There are many photographers that I admire, so it took me a while to choose only one to write about. Finally, I stopped my choice on an inspiring modern wildlife photographer and a winner of a number of BBC Wildlife awards, Nature’s Best and European Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards Andy Rouse. I believe he is the one who influenced me the most.
I admire Andy Rouse not only for his amazing talent, but also for his outgoing and sincere personality. I think he is the main figure to shape the global animal photography nowadays. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he is quite a public person and enjoys sharing his experience and insights with the rest of the world. Andy often appears on radio and TV. For instance, he was a presenter of a 13-part series on wildlife photography for Channel 5 / Animal Planet; he also regularly gives workshops and takes his clients or followers on expeditions to different corners of the world (“Natural World Safaris”). Furthermore, Andy is the author of 17 books by now and has three more in progress. With his last two books, on tigers and mоuntain gorillas, he was able to raise considerable amount of money for preservation of the animals and is currently involved in the 2020 Vision conservation project “to showcase the UK's fragile ecosystems” (“Natural World Safaris”). Andy Rouse is also a passionate traveller. He has been pretty much all over the world, often works alоne in challenging cоnditions and likes more than anything “to be at one with nature” (“Natural World Safaris”).
The outstanding photographer is known for his love of animals and courage. Some of his pictures feature indeed dangerous moments. He himself admitted that he often put his life at risk and even was nearly killed a couple of times because of his passion to capture the unusual angles of “unfriendly animals” (“Nature Photographers”). A bright example of that is the first image in the Apendix A. Andy said the following about that picture: “An amazing experience to be so up close and personal. A very intense shot that works well I think” (Andy Rouse, 500px.com/andyrouse) I totally agree with him. I think it indeed does.
At the same time, all of his works celebrate the beauty of nature. Personally I am fascinated with his photographs; in fact, most of them just take my breath. There is an idea, atmosphere and a story behind them. What I think makes Andy different from the regular wildlife photographers is that he does not just portray an external image of an animal, but tries to catch and depict its feelings and emotions. Third and forth pictures in the Appendix A are the examples I choose among the dozens or even hundreds of others to demonstrate the artist’s intangible connection with his models. It could be noticed even without him saying that for him “the animal comes first” (“Nature Photographers”).
It should be mentioned that Andy was recognized and rewarded for his special vision and style. For seven years in a row, he has been winning awards in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, including the Gerald Durrell Award for Endangered Species, and is the current holder of the RGS Cherry Kearton award (“Natural World Safaris”). Images number four and five that are attached at the end in the Appendix A are some of his prize-winning works. The fourth photo, called “Elephant Spraying Mud”, took the first place in the category Animal Behaviour, BBC WPOTY, while the fifth one, “Macaroni's Skiing” is Nature's Best competition winner (“Andy Rouse - Wildlife Photographer”).
Photographer Andy Rouse is an undoubted role model for me. I can identify with him well as I am also fond of depicting animals. It is obvious that animal portraits receive much less attention than human ones while to my mind they are not less interesting. Animals also have feelings, and it is very exciting for me to observe and to capture how they express their emotions. Andy’s pictures are full of life, and I hope mine will be too. I wish one day I could get a chance to meet him. I would like to express my respect to him and ask him for advice and guidance. He is my personal hero in the world of photography as he not only had enough confidence and determination to change his life and shape it in a way that it would bring him joy and fulfillment from the favorite job, but also brought fresh wind and inspiration to the field of animal photography.
References:
Andy Rouse. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2, 2014, from https://500px.com/andyrouse
Andy Rouse - Wildlife Photographer| Official Page. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2014,
Nature Photographers. Staff Profile – Andy Rouse. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2014, from
http://www.naturephotographers.net/articles0104/andyrouse.html
Natural World Safaris. Wildlife Photographer. (n.d.). Retrieved December 2, 2014, from
http://www.naturalworldsafaris.com/destinations/arctic-and-antarctica/antarctica/info/exclusive-antarctica-photo-safari-2014-resource-area/your-antarctica-team/andy-rouse.aspx
Appendix A
(img source: https://500px.com/andyrouse)
(img source: http://www.andyrouse.co.uk)
Appendix B
Andy Rouse
(img source: http://www.andyrouse.co.uk)
