“The Underside of Wonder” – My Success at the Nature Photographer of the Year 2025

There are moments in nature photography that stay with you for a long time. And then there are those moments that suddenly return – much later, in an email or a message that you read two or three times to make sure it's truly meant that way.

That's exactly what happened to me a few days ago:
My image “The Underside of Wonder” was awarded Highly Commended in the Plants & Fungi category at the Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 (NPOTY) – chosen from over 22,000 entries from around the world.

This success means an incredible amount to me. Not only because the Nature Photographer of the Year is one of the most significant competitions in international nature photography, but also because the awarded image originated from a very quiet, very unspectacular moment in the forest.

The Story Behind the Image

It was a gray, rainy spring day when I set out with my camera. The forest lay still before me, enveloped in mist, muffled by the soft drumming of raindrops on the leaves. I had no fixed destination – only the curiosity to see if perhaps the first mushrooms of the season were already visible.

Not far from the path, I eventually discovered an impressively large Dryad's Saddle (Cerioporus squamosus) clinging to a tree trunk. Its patterned surface stood out almost luminously from the dark wood in the diffuse rain light – a motif that immediately captivated me.

For the next two hours, I completely lost myself in this mushroom. I experimented with angles, lay down in the wet forest floor, searched for edges of light, played with lines and structures. Water droplets collected on the cap, tiny mirrors reflecting the surroundings, and I tried to capture each of these fleeting moments.

In the end, my camera and I were soaked to the skin – but at the same time completely fulfilled. A simple walk in the rain had turned into an intense, almost meditative photographic experience. A reminder that even the most inconspicuous subjects, if given time, reveal an extraordinary beauty.

Why This Award Brings Me Such Joy

I often photograph wild animals – lynxes, leopards, bears, all the big subjects. It means even more to me that a botanical motif from a quiet rainy day receives this attention.

It reminds me that nature photography not only showcases spectacular moments but also the quiet ones. And that sometimes these quiet stories manage to come out on top – even among 22,000 entries worldwide.

In Conclusion

I am absolutely thrilled about this award and would like to thank everyone who follows, comments on, shares, or simply quietly enjoys my work. It's a wonderful feeling to know that these small, hidden wonders – which we encounter every day – can also touch others.

Perhaps on your next walk in the rain, it's worth taking a closer look at the tree trunks along the path. You never know what beauty awaits there.