GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2017

Kathy Moran is National Geographic magazine’s first senior editor for natural history projects. A 35-year veteran of the Society, Moran has been producing projects about terrestrial and underwater ecosystems for the magazine since 1990. At last count she has edited over 300 stories for the magazine. Recent highlights include editing Nick Nichols’ story on the Serengeti Lion and Tim Laman’s Birds of Paradise adventure and the magazine’s single-topic issue of the Yellowstone ecosystem. She was the project manager for the National Geographic Society/Wildlife Conservation Society’s award-winning collaboration of photographer Nick Nichols and Dr. Michael Fay’s trek across Central Africa. The resulting stories were the impetus for the creation of Gabon’s national park system.

Moran has edited several books for the Society, including Women Photographers at the National Geographic, The Africa Diaries – An Illustrated Life in the Bush, Cat Shots and most recently, Tigers Forever. She was the photo editor for two anthems of wildlife photography, “100 Best Wildlife Pictures” and “Wildlife, The Best Photos.” She was named “Picture Editor of the Year” for her winning portfolio in the 2006 Pictures of the Year competition and the 2011 Best of Photo competition. She is a founding member of the International League of Conservation Photographers and has served on the Executive Committee. In that role, she has edited numerous books for ILCP photographers published with the University of Chicago Press. She served on the Executive Committee of Wildscreen USA. She has been on the jury for numerous photo competitions including Por el Planeta, Big Picture Natural World Competition, POYi and Wildlife Photographer of the Year. She lives in Arlington, VA, with her husband and three bad cats.

Growing up in a small fishing community in northern Norway, Audun Rikardsen has a lifelong fascination with the Arctic’s rough landscape, culture, and wildlife, both above and below the ocean’s surface. Photograph for him is about sharing his fascination of the Arctic coastline through the revelations of often new and unusual perspectives. He often develops his own systems to achieve his uncommon perspectives, and since he started photographing in 2009, his images have won a number of awards, including the 2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Portfolio Award, the overall winner in the European Nature Photographer of the Year (GDT), Fritz Polking Award, Nordic Nature Photography Competition (three times), The Natures Best Contest, SIPA, Arctic Photographer of the Year (two times), Norwegian championship in Nature Photography, and other firsts in several international competitions. His work and fascination for nature have also been shown in several TV productions over the last years, all from kids’ TV to documentaries about his photography and scientific work. While he remains a part-time photographer, working fulltime as a professor of biology at the University of Tromsø, he integrates photography into his fieldwork and uses his images to inspire his students and make his scientific results public.

www.audunrikardsen.com

Based in the Basque Country, Isabel Díez is a nature photographer and marine science researcher. Since her childhood, Isabel has maintained a dual relationship with nature: a rational one that arises from her curiosity about how life works, along with a spiritual connection that emerges from the inner revelations that she experiences in the wild. As she describes: “When I am in nature I can clearly feel my life energy. My soul, my mind and my body become one and I am filled with a profound feeling of peace and freedom”. The artistic and analytical sides of her personality have flourished symbiotically to give a body of work that depict the natural world through lyrical and evocative images that go beyond showing the physical appearance of subjects.

Her work is exhibited regularly throughout Spain and she has taken part in several exhibitions in other countries. She enjoys giving talks about the creative process of landscape photography and leads workshops on her speciality. She was a member of the project ‘Objetivo Pura Vida’ [Objective Pure Life] staged by the Spanish Embassy in Costa Rica to portray the extraordinary biodiversity of this country. She was Editor in Chief of the IRIS magazine of the Spanish Nature Photographers Association (Aefona) over the 2011-2014 period. In 2009 she published her first book 'At the Edge of the Tides', a monograph containing a collection of photographs through which Isabel shows her admiration and curiosity for the coastal landscape. Likewise, her pictures have been published in leading magazines such as Photographic Art, France Photographie, Profifoto, Outdoor Photography, among others, and have been awarded in prestigious international photo contests, including Nature's Best Photography, GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Glanzlichter.

www.isabeldiez.com

Jonathan is, above all else, a keen naturalist with a passion for photography. Qualified in both forestry and environmental studies, his professional career has allowed him to gain wide-ranging expertise, particularly in the fields of entomology, ornithology and botany. In parallel with his work commitments, Jonathan launched himself as a self-taught nature and wildlife photographer in 2005. Since then, his love of the natural world, combined with an over-riding desire to develop himself as an artist, have led him to become a full-time professional photographer. Today he uses his photographic abilities to communicate his support for environmental and wildlife protection. A jury panelist for international photo competitions, Jonathan is also a sought-after conference presenter and experienced author, whose prize-winning photographs have been published in many different countries across Europe.

www.jonathanlhoir.com

A Rhinelander by birth, who has made Kiel his home base, he works as a nature photographer, author and editor. He is an editor for the photography magazine Forum Naturfotografie and former vice president of the GDT (Gesellschaft Deutscher Tierfotografen e.V. / Society of German Nature Photographers). His images have been awarded in renowned national and international competitions such as “Wildlife Photographer of the Year” and the “GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year”. In 2004 he was selected as the “GDT Nature Photographer of the Year”. His articles appear regularly in national and international magazines.

www.wernerbollmann.com
www.lys-publishing.com