He watched the spider colony for days until he witnessed a rare scene. “I only had a few seconds to pull the trigger,” says Roman Willi (29). He managed to catch a couple of spiders making love. His perseverance was rewarded, and the nature photographer and filmmaker from Horw LU was honored in the renowned “Wildlife Photographer of the Year” photography competition.
Since childhood, he is particularly fond of spiders and insects. “They’re misunderstood and they actually need our protection,” Willi says. With his paintings, he wants to raise awareness about the beauty, diversity and importance of these tiny animals and thus contribute to their conservation.
protection for spiders
The spider spiders photographed are only five millimeters in size, you need a flash to take the photo and you have to get up close with a macro lens. “It’s important to me not to disturb animals in their habitat,” says Willi. For him, this was the first spider mating: “It happened incredibly fast, the male then fled right away.”
He will never forget the awards ceremony held at the Natural History Museum in London in October, as he was able to meet award winners from all over the world there: all the incredible creatures that inhabit our planet. This year’s displays are some of the most impressive I’ve ever seen.”
Victory despite the storm
Another Swiss was awarded the prize: Levi Fitze (18) convinced the jury with his painting “Brave into the Storm”. He received an award in the 15-17 age category. He managed to capture the scene on the famous German island of Heligoland, a welcome stopover for thousands of bird species on their long journey from their northern breeding grounds to southern Europe and western Africa. Contrary to expectations, Levi had to battle a fierce sandstorm before seeing the birds that were the true reason for his journey.
The special exhibition “Wildlife Photographer of the Year” will open on Thursday, November 10, 2022 at 18:30 at the Natural History Museum in Basel, Switzerland only.