{"id":658149,"date":"2026-10-27T02:16:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T02:16:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/658149\/"},"modified":"2026-10-27T02:16:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T02:16:19","slug":"17-year-old-photographer-spends-over-200-hours-capturing-his-dream-wildlife-shot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/658149\/","title":{"rendered":"17-Year-Old Photographer Spends Over 200 Hours Capturing His Dream Wildlife Shot"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Photo<\/p>\n

Hobby chasing a dragonfly. Photo by Maksym Breus. Overall Winner of the 2026 Norfolk Wildlife Trust Nature Photography Competition. Image selected for June.<\/p>\n

Wildlife photography often requires being in the right place at the right time, but sometimes getting the perfect shot takes years of patience. For 17-year-old photographer Maksym Breus, capturing a hobby falcon chasing a dragonfly was an image he had been working toward for three years.<\/p>\n

After spending more than 200 hours observing the birds, Breus finally got the shot he had been hoping for at Redgrave and Lopham Fen on the Norfolk border in England. The action-packed image shows the small falcon swooping just above the water as it pursues a dragonfly, with golden reeds visible in the distance.<\/p>\n

The photograph went on to win the public vote for Overall Winner of Norfolk Wildlife Trust\u2019s 2026 Nature Photography Competition<\/a>. More than 1,200 photographs of Norfolk\u2019s wildlife, landscapes, and plants were submitted to this year\u2019s contest, with 12 selected to appear in the organization\u2019s 2027 calendar.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor three years I\u2019ve attempted to capture a legendary shot of a hobby chasing a dragonfly,\u201d Breus says. After finally succeeding, he describes the feeling as \u201cabsolutely indescribable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hobbies are small falcons known for their speed and agility, and they commonly hunt dragonflies and other diminutive birds while flying. Their long, pointed wings and streamlined bodies allow them to catch prey in midair.<\/p>\n

For Breus, photographing wildlife<\/a> is about more than creating a technically impressive image. He is particularly interested in capturing the behaviors and fleeting moments that reveal something about the animals themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cWildlife photography was never just about showing an animal,\u201d Breus explains. Instead, he hopes his images convey the behavior and stories that make each wildlife encounter memorable.<\/p>\n

Breus was not the only young photographer recognized in this year\u2019s competition. Sixteen-year-old Tia Pardon received the Young Person prize for a photograph of a little egret backlit by sunlight at NWT Hickling Broad. Clifford Wicker won the Mobile Phone Photography category with an image of a banded demoiselle damselfly photographed at Ingoldisthorpe Water Recycling Centre.<\/p>\n

The competition is open to photographers of all ages and experience levels, and it accepts images taken with both professional cameras and mobile phones. This year\u2019s Overall Winner will receive a ZEISS Conquest Gavia 65 spotting scope, while the Young Person and Mobile Phone Photography winners receive gift vouchers donated by John Lewis Norwich.<\/p>\n

Breus\u2019 winning photograph, along with the other winning and highly commended images, is currently part of a free exhibition at Norfolk Wildlife Trust\u2019s Cley Marshes visitor center. The exhibition runs through October 31, 2026, giving visitors the chance to see some of the best images submitted to this year\u2019s competition in person.<\/p>\n

The Norfolk Wildlife Trust\u2019s 2026 Nature Photography Competition announced its winners.
\n\"Photo<\/p>\n

Little egret with a glow. Photo by Tia Pardon. Winner of the Young Person prize.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/p>\n

Banded demoiselle. Photo by Clifford Wicker. Winner of Mobile Phone Photography.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s contest received more than 1,200 photographs of Norfolk\u2019s wildlife, landscapes, and plants, with 12 selected to appear in the organization\u2019s 2027 calendar.
\n\"NWT<\/p>\n

Bearded reedling. Photo by David Brooker. Image selected for January.<\/p>\n

\"NWT<\/p>\n

Long-tailed tit. Photo by Sue Coy. Image selected for February.<\/p>\n

\"NWT<\/p>\n

Toad on a Rock. Photo by Alice Redgrave. Image selected for March.<\/p>\n

The competition is open to photographers of all ages and experience levels, and it accepts images taken with both professional cameras and mobile phones.
\n\"NWT<\/p>\n

Ruby-tailed wasp. Photo by Robert Canham. Image selected for April.<\/p>\n

\"NWT<\/p>\n

Swallowtail. Photo by Carly-Ann Haxby. Image selected for May.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/p>\n

Ringed plover chick on the shoreline at Sea Palling. Photo by Jon Kelf. Image selected for July.<\/p>\n

The winning and highly commended photographs are now on view in a free exhibition at Norfolk Wildlife Trust\u2019s Cley Marshes.
\n\"Photo<\/p>\n

Curious young little owl at the University of East Anglia. Photo by Steph Bornemann. Image selected for August.<\/p>\n

\"NWT<\/p>\n

Roe deer. Photo Lucie Gregory. Image selected for September.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/p>\n

Snow bunting feeding on dandelions at West Runton. Photo by Vinnie Purdy. Image selected for October.<\/p>\n

\"NWT<\/p>\n

Bracket fungus. Photo by Ferenc Szoradi. Image selected for November.<\/p>\n

\"NWT<\/p>\n

Hawfinch. Photo by Russ Bartlett. Image selected for December.<\/p>\n

Norfolk Wildlife Trust: Website<\/a> | Instagram<\/a> | Facebook<\/a>
\nMy Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Norfolk Wildlife Trust.
\nRelated Articles:
\nWinners of the Scottish Nature Photography Awards 2025 Celebrate Scotland\u2019s Wild Beauty<\/a>
\nWinners of the Nature Photography Contest 2025 Capture Beauty With an Urgency To Act<\/a>
\nAdventurous Bird Crashing Into a Waterfall Wins Nature Photography Contest<\/a>
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