
When I was submitting my 20 photographs into the world’s most prestigious photography contest earlier this year, my hopes weren’t too high. In previous two years, I had only received a thank you email for my participation and that was that.
I hadn’t even entered last year as I realised that I must evolve photographically first. This year was a bit different. When I was leaving my house on the 30th March I managed to quickly glance at my emails and there it was – an email from the committee. Here we go again, I thought. However, instead of a polite ‘thank you’ I was being asked to submit one or several original photographs as they advanced into the Finals.
MY 12 PICTURES IN FINAL ROUND OF WPY 2014

I immediately logged into my WPY account and tried to find the one photograph they were asking me to upload. Searching high and low I couldn’t see anything but 12 of my 20 photographs that I originally submitted. I couldn’t believe my eyes and kept counting again and again. Then it dawned on me that 12 of my photographs really were selected to advance into the Finals of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015 competition. I was psyched. And then, in the midst of April 2015 I received that amazing email saying that my shot titled a ‘Crested Macaque’ has become the Finalist of this year’s WPY in the Mammals category. In other words, my photograph together with the other Finalists will be seen by the whole world.

But when I received another email in July, my astonishment just got even bigger. The WPY informed me that one of my photographs is to become a central promotional piece of a WPY 2015 exhibition in London. That includes a whole set of promotional activities advertising the WPY exhibition and it will even undergo an animation to facilitate electronic sharing. What more could I have wished for?
WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2015 – CEREMONY REPORT
Natural History Museum in London

Natural History Museum in London

Petr Bambousek and Charles Darwin

Pliosaurus

Diplodocus
Wildlife Photographer of the Year 205 Ceremony

Ceremony will start soon …

Tonight’s heroes – Ondřej and Martin Pelánek

Frans Lanting by table 4

Ceremony begins – Michael Dixon, NHM Director

Junior title winner – Ondřej Pelánek

Mammals category Finalists (including my Macaque)

Mammals category Finalists (including my Macaque)

Pepper ice cream with chocolate? Why not 🙂
Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition

Entrance to the Exhibition with big macaque portrait

Doors are open and …

… look at the beauty behind the doors …

Every single picture has its own back light panel

Amazing atmosphere all around

My macaque section
WPY 2015 winners – Don Gutoski a Ondřej Pelánek

Junior category winning picture – Ondřej Pelánek

Adult category winner – Don Gutoski

Overall winners – Don Gutoski a Ondřej Pelánek

Ondřej starts his celebrity career
Petr Bambousek and …

… Frans Lanting, his book Jungles change my soul 15 years ago

… Marina Cano, she is poetry among the photographers

… two monkeys together, of course 🙂
Monkey in the London

Entrance to WPY Exhibition

Banners in front of Museum

Monkeys in London 🙂

My Macaque picture in Wildlife Photographer of the Year Portfolio book
Reflection in Black – Wildlife Photographer of the year 2015, Mammals category finalist

I am a professional wildlife photographer who over the past 15 years undertook more than 40 photo expeditions to tropical rainforests across the world. You may have seen my photos in various exhibitions, on the Internet and many Czech and foreign magazines and books. A number of my photographs were awarded at local and overseas competitions such as the Czech Press Photo, Nature's Best Photography, Bird Photographer of the Year, Sony World Photography Awards, Big Picture Awards, Nactus Awards or the most acclaimed one - the Wildlife Photographer of the Year. At this particular competition, my photographs were not only in the Final but also, one of my finalist images became a central promotional piece of the whole 2015 WPY travelling exhibition. If you enjoy my work, don’t forget to visit my Photogallery and connect to my Facebook profile.
Superb work Petr. I am inspired by your photographs.
Congratulations on your accomplishments, Petr! I am a huge fan of your amazing work!
Wow! This is just great.Appreciate this man.Thanks
wow. Its awesome work. keep it up.
Reflection in black work from great insights, Wonderful Petr! What is for 2016?
What a great picture! I am delighted to meet this black macaque again! I first met them thanks to Colin Stafford-Johnson and they melted my heart.
Your hard works is paying off! all I can say is that you deserve this and much more! thank you for sharing your art and be an inspiration!
Many thanks, Juan! I hope we’ll meet at London ceremony in future 🙂