9-Year-Old From Spain Wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year Youth Competition

When you were nine years old, did you love wildlife? We certainly did. But how many nine year olds take their fascination with the frogs in their backyard and turn it into beautiful art?

Well, if you’re nine year old, Carlos Perez Naval, you do. Carlos has been taking photos since he was four – we don’t know about you, but when we were that age, holding a pencil was a struggle, let alone a professional camera! This young, but seasoned photographer was recently named the winner of the London Natural History Museum’s, Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest in the youth category.

Winning this highly prestigious award is a huge deal. Carlos was presented with the award by the Duchess of Cambridge herself!

The London Natural History Museum has held this contest since the 1960s and accepts applicants from all over the world.

Now, even though this was a youth competition, some of Carlos’ competitors were nearly twice his age. Here is the winning photograph.

Carlos’ parents love to travel, so there is never a shortage of subjects for him to photograph.

But Carols does not even need to be on an exotic vacation to capture gorgeous photos. He is able to find inspiration just as readily in his own backyard.

The winning photograph was actually taken near his home in northeastern Spain. He likes to go out looking for reptiles to photograph in the surrounding rocky area.

After seeing Carlos’ natural talent for photography – at the ripe age of four – his parents upgraded his compact camera to a professional Nikon.

The patience and attention to detail that his photos capture reflect the skill of a much older photographer. We can only imagine what his pictures will look like when he’s 15!

To see more of Carlos’ breathtaking photos, check out his blog. Prepare yourself for the amazingness that ensues.

All image source: imgur