Revealed: two commended photos from Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013

Preview two more commended images from Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013. They will sit among 100 awe-inspiring photographs in the exhibition, opening at the Museum on 18 October.

Before the winners of Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013 are announced on 15 October, enjoy these two commended images, chosen from thousands of international entries to this year’s competition.

Eye of a toad by Łukasz Bożycki (above)

In early spring, a pond near Bożycki’s home city of Warsaw, Poland, fills up with mating frogs and a few toads. In March, Bożycki spent an evening sitting in the pond, up to his chest-high waders in icy water. He kept as still as possible so that the amphibians would get used to him.

‘I wanted to find a fresh way of portraying the amphibians at water level,’ Bożycki said.

He captured the colour of the sunset reflected in the water and the bright glow of the toad’s eye using a telephoto lens and waited for the Sun to just dip below the horizon before taking the photo.

The seagrass sweeper by Douglas Seifert

Nicknamed Dyson by the local dive operators because of the power with which it cropped the seagrass with industrial power, this dugong was found by Seifert in a shallow bay on the Egyptian coast.

Seagrass is its principle food. After two metres or so of grazing, it would swim to the surface and take deep breaths by opening its nostrils.

’I approached it very slowly to gain his trust,’ Seifert said, who took the photo lying flat on the sea floor.

Tickets for the exhibition are available from 29 August.

Co-owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide, the prestigious competition attracted more than 43,000 entries from 96 countries.

The competition is in its 49th year. Judged by a panel of acclaimed industry-recognised professionals, the images are selected for their creativity, artistry and technical complexity.

Further information

• Book tickets for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/whats-on/temporary-exhibitions/wpy/
* Sneak preview of two other photographs: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2013/august/sneak-peek-at-wildlife-photographer-of-the-year-2013122912.html