Nature Photography: The 22 Best Images Of The Tokyo International Foto Awards 2023

Every excuse is a great opportunity to take a moment and appreciate nature. With a changing climate and the many challenges our planet is facing, it’s important to spread awareness and educate those who may forget how vital it is to respect the Earth. And what better way to do this than by showcasing its magnificence through the lens of professional photographers from around the world?

Today, we’re excited to share a list of the best nature-themed images selected by the 2023 Tokyo International Foto Awards. This diverse collection, featuring stunning landscapes, precious wildlife, and much more, might open your eyes to the incredible place we have been given to live.

More info: tokyofotoawards.jp | Instagram

22 PHOTOS

#1 The Hug By Aga Karmol

Fighting stallions. This is what horses do when living wild. They won't kill each other, they fight to establish leadership. It is us, owners, who deprive them of their natural behavior because we are being overprotective. Keeping stallions alone often leads to them being frustrated and becoming aggressive. Horses are social animals who are unhappy when they can't interact with others. During this photo shoot, none of them got injured. They were closely supervised to avoid any risk. After an initial fight, they were perfectly happy with each other.

Aga Karmol studied art and earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree (MFA) from the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk. Her passion for photography began with film cameras. She cooperated with the biggest Polish national equestrian magazine Kon Polski, where she regularly published photo stories from horseback travels across the world. Her photos and articles with an equine theme were also printed in The Forbes and National Geographic Traveler. In 2005, Aga relocated to London and became a correspondent for the magazine. In 2014, she moved to Somerset and shifted her focus to fine art photography.

#2 Angel's Hair By Aga Karmol

Irish con mare, named Angel. Photographed at night, backlit with LED light

Aga Karmol studied art and earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree (MFA) from the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk. Her passion for photography began with film cameras. She cooperated with the biggest Polish national equestrian magazine Kon Polski, where she regularly published photo stories from horseback travels across the world. Her photos and articles with an equine theme were also printed in The Forbes and National Geographic Traveler. In 2005, Aga relocated to London and became a correspondent for the magazine. In 2014, she moved to Somerset and shifted her focus to fine art photography.

#3 From Above: Captivating Views Of Cu Da's Soy Sauce Legacy By Mahendra Bakle

In Vietnam, the ancient art of soy sauce production unfolds in mesmerizing patterns when viewed from above through a drone's lens. Cu Da village, renowned for its mastery in crafting soy sauce, has upheld this tradition for over five centuries. In days gone by, each household in the village preserved multiple soy sauce jars, ensuring a year-round supply.

#4 Miracle Of Spring By Hiroki Matsubara

This was early one spring morning. I went to a lake where cherry blossoms were in bloom. It was raining at night, and at sunrise, the rain stopped and there was fog. While I was photographing the scenery, a rainbow appeared overhead. I hurriedly changed lenses to find the right composition and took the picture. Here is a shot of the spring cherry trees and the two miraculous rainbow arches! I took a 14mm shot, but it didn't fit, so I took multiple shots and composited them into a panorama.

I am a landscape and wildlife photographer with a wide range of genres in Japan. I usually work as a construction worker and enjoy using my camera. I work for various companies and NFTs in a wide range of fields. I started participating in international photo contests outside of Japan in 2022!

#5 Those Last Seconds By Alex Brackx

The last seconds of life. A mother zebra makes one final attempt to separate her foal from its pursuant – but fails. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.

Alex Brackx is a professional Wildlife photographer from Belgium. He started to pursue wildlife photography in 2010 while traveling in South and Central America. Through further travels in Asia, Belarus, Finland, and again South America, he began to hone his craft, traveling to film and take photos of wildlife. Amongst his favorite areas are Kenya, Botswana, Svalbard, Scandinavia, Tasmania, and Mongolia. For Alex, it is a thrill to photograph his observations of mammals and birds in different landscapes, jungles, deserts, and oceans all over the world.

#6 The Eye By Francois Mille

Why is the Earth crying?

