Stunning portrait of sunbathing dragon wins 2024 Capturing Ecology contest

Sep 25, 2024

Dunja Đuđić

CAPTURING ECOLOGY 2024 — © Damien Esquerre/Capturing Ecology 2024

The British Ecological Society’s annual photography competition, Capturing Ecology, has announced the winners of its 2024 contest. This year, a bearded dragon basking under the hot Canberra sun took the spotlight. But other than the overall winner, the contest brings us plenty more amazing photos that show the beauty and diversity of the natural world surrounding us.

About the 2024 contest

The winning images and an additional 13 highly commended images were taken by international ecologists, photographers and students. They all celebrate the diversity of ecology, capturing flora and fauna from across 23 countries and six continents.

Subjects of the winning images present captivating stories about a life and death arms race played out on the smallest scales, the damage alien species can inflict, and the plight of one of our closest relatives against the combined threats of poaching and habitat loss.

This year, the British Ecological Society has partnered with Ripple Energy for the contest. 2024 also marks the first year that the competition has been open to everyone and to make it truly accessible, entries were free for those in Global South countries. Members of Plantlife could also enter the Individuals and Populations (Plants and Fungi) category for free.

The overall winner

The Dragon and the Sun is a photo by Damien Esquerre, a biologist at the University of Wollongong, Australia. After winning the first place for the photo of this incredible animal in its eucalypt woodland habitat, Damien said that it’s “a massive honour” to win this contest, expressing his thrill for having his photo showcased to an international audience.

“I took the photos while doing a bushwalk in Canberra where I lived at the time. I always carry my camera with me and look for interesting photo opportunities. I saw this dragon basking on the tree, and thought I could use a fish-eye lens, which is an extreme wide angle, to and get close to have the dragon as the main subject but include the tree and the sun in the composition. By including the sun the photo was obviously backlit, so I used a flash to fill the strong shadows and bring some detail into the dragon.”

“This year’s Capturing Ecology showcases the sheer diversity of the natural world, and the incredible multitude of niches that plants and fungi can occupy,” said Meg Griffiths, one of the contest judges. “These groups are the foundation of life, and by shining a light on them through photography, we not only celebrate their beauty but also raise awareness of how integral these organisms are to people and planet.”

You can enjoy the category winners and Highly Commended images below. Make sure to check out the British Ecological Society’s website for more information – and don’t forget to enjoy and cherish the natural world around you.

2024 winners

2024 Highly Commended

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Dunja Đuđić

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

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