About ME and MY approach to photography
Since I was a young boy, I have been attracted to nature. While reason lead me first to start a carreer in economics and software development, passion finally drew me back to what I live for: Spending my time in the wild outdoors as a professional nature photographer. Through my photography, I want to share that passion with all of you out there. I invite you to take a look at my images, and discover the world you live in.
In 2005 I won the prestigious "European Wildlife Photographer of the year"-award which eventually gave a major boost to my career. A year later, in September 2006, I founded FOTOCAMPUS, a nature photography school. Here, Professionals teach you all about macro-, wildlife- and landscape photography. Thats were you can meet me in workshops and in phototours to different destinations in Europe and Africa.
My big love when it comes to travelling the globe is Africa - and I heartly recommend everybody who wants to get an idea of wild-life: Come to Africa! If you have a cat allergy like me it is sometimes a bit difficult to work with cheetahs, leopard or lion. But you don't have to get that close your first time :)
How and where my images were taken
Nature photography, and especially wildlife photography, requires a considerable amount of patience. There is NO guarantee you get the shot you are looking for, as the wild has its own laws. Countless hours I have spend on gravel roads (using the car as a hide), at waterholes and on foot, looking for the right situation, the right light, that perfect shot. I visit both game parks like Kruger in South Africa and Etosha in Namibia and work with game lodges for some very special shots that would be simply too dangerous without the assistance of a skilled ranger.
Nature photography is challenging, and "shooting" wildlife a rewarding experience. But remember to respect the world you live in. Just as Moose Peterson puts it "No picture is worth the welfare of an animal".
A word on digital post processing
With the advent of digital cameras, you read and hear about image manipulation every day. Photographers in fashion and advertising now call themselves "digital artists", spending 10 minutes behind their cameras and 10 hours in front of their sophisticated computers to work on their shots. In this industry, they have to - and some of their work is amazing to look at.
Unfortunately though, more and more nature photographers also pimp-up their shots by cloning things in (and cleaning others out) to present a perfect image. Sorry guys, but that's not "natural" any more! (and yes - cheatin' is always unfair when it comes to serious competition)
Of course I do take advantage of the benefits digital postprocessing offers with RAW-files these days. Adjustment of difficult exposures, tonal range and white balance, as well as removal of dust spots are done to develop the image in my digital darkroom.
None of my images have been digitally manipulated in as much as they become digital composites - take my word for it! .
See you in the field,
yours CB