Dorset teenager wins RSPCA Young Photographer award
16 year old Daisy Pipe took a snap of a tomato wasp
A Dorset teenager has won an RSPCA Young Photographer Award, after taking a 'striking image' of a tomato wasp.
1\6 year old Daisy Pipe from Wareham won the 16-18 mobile category with a close-up, macro picture, highlighting the interesting colours and details on the insect.
The awards invite young people aged 18 and under to capture the animal kingdom on a camera or a mobile device and supports the RSPCA’s mission to inspire everyone to create a better world for every animal.
Daisy said of her win: “I feel extremely surprised but also grateful.
"I had to persevere with the competition as I just didn't know whether my photos were good enough and whether I should bother sending in the same ones again, so I feel very lucky to have had one of my photos chosen.
“I first became interested in photography during lockdown as I began to spend more afternoons in the garden. I began recording what different birds I saw and familiarising myself with the different bird calls, and this developed into me taking photos of these birds, as well as the bees, grasshoppers and other insects that came to visit.”
Daisy explained that her favourite subject to photograph are insects, especially bees but she also enjoys taking pictures of her two pet rabbits, Bella and Barnaby:
“They are so charismatic and affectionate and I love to be able to capture their cute and funny nature. I love sharing these photos with people as rabbits are such underrated pets so I love seeing people's reactions when they see my pictures of their cute faces!
“Similarly, with wasps, many people think wasps are quite aggressive, but this just shows that they're not as the wasp was so placid, happily sitting there while I took the photo. I hope it highlights to people how pretty they actually are and allows them to appreciate their importance in pollination.
“I've always found nature and animals extremely important. Even when I was little, I remember being fascinated by snails and woodlice in the garden. Nature provides such a lovely calming space and I find that especially important with the occasional stresses of school work.
“This competition really helps to highlight the point of wildlife photography, as well as showing how beautiful nature is, helping more people to understand it and protect it.”
This year’s awards were judged by a panel of photography experts with entries opening for the 2025 competition in May.