Budding wildlife photographers from Milton Keynes and Aylesbury praised by RSPCA

Anton Poon, 17, from Aylesbury, won the welfare charity’s Young Photographer Awards 2024 in the 16-18 category.

Olivia Tordillo, 18, from Milton Keynes was commended in the Pet Portraits category of the RSPCA Young Photographer Awards 2024.

Anton Poon won the top prize for his photo of a robin with striking autumnal colours. Anton’s photo of a native Hong Long bird was also commended in the City Life category, the RSPCA also revealed.

Each year, the RSPCA asks young people aged 18 years and under to capture the animal kingdom on a camera or a mobile device. Winners were announced at a ceremony at the Tower of London today (19 December).

An RSPCA spokesperson revealed that Anton’s photo of a robin was described as the best ever taken, of that bird, in competition history. He said:

“This is the biggest competition I have been shortlisted for, nevermind winning, and my first award ceremony, so it is a very new experience, which I am very honoured to be a part of.

“Birds have been a passion of mine since I started doing photography. I find them so fascinating and often quite a challenge to photograph, which adds to the satisfaction of getting an image. I also find that with birds, that they can fly off and especially with smaller birds, they are quick and agile, which makes the experience much more fast paced than with other animals, which excites me.”

Anton explained to the RSPCA that he started taking photographs at school around three years ago but it was only a couple of years ago that it became a more serious hobby.

He said: “At first I took photos of everything to get better with my camera, but it wasn’t until I began taking photos of birds and other wildlife that I found something that truly interested me and made me actually want to get out and take photos. Photography interests me because while you don’t always find something when you go out, sometimes you can be out in the same place for hours, and sometimes you spend hours combing through images and editing, but the moment that you get something and you create what you envision makes it all worth it in the end.”

Capturing ‘Autumn Daydream’ was the longest he has ever spent with a single subject, managing to capture the robin for well over an hour.

He added: “I was walking my usual route after school when I saw a little robin, who settled among some bushes. The sun peeked out from behind the clouds, the area was basked in a warm light, and the robin was backlit. I got the beautiful autumn colours of distant trees in the background and leaves in the foreground, which provides some contrast and depth. In the end I feel I captured the whole experience in a single image, the Autumn day and the robin seeming to have a great time in nature, as I was as well.”

This year’s awards were judged by a panel of photography experts, including wildlife photographer Rachel Bigsby; former competition winner-turned-professional photographer Catriona Parfitt; professional wildlife photographer and photographic guide Ellie Rothnie; and RSPCA photographers Andrew Forsyth and Emma Jacobs.