Joan de la Malla (Barcelona, 1982) is a freelance photographer focused in nature, local communities and the environment as well as a biologist, specialised in organisms and systems. At present he is devoting his efforts to conservation topics by working with national and international entities helping to raise awareness of the vital work being undertaken to safeguard the future of endangered species and their habitats. Currently he helps to spread the work of various organisations working on conservation, such as International Animal Rescue, Global Change and Conservation, Jakarta Animal Aid Network or Africa Conservation Centre among others. During the lasts years, Joan has been selected by UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere programme to document many UNESCOS’s Biosphere Reserves around the world with his images. He also collaborates frequently with the scientific communication agency Incognita Agency in the realisation of his audiovisual projects.
Joan’s images have been published several times in prestigious international media such as National Geographic, Geo, Mongabay, Conservation Letters or Lonely Planet amongst many others and his photographs illustrate a vast number of books. His work has also been exposed worldwide in diverse individual and collective exhibitions.
His photographs have been awarded several times in prestigious international contests including, for instance, winner images in the NHM Wildlife Photographer of the Year (2023, 2018), in the GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year (2018), or in Montphoto (2015, 2021) and he has received dozens of honorific mentions in the same competitions and in many others.
Joan also combines his professional activity with other disseminative works and nowadays he gives talks and conferences related to photography and its application to science and conservation in several centres, festivals and universities around the world.
Joan is a fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers, an elite group of the world’s top wildlife, nature and culture photographers who, in addition to displaying remarkable photographic skills, have each demonstrated a deep commitment to conservation efforts around the globe).