Birds Gallery - Honorable Mention

The birds are very small in the frame, you can't see their heads, eyes or beaks, there's no spectacular feather detail, no action whatsoever, and no thermonuclear colors in the sky. Yet that is exactly why I took this shot. Every year on my Japan Squiver workshop we have on average one or two days with hoar frost, in my opinion one of the prettiest winter conditions you can get. On this particular morning we had left our ryokan long before sunrise to see the whooper swans wake up and watch their fascinating morning rituals. When we got closer to the lake I noticed the hoar frost and decided to take the group to one of my favorite and very quiet spots. We had to walk through a strip of trees and dense vegetation, which would normally create a lot of noise that could wake up the swans. The snow was about three feet high though, and the perfect natural soundproofing. When I reached the shore, a few swans looked up and then went back to sleep again. I set up my tripod, took this shot, and then just sat there for a while - amazed.

Equipment Used: Nikon D3s, AF-S 14-24/2.8, 1/125 @ f/16

About the Photographer: Marsel van Oosten is an award-winning professional nature photographer from The Netherlands. His images are known for his use of composition, lighting and color. In his work he tries to simplify, to get rid of the extraneous: simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

In addition to winning the title Nature Photographer of the Year 2011 in the International Photography Awards (IPA), Marsel's awards include three First Prizes in previous editions of the IPA, First Prize in the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year, First Prize in Nature's Best International Photography Awards, First Prize in the Naturescapes Images of the Year Awards, and Second Prize in the Travel Photographer of the Year. His images are used worldwide in advertising, design, and he is a regular contributor for National Geographic.

Marsel van Oosten lives in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, with producer and videographer Daniëlla Sibbing. Together they organize specialized wildlife and landscape photography tours and workshops for small groups to spectacular locations worldwide. For an overview of Marsel's work and photo tours currently on offer, check out his website.