Photography awards capture life at its wildest

The annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London is always a highlight for nature-lovers and photographers alike. Here are a selection of prize-winners from the dozens of images on display.

OVERALL WINNER: The Golden Couple by Marsel van Oosten. A male Qinlinggolden snub-nosed monkey with a female from his group, in the temperate forest of China’s Qinling Mountains, the only place where these endangered monkeys live. For Van Oosten, the only way to show both a male’s beautiful pelage and his striking blue face was to shoot at an angle from the back. It took many days observing the troop, but finally his perseverance paid off with this gift of a perfect situation, with a perfect forest backdrop and perfect light filtering through the canopy. A low flash brought out the glow of the male’s golden locks to complete the perfect portrait. (Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London)