Vanessa Haines, The Spirit of the Forest (ANIMAL & NATURE 2025)

Ever since I was 12 years old I have been obsessed with wolves, it has been a life long dream of mine to see wolves in real life for 13 years, and this year during my trip to Norway that dream was realised and I got given the opportunity to photograph a pack of 9 grey European wolves. This was a life changing experience and has been one of the best things to ever happen to me. I have a video of myself on that day recording their howling and running towards them with the biggest smile on my face. when I shared this with my family they thought I was being chased by a animal, they never would have thought I would run towards a animal that could rip off my arm if it wanted too, but never the less I did and it was beautiful. At the Polar Park in Norway they focus on creating a zoo that focused on putting the animal's welfare at the very centre, creating large, natural enclosures that would allow the animals to live how they would in the wild. And after spending 6 hours at this park I can say that was the focus, there was so much open space, wooded areas, caves and trees that it looked as if I was walking through a forest. I believe that the wolf is a truly beautiful and magnificent animal, and after getting to observe them I believe they embody nature and its spirit.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.