Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Wildlife Photographer of the Year

With over 60,000 this year the Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPOTY) competition is regarded as the most prestigious and toughest in the industry. From the thousands of entries just 100 make it through and William’s image, Romance is Dead is one of this year’s handful of highly commended images.

Known for rewarding original imagery, WPOTY is now in its 60th year and previously awarded photographers include the likes of Charlie Hamilton-James, Ami Vitale and Bertie Gregory, some of the biggest names in the industry and constant sources of inspiration to my work.

Image Story

Throughout my work, there’s usually a sense of calm - that’s how I try to keep my encounters with wild animals. But every now and then, something happens that completely stuns me. In early 2023, I was staying at Namiri Plains, a beautiful camp in the eastern Serengeti, when I found a mating pair of lions. This image is all about the angle and perspective, taken as if I were lying in the grass beside them which, in fairness, I almost was. The mating process often lasts for several days, with the pair staying close and away from other lions. The reactions between them can be intense, and that was exactly what I hoped to capture.

I knew that once they finished mating, lionesses often respond in a visceral way; biting, snarling, or lashing out at the male. This moment was one of the most dramatic I witnessed during my time with the pair. Flies burst from his mane as she turned on him, and for a split second, there was a look of real fear on his face. It wasn’t until I got the image up on my computer that evening that I noticed the trail of saliva hanging from her jaws - another remarkable detail that made the shot even more powerful.