GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2017

GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2017

Sieger: Dominik Janoschka (Deutschland) - Flattermänner

Winner: Dominik Janoschka (Germany) - "Birdies"

After I had decided one afternoon to go and explore a nearby gravel pit, I kept returning there in the days and months to come. Apart from little grebes, Lycaenidae butterflies, hares, deer and damselflies, there was also a flock of starlings using the place. They would sit either on the overhead powerlines or the trees, doing their round of the gravel pit in between. When I photographed the flock previously, I used as much focal length as possible trying to single out a small group of birds. The resulting images were ok but nothing to get excited about. However, I did return to the same spot again, this time merely for the butterflies.



While I was busy with them, all of a sudden, a flock of starlings descended upon me accompanied by incredible sound effects. There were birds sitting all around me, bickering and calling. When I looked around taking in the spectacle, I noticed the three power lines decorated accurately by the starlings. As soon as there was a bit of movement, I triggered the release.

Nikon D7100 • Sigma 2,8/150 mm • f/4.5 • 1/1250 Sec. • ISO 500

My name is Dominik Janoschka (born in 1996), and I grew up in a little village in North Hesse. I took my first photographs with an analogue camera during a school outing in primary school. A few years later I was given my first digital camera as a birthday present after I had been fiddling around with my mother's camera for a while, and the following years I took many photographs. I tried out a lot of different things, but most of the time I was drawn outside. This tendency grew to be a stable part and so eventually, also by joining the GDT, I have become a nature photographer.

What I like is that I regularly get to experience new adventures, explore natural habitat and discover the many hidden things taking place outside the usual framework.

Category 1: Birds

Category 2: Mammals

Category 3: Other Animals

Category 4: Plants & Fungi

Category 5: Landscapes

Category 6: Nature's Studio

Special Category: Black & White

Prize of the Jury

Sieger: Klaus Tamm (Deutschland) - Abendidylle Klaus Tamm (Germany) - Abendidylle

Thank you

AC-Foto Die GDT möchte sich an dieser Stelle ganz herzlich bei der Firma AC-Foto für die großzügige Unterstützung mit Warengutscheinen für den Gesamtsieger, den Preis der Jury sowie alle 1. und 2. Plätze in diesem Wettbewerb bedanken!