Edinburgh – From glowing insect trails to rare close-ups of wildlife and dramatic environmental scenes, the Scottish Nature Photography Awards 2025 have highlighted some of the country’s most striking natural imagery.
Winners announced this year include images captured in locations such as Edinburgh, Glenshiel, Ross-shire and the Highlands, with an exhibition tour and portfolio yearbook set to be released in the summer.
Toby Houlton was named both winner of the wildlife behaviour category and overall Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year for his image Dancing Gnats, taken at Little Garve in Ross-shire.
The photograph captures tiny flies suspended in sunlight, creating glowing motion trails.
“I had been walking back beside the river in the late afternoon, and there, in patches of dappled sun, the gnats were ‘dancing’,” Houlton said.
He added that using a slow shutter speed allowed him to capture the movement of multiple wingbeats, forming intricate light patterns against the woodland backdrop.
Judge Niall Irvine praised the image for its “creative use of photographic technique.”
Fourteen-year-old Kiran Simpson from Dunfermline won the junior award for the second consecutive year with his photograph The Leaf Eater.
The image shows a close-up of a garden spider illuminated by outdoor lighting, with a leaf caught in its web.
“I spotted this spider right outside my kitchen door,” Kiran said. “I ran inside to grab my camera, knowing it might be gone by the time I returned.”
He said the contrast between the dark background and the detailed patterns of the spider made the image particularly striking.
Rob Henderson won the student category with his portfolio In the Time Between, featuring white water lilies and Scots pines at Loch Garten near Grantown-on-Spey.
Studying MA Geography at the University of Glasgow, Henderson said his work explored the contrast between the fleeting life of seasonal lilies and the enduring presence of pine trees.
“As both a geographer and photographer, I am drawn to the way landscapes can express change and time,” he said.
Filmmaker James Appleton from Ullapool received the video award for Stac Pollaidh Wildfire, documenting a human-caused wildfire in early spring 2025.
“The resulting landscape, totally blackened, nevertheless has already begun to rebound with life,” Appleton said, describing two days spent filming the fire’s impact on the Scottish Highlands.
The awards continue to showcase Scotland’s diverse ecosystems—from delicate insect life to dramatic mountain landscapes—highlighting both beauty and environmental change across the country.