I am François, 36 years old, passionate about travel and photography. I am a professional photographer based in Hauts-de-France, and I have been awarded in several French and international competitions. After more than 10 years of wandering the world, I fell in love with Iceland. My four trips to this country, rich in colorful landscapes, have allowed me to offer my vision of its raw, untouched nature. Far from the hustle and bustle of cities, my goal is to bring nature back to the forefront and question the place of humanity within this still-wild environment.

#7 In The Heart Of Mangroves By Mohan G

This was a surprise from Mother Nature. I just wanted to take a click of the beautiful view, but when the drone was raised it was the symbol of love.

This is Mohan, I am a freelance photographer. I do wedding photography and my passion is landscape, Astro, Lightning, and wildlife photography. I do all genres in that. I would go to any extent for a perfect click. The click makes me feel the real me. Travel and photography are the rhythms of my life. I love a simple lifestyle and to bow before nature.

#8 Parrot Tulips By Tim Platt

These homegrown tulips have been photographed in a stylized way using studio lighting. The macro lens offers a shallow depth of field so to achieve enhanced clarity and definition a focus stacking technique has been used. Between 30 to 120 frames at slightly different focal points have been blended on each image to create pin-sharp focus from front to back. The goal was to observe as much fine detail as possible.

For Tim Platt, photography is above all about the simple joy of seeing. After over 25 years of experience in delivering international advertising campaigns for blue-chip companies like Unilever, P&G, Samsung, LG, Britvic, and GSK among many others, Tim has mastered the craft and technique required at the highest echelons of commercial photography. Although craft and technique should not be underestimated, it is a mysterious neural connection between the eye and the brain that makes great images, and technique should always remain safely behind the scenes. He runs his studio in central London.

#9 A Ray Of Hope By Hidenori Sono

It is one of the mountains in the central part of Hokkaido, located in northern Japan. In the stillness of -17 degrees Celsius, a ray of light pierced through. The frost smoke and frost-covered trees were beautifully illuminated. That ray of light in the cold darkness felt like a symbol of hope for life. On that precious morning, I silently thought, "Thank you, God."

This is Studio O'nos, established in August 2020. We are a small photo studio in Fukuoka prefecture. With the slogan "Changing the future with photos," we sell photo panels designed to heal and uplift the customers who choose to decorate with them. The idea of "with photos," rather than "by photos," signifies that our photos play a supporting role, while the main role belongs to each customer. A single photo, selected by the customer, can move and inspire. If you change your mindset, you change your actions. If you change your actions, you change your future. We believe this is the essence of our existence.

#10 Horses Running At Sunset By Shirley Wung

Gold in Nature/Sunset, 1st Place winner in Nature

There are many small dunes on the Ulan Butong Grassland in Inner Mongolia. Before the sunset, horses run on the hillside, and the sun shines on the raised dust, which is majestic.

#11 Underwater Symphony Of Waves By Alexej Sachov

Gold in Nature/Underwater, 2nd Place winner in Nature

Enjoy the constantly changing scenes of the ocean. Every wave is unique and shows the ocean's strength and calm. Just as big waves consist of small ones, our lives are made of small moments that come together to tell a bigger story. See how calm moments can turn into big events, and remember: big changes start with small beginnings. The photo series was taken in Egypt during scuba dives.

Alexej is a passionate diver and an underwater photographer. His photographs depict the beauty and richness of the underwater world and the horrors of man-made ocean pollution. Alexej was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Inspired by his mother’s photographs, Alexej started photographing in his childhood. Alexej’s underwater photos are successful in Fine Art, Environmental, Abstract, Seascape, and Nature categories of various professional international photography competitions.

#12 Veins Of The Earth By Robert Bilos

The rivers of Iceland run from the glaciers to the oceans, creating paths across the volcanic earth that look like the veins of the land when seen from the air. Along the way, they transport vital nutrients for the ecosystem in the form of sediment, which is responsible for the sometimes very unusual colors of the water, sometimes looking like another planet. When you shoot from the air, sometimes can be a big challenge to create a photograph in windy conditions and for short periods.

#13 The Perfect Cloud By Francisco Negroni

Pucón, Chile. A gigantic lenticular cloud is illuminated by the lava well of the Villarrica volcano, which is on yellow alert. The Villarrica volcano is the most dangerous in Chile and one of the most active in South America.

