A ten-year-old photographer from the UK has taken the international photography world by storm, securing a prestigious category win in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 competition.
From Garden 'Happy Accident' to Global Acclaim
Jamie Smart, known on Instagram as @eagle_eyed_grl, captured her award-winning image in her family garden on a frosty, misty autumn morning. She describes the moment as a "happy accident," having ventured out to photograph the water droplets clinging to everything. The resulting close-up shows a tiny orb-weaver spider, barely half a centimetre long, nestled within its daily web.
Jamie used a flash with a diffuser, carefully experimenting with angles and camera settings to achieve the stunning macro shot. Her dedication to spiders, a favourite subject, stems from a desire to change perceptions. "They don’t want to harm you," she explains. "They’re just full of character and some are really cute — their hunting behaviours are incredible."
A Prolific Young Talent with a Conservation Mission
Jamie's success is no one-off. Over the past year, she has photographed a diverse range of wildlife, from baboons to guinea pigs, winning at least five major awards in both youth and adult competitions. Her Instagram following has grown to over 170,000, and she has been hailed by The Times as Generation Alpha's answer to David Attenborough.
Her achievements have opened remarkable doors, including a trip to Australia to photograph animals at the wildlife hospital founded by Steve Irwin, alongside his son Robert. Another notable image, which earned a commendation at the same awards, captured a monarch stag bellowing at Bradgate Park in Leicestershire after she spent two full days shadowing wildlife photographer Danny Green.
Fostering a Homegrown Wildlife Haven
Jamie's passion began with a childhood fascination with dinosaurs, and she has been taking photos since she was six and a half. Her father, James, a carpenter, now actively supports her work, even learning videography to help showcase it online. The family has consciously transformed their garden into a sanctuary for nature.
"We don’t use pesticides," James says. "Watching it, the natural balance has come back — you can see the ecosystem thriving." Jamie recommends that budding photographers start by creating simple bee boxes and bug hotels in their own outdoor spaces.
Describing her rural home area as "a beautiful place in the sticks – lots of bugs, woodlands, and nocturnal wildlife," Jamie's ultimate goal is education and inspiration. "I hope that if I show them my passion for wildlife, they’ll want to protect species too," she states, proving that a powerful lens on the natural world can be wielded at any age.
