Pretty pink: African Elephants at Twilight by Frans Lanting is an astonishing photograph taken at Chobe National Park in northern Botswana

Flying around: Anup Shah's photograph shows a western lowland gorilla walking through a cloud of butterflies she has disturbed in the Central African Republic



Visual statement: Whiskey by Michael Nichols is one of many photographs featured in The Masters of Nature Photography, which will be published on September 19
For every photographer there is a brief biography defining the essence of their art and what drives and inspires them.
The photographers are all past winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, which is now in its 49th year.
The Masters of Nature Photography will be published by the Natural History Museum of South Kensington, central London, on September 19.
A collection of some of the best pictures from past years of the competition is featured in Wild Planet, also published by the museum.