#14 Bubbles By Charlotte Piho

This photograph breaks the boundaries between humans and animals. Showing that animals like humans have their distinct personalities. The video of this turtle I posted went viral globally reaching over 800 million views across social/media channels as no one had ever seen a turtle blow bubbles while deep in the water out of their mouth. Scientists, marine biologists, and turtle experts were all blown away - never seen anything like it.

#15 Ice Fantasy By Barbara And Maciej Noskowski

We are fascinated by these beautiful patterns on the frozen lakes we discovered in February this year. They are like flowers, branches, stars, abstract compositions, minimalistic, fantastic! You can only see them from above. As we later found out, these are holes created as a result of vegetation inside the lake. These sprawling cracks and surrounding shapes are a quite rare sight.

#16 Sleeping Time By Dorota Senechal

In North Manitoba in winter, I witnessed the Mom Polar Bear emerging from her den with 2 young cubs, discovering the world for the very first time. Photography taken in extreme cold and challenging conditions (-57° Celsius)

Polish-American, living now in France, multi-awarded in different international photography contests. Professional wildlife photographer and great traveler, I am traveling all over the world with my husband, trying to capture the wonders and the beauties, but also the fragility of our Planet. In nature, and especially in arctic and cold places, this is where I like to be, and this is where I can express my creativity. Each reportage is always beginning with a careful preparation and study of the species to photograph, their behaviors, and places to explore. This is when the dream begins.

#17 Moonwalk By Artem Shestakov

During my expedition to Antarctica, I met and took a series of photos of magnificent King Penguins. Observation of the colony, their habits, and communication brought great pleasure and interest in the further study of these amazing animals. There are 450,000 pairs of King Penguins in South Georgia, which is about half the world's population. The island has more than 30 colonies in total.

#18 Jelly Flower By Sayaka Ichinoseki

Lion's mane jellyfish which I found in the north of Japan was pink-purple in early summer. It was a refuge for juvenile Alaska pollock. When the umbrella was opened, this jellyfish was shaped like a flower, and with the addition of elegant colors, it looked like a large flower blooming.

I am working as a researcher at the medical company but I want to concentrate on shooting in 2022.

#19 Frozen Bubble World By Sabine Schiebofski

The bubble is like a small world; beautiful and so fragile. It depends on the external circumstances and how long it lasts. It's just like its big counterpart, on which we are allowed to live - but there WE are the external circumstances...

#20 Phantom Light Of Sunny Spring By Hiroki Matsubara

It rained the day before and with any luck, it will clear up the next morning. It was in this environment that I chose this location for my photo shoot. And as expected, I was able to capture this moment. Although well-known among Japanese photographers, I have never seen such a fog with light piercing through it and shadows riding it. It would be impossible to photograph such a situation happening during the brief cherry blossom season! It looks like we could not see this spectacle again in 2023!

I am a landscape and wildlife photographer with a wide range of genres in Japan. I usually work as a construction worker and enjoy using my camera. I work for various companies and NFTs in a wide range of fields. I started participating in international photo contests outside of Japan in 2022!

#21 3 Seconds Before Hitting A Humpback Whale By Akira Akasaka

When I was relaxing and observing whales, one whale came towards me. This photo was taken just before dodging the whale. If we hadn't avoided it, we would have collided in three seconds.

#22 The Guardian Of Magic By Marcello Galleano

In the heart of the Madagascar forest, a curious lemur holds emerald-green vanilla leaves in its paws, a fragrant and enchanting treasure hidden among the branches. The crowned lemur blends harmoniously into the surrounding environment, embodying the sweetness and beauty of the lush Malagasy rainforest with eyes full of wonder.

Marcello Galliano, an entrepreneur in the field of nutraceuticals and herbal medicine, has always been a lover of nature and adventure trips. He has visited more than 85 countries worldwide and collaborates with non-profit associations in Africa and South America. Passionate about wildlife photography, he loves to capture the most incredible moments that the various environments offer and share the beauty of the world.