Life… in all its beautiful forms: International contest judges reveal their pick of photographs showing the natural world at its best

The competition was run by The Society of Nature and Wildlife Photographers
The winning shot was a beautifully colourful shot of a ladybird crawling over a yellow flowe
It was taken by David Bladon from Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland
Runner-up was Debashis Mukherjee, 50, a photography graduate from Kolkata in India for his baby turtle picture

From baby turtles scuttling across the beach to the northern lights glowing in the Icelandic sky, these are just some of the hundreds of entries to the Living Planet photo competition.
Both professional and amateur photographers were asked to submit images that captured life on the planet in its broadest form.
The winner of the competition, run by The Society of Nature and Wildlife Photographers, was a beautifully colourful shot of a ladybird crawling over a yellow flower.



First place: David Bladon's ladybird crawling over a yellow flower won the prestigious photography competition which captured the world in all its glory
It was taken by David Bladon from Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland.
Mr Bladon, 40, who has just started his own photography business, said: 'Basically, the weather kept going from sun to showers and I was a bit bored.
'Every time the sun broke through I’d search for insects and creatures that would make a decent macro shot. When I saw the ladybird and the colours, I snapped away.'

Runner-up was Debashis Mukherjee, 50, a photography graduate from Kolkata in India for his baby turtle picture.
He said: 'I took this photograph at Rishikulya Sea Beach in Ganjam district, Odisha, India.
'When I was touring in that area I heard that hatching of Olive Ridley sea turtles was happening and I rushed to that spot at 3.30am. After sunrise I got this shot.

Third place: Violetta Nowak from Lubuskie, Poland, was awarded for her shot of a hedgehog nestling in the autumn
Mr Doherty, 57, from Ashington in Northumberland works with people with learning disabilities.
He said: 'The image is of a juvenile great crested grebe taken in Northumberland. The parent bird had caught this fish and given it to the youngster, with no thought of a knife and fork to cut it up into smaller, more manageable pieces. The chick however did manage to consume the fish, after a bit of a struggle.'
Robin Lowry, 48, from Billericay in Essex took pictures of a tawny owl and a barn owl which were both highly commended.
He said: 'I call the first shot Autumn Gold. I wanted to create a warm intimate portrait of this owl, and this was one of those times when everything fell into place.

Stunning: Robin Lowry, 48, from Billericay in Essex took pictures of a tawny owl and a barn owl which were both highly commended