14-Year-Old Wins Young Close-Up Photographer Of The Year Using This Decade-Old DSLR

A 14-year-old photographer won the top prize in the Close Up Photographer of the Year (CUPOTY) competition’s “Young” category, which recognizes photographers under the age of 18. Even more incredible? The photographer, Rithved Girish, did so with a camera that’s almost as old as he is, proving that even older cameras can still compete with newer cameras that boast enhanced sensor technology and mirrorless systems, and certainly against smartphone cameras.

CUPOTY was launched in 2018 by a husband and wife photography team from the United Kingdom, Tracy and Daniel Calder. The competition is intended to allow “close-up, macro and micro photography to take centre stage and be celebrated in its own right and its many forms.” Each year, winners receive monetary prizes, along with media coverage and publication in the CUPOTY ebook.

As featured on Digital Camera World, Girish’s photograph, entitled “Guardians of the Hive,” is a close-up of a nest of stingless bees he encountered during a summer vacation in Kerala, India and was taken with a Nikon D850, a DSLR camera that was originally released in 2017 with a retail price of more than $3,200. Used models currently go for about half that. The CUPOTY competition saw more than 12,000 entries from 63 countries. It’s not the first time Girish has been recognized for his photography skills — he previously took a runner-up position for a photo he submitted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards.

For his winning shot, Rithved Girish paired his Nikon D850 with a Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro lens with a shutter speed of 1/160 seconds, the aperture set at f/11, and an ISO sensitivity of 400. He also used a Rollei Flash 58F flash, and a radiant diffuser. His photo features a group of bees guarding the entrance to a tube-like nest made of wax, resin, and mud. Girish told DCW “No bait or attractants were used whilst capturing this moment, allowing their natural behaviour to remain undisturbed. This image serves as a reminder of the vital role these tiny creatures play in maintaining ecological balance.”

If you’re interested in wildlife photography but don’t know where to begin, you’ll need to learn the basics of photography and will need a high level of patience – capturing the best shots often means setting up in a location near where wildlife tends to gather and then simply waiting. You’ll also want a DSLR camera instead of relying on your phone or low-end digital camera, and there are some affordable options that don’t break the bank. 

Experts recommend that you invest in a camera with excellent autofocus so that your photos aren’t blurry, so look for a camera with as many AF, or autofocus points as possible. Finally, you should learn about the behavior of the animal and its habitat before you head out into the wild. You’ll want to know when the animal is typically active and how close you can safely get, and remember, those first shots probably won’t be award-winning, but they will be rewarding.