: Hidetoshi Ogata via Smithsonian.com

"The Little Jumping Spider"

Photo credit: Barbara Storms via Smithsonian.com

"A King Penguin Feels the Surf Rush"

Photo credit: Beverly Houwing via Smithsonian.com

What amazing wildlife photos these are! If you loved these, here are a few other blog posts that you will enjoy: 

• 8 Top Underwater Marine Wildlife Photos of 2015
•  5 Reasons To Start Photographing Wildlife
• Fine Animal Portraiture By Tim Flach

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5 Reasons To Start Photographing Wildlife

What is not to love about photographing wildlife? There are so many different animals to capture and they all have different personalities, characteristics and habitats which can make for some really interesting photographs if you capture them correctly. We found this fun article on PetaPixel that gives some great reasons why you should start photographing wildlife. We totally agree and wanted to share 5 of those reasons with you today along with some really great animal photos! 

So why should you start photographing wildlife? This is why:

Photo credit: Tin Man Lee via PetaPixel

1.   We Are Still Cavemen

The cavemen from hundreds of thousands of years ago has the same wiring in their brains as we do today. Nature is where we belong which is why most of us love to go to the beach, enjoy a nice walk in the woods and love watching an amazing sunset. We used to hunt for wildlife as a way to survive (and some people today still do) and now-a-days, wildlife photography is the best way to "hunt" for animals.

Photo credit: Tin Man Lee via PetaPixel

2.  The Power Of Nature Is In Your Hands

When you do wildlife photography, you are trying to capture a split second. That moment when the animal's behavior and the light work perfectly to create that amazing photo. The hard part is that you can not change nature. You can not change the lighting or what the animals are doing at that moment. You can not get too close where you would scare them, make them run away or perhaps cause danger to yourself, but you also have to be close enough to where you can capture a decent photo. 

As a wildlife photographer, instead of trying to control the animals, let them be. Make the best of the conditions that you have, learn the behaviors of the animal you are trying to photograph and try to put yourself into their habitat. 

Photo credit: Tin Man Lee via PetaPixel

3. Living In The Moment

No matter what you are doing in life, people always say it is good to live in the moment and enjoy what you are doing right then. There is no need to worry about the future, just enjoy the present. 

You must live in the moment when you are photographing wildlife. You never know what they are going to do, and you have to be ready to react whether it is with taking a quick photo, or even changing to a new location because that animal decided they wanted to move around a lot that day! 

Photo credit: Tin Man Lee via PetaPixel

4. Witnessing Amazing Creatures

Unfortunately, many animal species go extinct and many times it is because of humans. Global warming, oil drilling and so many other factors cause habitats of wild animals to disappear and there are so many species out there that many of us have never seen or even know about. 

Being a wildlife photographer will allow you to meet wild animals - some that you did not even know existed or that may be gone before you know it or even get to witness them again. It can be truly amazing to experiance, while capturing an awesome photo at the same time. 

Photo credit: Tin Man Lee via PetaPixel

5. You Can Find Beauty In Everything

While everyone loves a beautiful sunrise or a rainbow that comes after an afternoon rain, those are not just what is beautiful in nature. Even if it is a dark and dreary day, you can find beauty somewhere and that is what is so great about being a wildlife photographer. 

Photo credit: Tin Man Lee via PetaPixel

Be sure to check out the entire article on PetaPixel. 

Do you love doing animal photography? Here are 7 tips for doing great animal photography that you should read! 

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