Unseen Moments: 76 Stunning Wildlife Photos That Captivated the NPOTY People’s Choice Over the Years

This photo was taken during a visit to the islands of South Australia. White capped sea lions are local endemics and a vulnerable species, but otherwise they behave much like sea lions everywhere in the oceans: curious, friendly, and playful.

They do not mind human contact. What matters most is that they have something to keep them engaged. Although they may first show interest only from a distance, lying quietly on the seabed and watching without moving, they slowly begin to relax. Gradually, they behave more boldly and eventually open up completely. The photo captures the moment of their very first encounter, the instant of first eye contact.

I’ve been gorilla trekking for over 10 years and have completed more than 75 mountain gorilla treks. During this time, I’ve primarily focused on taking portraits of gorillas with a longer lens, but when I reviewed my portfolio, I realized it could also be important to photograph the gorillas in their habitat.

During an expedition to the South Luangwa River in Zambia, I came across a leopard resting on a tree branch. He seemed clearly content after enjoying a hearty meal. We spent several hours with him, quietly watching him sleep in the warm afternoon light. After a while, I decided to capture the scene from a different perspective. I attached a teleconverter and framed the shot so that the leopard’s fur and the texture of the tree trunk completely filled the frame. The result was an intriguing composition that emphasized the diverse textures and natural patterns of Africa.

This photo, taken in August 2019 in the Kingdom of Tonga, captures the behavioral interaction between a humpback whale and a remora. When the whale approached curiously, closing the distance between us, its movement provoked an immediate reaction from the remora, which immediately darted to the other side of its body for cover. Such moments highlight the sensitivity and awareness of marine life, from the largest mammals to the smallest fish, and the complex relationships that exist within the ocean ecosystem.

A scorpion glows with its young under the light of two UV lamps. After birth, the mother scorpion carries her young on her back and remains motionless in case of imminent or potential danger. The young remain on their backs for protection until their exoskeletons have hardened. Found on the dead wood of a fallen tree in Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park, near Gorontalo, Sulawesi, Indonesia.

After a typical trek in Uganda’s Impenetrable Forest National Park, we found our family of mountain gorillas. After observing them for some time, this silverback walked to a fresh patch of vegetation, sat down, and began eating the leafy greens. Keeping a safe distance, when he momentarily put his hand up, the act of blocking his face as he rubbed it put all the focus of the scene on the green of the leaf. With no eyes to drawn the viewer away I loved that splash of colour becoming the focal point of the image.

On the night of May 10, 2024, we witnessed something I never thought I’d ever experience from my hometown of Vancouver, Canada: the Northern Lights dancing across the sky all night long, from horizon to horizon! Vancouver is relatively far south for a Northern Lights viewing event, so this was a very rare occurrence. Knowing that a “geomagnetic storm” was expected, I began planning photo ideas for the coming night. I’d long dreamed of photographing birds with the Northern Lights, so that’s what I focused my attention on. Knowing that a wide-angle lens would be best for photographing the Northern Lights, I needed to find a bird that typically behaves indifferently toward human presence. I thought the city’s Canada geese would be the perfect birds to photograph, and I finally had some success photographing this pair of geese as the Northern Lights danced across the sky. In the background, during the 1.3-second exposure, you can see some lights from cars driving through the park. It was worth losing a night’s sleep! The geese are completely illuminated by the light from the nearby city buildings.

This photograph captures two giraffes moving together through a haze of dust, their elegant silhouettes standing out sharply against the monochrome background. The contrast between their towering forms and the billowing dust creates a dreamy, almost surreal atmosphere — a blend of grace, strength, and vulnerability that speaks of camaraderie and resilience in the wild, where every movement is part of a larger rhythm of survival and coexistence.

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