With great care Michael Rowlandson (michaelrowlandson) captures the intimate connection with the animals around us. His photography show the true faces of the wild life where the animals live by no rules more than their own. Rowlandson has been published on the National Geographic Website and approached by the Canadian geographic to publish one of his photographs. His next goal is to have his own gallery - something the team at Viewbug are positive he will reach in a near future.
Tell us a bit about yourself, how do you describe your photography style?
I'm a 23 year old fine art photographer that specializes in animal portraiture. Capturing an intimate connection with my subject that I can share with the viewer.
In one sentence what has photography done for you in your life?
It has provided me a way to communicate, Photography is a way for me to speak to an audience.
When did you start taking photos and what inspired you to get started?
I have always struggled with languages so I eventually found my own way to communicate through the work I do. A photograph or image can translate emotion in a fraction of a second in every language.
What has been your favourite shoot and why? My favourite shoot has to be the image of the sharp shinned hawk that captured a starling. It shows more than just one connection, A trifecta! The starling looking up at the hawk and the hawk connecting with the viewer it all came together in that split second.
Do you remember a difficult photo shoot session? What happened?
Well the hawk and the starling was a difficult image to capture. I was sitting in a photography blind in my residential backyard. Not an easy feat when its -15 degrees Celsius outside! I must have spent over 5 hours in the blind waiting for something to happen all the while you need to be aware and ready to capture the moment. I had to slowly open the door of the blind in order to capture the hawk. In all honesty all my photographs are hard, You need patience to capture animals they are not like people that you can pose.
What do you carry in your camera bag?
600Mm f4 is L lens “Big Bertha”
70-200 Is II L Lens “Bertilda”
2X Converter
1d mark iii
7d
Tripod
Do you have a favorite location and time of the day to shoot?
I love the sporadic weather when it rains or snows! Overcast days are my favorite as they create soft shadows and allow you to get closer to your subject without spooking it.
Can you share three tips with your fellow photographers?
1. Patience is a must when photographing animals, you need to put in the time to get the images. I have spent hours in blinds only to walk away with nothing its all a learning process, trial and error.
2. Befriending hunters as ironic as it sounds you can learn a lot from hunters.
3. Us nature photographers use the same techniques as hunters to get close to the animals. Camouflage and the know how can get you really close.
Please share one of your favorite photos with us with a short tutorial:
This photo (Predator and Prey) was taken in my residential backyard in Montreal, Quebec about 2 pm in the afternoon. I used my Canon 7d, my 600mm f4 is L lens and my photography hide (the most important tool). The inspiration behind the photo is nothing special more than it’s one of those one in a million images. The connection between the starling hawk and the viewer is priceless.
The only post processing I do on my images is dodging and burning.
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Check out Rowlandson's profile and website for more breathtaking photos.
