Anwen Whitehead only took up photography as a serious hobby last year, but has just scooped the overall prize in the RSPCA Young Photographer Awards. Aged 15, her winning photograph of a puffin was shot on Pembrokeshire's Skomer Island in Wales.
Her image was shot using a Canon EOS 2000D DSLR, fitted with a Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary telephoto zoom lens. The exposure was 1/3200sec at f/5.6, ISO500.
Anwen explains that she can quite happily spend 10 hours in a bird hide, or out in a field in camouflage gear at sunrise to get the perfect photo. “That’s my happy place", she explains. It’s very relaxing to be out in nature and away from screens. It allows me to slow down a little bit. It can take a long time but it’s always worth it in the end and the buzz afterwards lasts all day or all week!"
Living in Cnwch Coch near Aberystwyth in rural Wales surrounded by animals and nature, Anwen managed to get a remarkable seven different images shortlisted in the final of the annual contest.
The winners of the Awards were announced at the Tower of London, which was organized at a special ceremony as part of the animal welfare charity's 200th anniversary.
TV presenter Chris Packham, who is RSPCA President and supporter of the awards since its inception over 30 years ago, said: “Photography is a great way of communicating your love for, your passion for, your fascination for, and your concern for animals.
"I think it’s really important that we use that as a tool at this particular time when a lot of animals are in trouble. Being able to use your imagination, creativity and ingenuity to come up with something personally unique and powerful is a very important tool.”
Other prize winners included last year’s talented overall winner Jamie Smart, aged nine, from Powys, Mid Wales, who won Pet Portraits with an image of her cat titled ‘Not Impressed’, and ‘Ready for Bed’ which features an owl won the Better World category, followed by her kingfisher image ‘City Fisher’ which won City Life. She also secured the top spot in the Under 12s category with ‘Rise of the Gannet’
A gallery of all the winners can be viewed on the RSPCA website. Next year's contest will open for entries on May 6, 2025.
Check out our guide to the best cameras for wildlife photography, and the best lenses for bird photography
