Whether it is of a vibrantly marked zebra, a hare in the Scottish Highlands or a beetle scuttling on the ground, a fabulous photograph can utterly transport you. There is no better place than Instagram for the scores of talented natural-world photographers out there to showcase their wares.
The feeds of these fine photographers will live long in the memory – and may even alter permanently the way you look at the world around you.
Paul Nicklen
@paulnicklen
With 6.9 million followers, this guy must be doing something right. The acclaimed Canadian photographer, filmmaker and marine biologist has received several awards for his work. Check out his Ted Talk about his global warming and take time to linger over his Instagram feed – a totally diverting pleasure. Our pick of his pics is the one of 30,000 emperor penguins waddling across Antarctica’s frozen Ross Sea.
Kaisa Lappalainen
@kaisalappaleinen
Born in Finland, Kaisa made it her goal to visit 100 countries by the time she was 25. She hasn’t stopped travelling – or photographing what she sees – since. A Sony European Imaging Ambassador, she is passionate about her camera and about conservation. The images in her Insta feed have such clarity and depth of colour that you can hardly believe they are real. Our favourite is the beautiful impala she posted on February 2017.
Brian Skerry
@brianskerry
A National Geographic photographer since 1998, Skerry specialises in marine wildlife and underwater environments (though, early in his career, he loved to photograph shipwrecks). He is thought to be the first person ever to photograph a living oarfish, the long rarely seen fish that inspired many sea serpent legends. He lectures at prestigious events like the UN General Assembly, gatherings of the Royal Geographical Society and the World Economic Forum. His Instagram feed is a riot of aquatic life in deep blue colour. His most memorable shot is of a Yellow Gobi fish that has made its home out of an abandoned soda can.
Suzi Eszterhas
@suzieszterhas
Based in California, Suzi specialises in the photography of baby animals and families in the wild. She has photographed wild creatures on all seven continents and has ‘hugged a baby whale, swum with sloths, fended off curious grizzly bears, had hyenas chew on her engine, had insects lay eggs in her feet, been chased by a green mamba and hand-raised and released an orphaned serval cat.’ She has won many awards for her work and recently founded Girls Who Click, a non-profit organisation dedicated to encouraging young women in the male-dominated world of wildlife photography. We love her November 2020 shot of a pair of cheetah cubs in Somaliland.
Will Burrard-Lucas
@willbl
Burrard-Lucas’s fascination with Africa began when he lived in Tanzania for several years as a child. At the start of his photography career, he liked to crawl up close to his subjects and use a wide-angle lens to capture them. When he realised that he would eventually run out of subjects for which this approach is feasible, he invented a remote-control camera buggy called BeetleCam. He has won awards with it and the other devices he has invented since. His Instagram is elegant and beautifully curated. We’d like his colony of carmine bee-eaters framed on our wall.
Shannon Wild
@shannon__wild
Given her surname, Shannon probably couldn’t have chosen to be anything other than a wildlife photographer when she grew up. The world is lucky that she did. An Australian based in South Africa, she is a passionate conservationist and wildlife lover. She is extremely active on Instagram; check out her stunning feed immediately. We return time and again to her picture of a baby crab-eating macaque – we defy you not to want to purchase one of her photo prints.
Sergey Gorshkov
@sergey_gorshkov_photographer
Specialising in the polar regions of Russia, Gorshkov only began his photography career 12 years ago. Last year, he won the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year award with his picture of a Siberian tiger hugging a fir tree. The chair of the judges said of the photograph: “The lighting, the colours, the texture – it’s like an oil painting.” His Instagram feed is jaw-dropping and very hard to leave. Our pic of his pics is the one posted in April 2020 of a pair of capercaillie birds facing – and seemingly chatting to – each other. The pop of red in their eyes against the bright white snow behind is enchanting.
By Becky Ladenburg
Updated October 2021
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