“I never felt really threatened by animals I was shooting. Most of the animals are really scared of us. They might get curious, but as soon as you clap your hands, they’re gone. Beforehand, I try to read into the animal as much as possible. The local guides also know a lot about animal behavior. It’s important to know how they react, what their customs are, if they’re easily scared… I try to plan a scenario in my head beforehand but most of the time it doesn’t work because nature is unpredictable. You have to be able to switch plans immediately. Each day is different. And that’s what keeps it interesting.”
“It’s important to stay calm at all times. There was this moment a couple of months ago where I was taking pictures of cheetahs. One of my clients was taking a picture from the other side. I just put my camera on the floor for a bit because I wanted a picture of the cheetah in action. But at some point, the cheetahs got up and laid themselves next to my camera. I realized it could be a problem, considering they can sleep for six hours. But we stayed very calm and eventually the ranger who accompanied me got me my camera. The cheetahs weren’t too pleased with it, but we got out safely.”
“Another time I was quite scared, was in Finland. I was climbing out of a gorge and at some point, I was at eye level with a Eurasian brown bear. I was very aware of the fact that I was invading his space. It’s his forest. We’re just visitors. Regardless, it was a struggle to climb since I was carrying 16 kilograms of equipment, and I noticed he smelled me. I never climbed so fast in my life. Wild animals, especially bears, can run so fast. If they chase you, it’s too late.”
“It’s quite an adrenaline rush in comparison to my previous job. Before I was a photographer, I was an educator. I worked with children who have some behavioral issues. It was quite hard. After 20 years, I had enough. And I started studying to become a nature guide and started doing documentary photography, especially from birds to see which species it was. I was always interested in wildlife. I started with birds in my own garden and the surroundings of Ghent.”
“At the time, I did photography only for half of the time as a hobby. After a while, I started studying photography to improve. And before I knew it, I was buying better cameras. I wanted to take better pictures every time. Eventually, I discovered how to photograph properly and where I could find mammals.”
“It’s great because I can combine photography and wildlife with my other passion: traveling the world. By now, I’ve visited over 100 countries, and I am still eager for more. I want to revisit a lot of places as well since my equipment is better now. My wife and I try to travel as much as possible together. It’s really nice to do these trips with her. She is a great spotter. It happens a lot that I aim for a picture of something specific and she notices another animal nearby.”
“Animal behavior is my favorite thing to photograph. It’s very interesting how animals react towards each other. I once won an award as wildlife photographer for National Geographic Africa in 2022 with a picture where a jaguar is killing a zebra foal while the mother tries to protect her baby. The picture won because there are so many emotions and behavior captured in the moment. I don’t want to take pictures you see on Instagram every day since everybody can take those pictures. I want to make special pictures. I want to capture the moments where you see extraordinary behavior of animals. My favorite time to photograph is when the sun is coming up. Those moments are very impressive. Every time you’re just glad to be alive and experience moments like these.”
