These striking images depict the deer of Richmond Park as you have never seen them before.
Snapped by award-winning teenage photographer Sam Rowley, these pictures capture a side to the animals most pedestrians and motorists miss as they pass through the park.
The 15-year-old Kew resident and wildlife enthusiast dragged himself and his mum out of bed to visit the park last year, so he could grab some photographs of red deer in the morning light.
Sam’s image of a stag with a crown of bracken in its antlers silhouetted against the rising sun of Richmond Park earned him first place in a wildlife photography competition.
He was announced as the winner of the 12 to 14-year-old category of the Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition last month, at a ceremony at the Natural History Museum.
The competition, run by the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine, attracted a record 43,135 entries, from 94 countries, this year.
Sam’s photograph will be on display at the museum until April next year, after which the exhibit will tour around the UK and overseas.
This is the second time Sam’s talent has been recognised in the competition – in 2007 he was highly commended in the same category.
Sam is also in the running to take home the people’s choice category in the RSPCA’s young photographer awards this year, with votes closing on December 11.
A selection of Sam’s work can be seen online at sam-rowley.com.
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