TITLE: Rain

Grey herons huddlein the lake. The shot was made with long shutter speed, the raindrops drawing lines and the contour line effect of the strong backlighting enhances the atmosphere of the image. I spent 55 uninterrupted days in the hide, but I had rarely a chance to capture such exceptional moments.

AUTHOR: Bence Mate (Hungary)

• Wildlife photographer, born in Hungary, 1985. In 2010 he won the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photography of the Year award in London. He is the most effective photographer in the 53-year-old history of the competition, being the only contestant winning the first prize in both the young and adult categories.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildlife_Photographer_of_the_Year#Ranking
• In 2005 he experimented the one-way glass photography technique, making fundamental changes in hide photography practice. This technique has been widely used all over the world, and most hides are equipped with such glasses.
• Since 2008 he has been designing wildlife photography hides in different parts of the world (Hungary, Costa Rica, Brazil, Norway, South-Africa and Transylvania, Romania). His enterprise operating in Hungary welcomes photographers with the most exclusive hides in the world.

• Books: The Invisible Wildlife Photographer (English, Hungarian), The Handbook of Bird Photography (Markus Varesvuo, Jari Peltomäki, Bence Máté; English, German, Finnish, French)

• Website: www.bencemate.com; www.bencemateshides.com


Most significant awards:

• BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year (international), 2010
• BBC Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year (international), 2002
• BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Birds Category (international), 2014
• Wildlife Photographer of the Year (Hungary), 2006, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2015
• Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year (Hungary), 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
• Wildlife Photographer of the Year: Eric Hosking Award for the best portfolio, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2011
• Bird Photographer of the Year (England), 2005
• GDT – European Wildlife Photographer of the Year (Germany), 2015, Mammals category, Winner
• Nature’s Best photography competition (USA), 2010, 2012, 2014, Category, Winner
• Environmental Photographer of the Year (England), 2010, Category, Winner
• MontPhoto International photography contest (Spain), 2014, 2015, Overall winner
• Aves International Photo Contest (Belgium), 2014, Overall winner
• Transnatura International Nature Photo Competition (Romania), 2015, Overall winner
• National Wildlife international wildlife photography competition (USA), 2014, Overall winner
• EuroNatur International Photography Competition (Germany), 2014, Overall winner