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

After arriving in La Paz, Baja California, Mexico, to dive in the biodiversity-rich waters of the Sea of Cortez, the area was hit by Hurricane Norma, which churned up the sea and the coast with very strong winds, forcing me to take shelter for two days in a safe location. It wasn’t possible to dive until a few days later, and the consequences of the powerful storm were evident, even underwater: destroyed corals and visibility reduced to just a few meters, with the sea turned green and full of suspended particles.

I attempted a wreck dive, and the sunken ship suddenly appeared to my eyes, as if shrouded in fog. When we encountered a turtle relaxing on the deck of the submerged wreck, I realized it was time to use a creative technique before the animal surfaced to breathe.

I chose a slow shutter speed and a backward camera movement, hoping to convey the eerie atmosphere I was experiencing—a nearly haunted wreck, where the turtle seemed like a phantom guardian of the deep.

In the early morning at Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, wild animals are walking through the streets almost every day. Whether it’s a deer or a wild boar. The next morning, I went and waited in the same place to wait for an animal to cross the path. I kept waiting until about seven o’clock, when a herd of wild boars ran across the path in front of me, so I hurriedly took a picture.

Experiencing the high Arctic gives you an immediate understanding of just how well-built polar bears really are! The conditions would quickly kill us but don’t faze the bears at all. This polar bear was moving along the coast of Hudson Bay in Canada looking for any source of food while waiting for the sea ice to form. The wind picked up, whipping the snow all around and dropping the temperatures considerably, but the bear just kept going without even slowing down. It was spectacular to see!

The photograph was taken during a blackwater dive in Romblon, Philippines. Blackwater diving is a type of scuba diving that takes place at night in the open ocean, with thousands of meters of water below the boat. Divers descend a rope with underwater lights as their only orientation system. When the tide and moon phases are right, creatures from the deep migrate to shallower waters. This vertical migration is one of the most remarkable natural phenomena. During the dive, I saw something shining under my searchlight at 28 meters deep. As I swam closer to investigate, I found a lava moray eel curled into a heart shape. I was extremely fortunate to capture this moment with my camera. The eel remained at that depth for less than 10 seconds before swimming down and disappearing into the darkness.

Baffin Island in early April is brutally cold, particularly when on a Skidoo. This was a moment when a mother was struggling with the sheer wall of a grounded iceberg looking for her yearling cub. Unsurprisingly she tumbled back among the broken ice. I had just enough time to fetch the tripod and set it up before this happened. She had been hunting and fortunately found her youngster soon after. I have photographed polar bears extensively but have never seen anything like this before in what is, surely, the most sublime area to photograph them.

For many years, it has been on my bucket list to visit Yellowstone National Park. I decided to visit during the winter months, expecting there to be fewer people and therefore hopefully witness more wildlife in its natural environment. During the winter, there can be a lot of snowfall in Yellowstone, and therefore the wildlife often uses the roads to move around on the packed snow roads rather than the deeper powdery snow off-road. This image made me smile as it just made me think of a Road Block, Yellowstone style, with this herd of bison moving slowly. It was an impressive sight to see as they moved passed us.

Having crossed the Luangwa River, an elephant matriarch leads her herd across the sandy riverbank into the National Park. Creatures of habit, they have used this same crossing point for decades. Photographed from a licensed drone in South Luangwa National Park, Zambia.

In April snow cover is so hard that even humans can walk on snow because it’s cold at night but warm by daytime. And first bears awake in April. Every April I try to take shots if some interesting happens. In that case, the raven “attacked” pushing the bear back. Ravens do it to other mammals too hoping that they will go away. The picture was taken in Finland in Kuhmo near the Russian border.

This photo of a seal, taken last May on the island of Dune (next to Helgoland), touches me. The animal seems to have cataracts and has also become entangled in a fishing net. Literally Stuck in Life.

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