Winners Gallery
Finalist Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Daniel van Duinkerken Tasmania
A Rakali, a semi-aquatic rodent native to Australia, runs toward to the ocean in search of food. "I wanted to get a shot of a running Rakali, showcasing the contrasting colours of the orange belly and the blueish wet sand and water," says van Duinkerken. "I planned on panning along with the running Rakali, using a slow shutter speed. The panning along was hopefully going to create some streaking motion blur, and the flashes would freeze the details of the Rakali at the end of the exposure. I waited in silence and dead still at this spot for hours over several nights to get this shot."
BEHIND THE LENS
Daniel van Duinkerken Australia
ABOUT THE IMAGE
- Cold, windy evening
- Taken from the beach
- 5 evenings to capture the image
- f/9, 1/10s, iso 640
Daniel van Duinkerken is a wildlife cinematographer and photographer based in Tasmania, Australia. A lifelong nature enthusiast, he studied Biology and earned a Master’s in Behavioural Ecology before researching manta rays in Mozambique, where he also taught himself underwater photography. Originally from the Netherlands, Daniel moved to Tasmania in 2020, drawn by its wild landscapes, remote coasts, and unique wildlife. With a camera in hand since age 15, he now combines his scientific background and creative vision to document the natural world - capturing everything from platypuses to giant rays - while inspiring others to appreciate and protect our planet’s biodiversity.
