Wildlife and nature have always fascinated and captivated me, so it was only natural that I decided to further this interest and explore the organic world in my photographs.
My passion for photography started back in primary school in the late 70’s, when my parents bought me my first camera – an East German Praktica – and I promptly began documenting the local birdlife around my town in Southwest Poland.
My love of nature and the outdoors has always been a significant part of my life, and in fact guided my choice of topics in high school (biology and chemistry), leading to graduate (MSc) and post-graduate (PhD) studies in geology.
During the period of 1998-2010, while working full time for large corporation, I have spent every minute of my free time travelling, visiting various habitats and ecosystems in the Americas, Europe and Africa. While visiting most of the African ‘target’ safari countries many times, I became especially fond of Botswana, which represents a genuine wilderness with its diverse and unique habitats and is limited to few visitors, allowing for unforgettable experiences of being up close and personal with wildlife. However, places such as Zimbabwe with its unique guiding style and amazing habitats, Uganda with a great Apes habitats, as well as the iconic larger Serengeti ecosystem made a huge impression on my understanding of African biodiversity.
My fascination with African wildlife grew with every visit to the continent and finally, an important decision was born to share my passion for wildlife and photography with friends, colleagues and fellow nature enthusiasts.
On 15th December 2019 I launched my safari brand – Wild Encounter Safaris – and in the mid-2020 I have decided to leave the corporate world. Nowadays I resettled back to my home in SW Poland and focus all my time on wildlife photography and offering regular, carefully crafted trips for enthusiasts of wildlife photography (both advanced and beginners) as well as anyone else who would like to see African wildlife from a slightly ‘different angle’.
The focus of my photographic safaris is to bring everyone’s lens in front of amazing animal activities and situations, explore the role of light in wildlife photography, look for unique settings and never miss the ‘golden lighting’ opportunities provided by early morning and late afternoon sun. The key aspects guiding my photography are love of nature and empathy. Understanding animal behaviors is of the utmost importance to immerse yourself in the amazing world of nature.
Guiding and wildlife photography became my ‘second life adventure’.
In 2020 I have joined the Polish Association of Nature Photographers and in 2022 I became a Chair of the Lower Silesia Chapter. My goal is to expand the knowledge about ethical photography among nature photographers, share my experience about responsible wildlife photography, spread appreciation for nature through photography and grow our association.
My photos become sought after art pieces and are successfully sold worldwide. They can be found on the walls of private homes and corporate offices in such countries as USA, UK, Brazil, Kuwait or my native Poland. Through the sale of my prints I actively support various wildlife conservation initiatives as 5% of profits from all prints sales is going towards wildlife conservation or yearly donation to funds such as Sheldrick Wildlife Fund.
Awards and Recognitions
2016 AUDUBON Photo Contest – Honorable Mention
2018 Outdoor Photographer of the Year – Finalist
2019 Bird Photographer of the Year – Commended in Bird in the Environment Category
2020 Memorial Maria Luisa – 1st Place and Highly Commended in Biodiversity Category
2020 Sienna International Photo Awards – Remarkable Artwork in Animals in Nature Category
2020 MontPhoto – Runner-up in Mammals Category
2020 Monovisions – Winner in Black & White Nature and Wildlife Series
2020 Festival of Biodiversity FIIN – 3rd Place in Another Fauna Category
2020 Travel Photographer of the Year – Finalist
2020 Nature Photographer of the Year – Highly Commended in Mammals Category
2020 National Wildlife’s Photo Contest – Honorable Mentions in Baby Animals and Mammals Categories
2021 Memorial Maria Luisa – Highly Commended in Black and White Category
2021 Explorers Against Extinction – Focus on Survival Top 6 Finalist
2021 Wilderness Safaris Photographer of the Year – Winner
2021 The Greatest Maasai Mara Photographer of the Year Contest – Finalist
2022 Memorial Maria Luisa – Highly Commended in Biodiversity Category
2022 Explorers Against Extinction – Focus on Survival Top 10 Finalist
2022 Travel Photographer of the Year – Special Mention in Art of Monochrome
2022 World Nature Photography Awards – Silver in Black & White
2023 Zwiazek Polskich Fotografow Przyrody Multimedia Contest – 1st PRIZE
2024 Memorial Maria Luisa – Highly Commended in Animal World Category
My Photo Gear
I am a ‘Nikon photographer’ and have been with the brand since 1992. My Nikon ‘film’ days started with the F2002 and ended with the F100, before I went digital. I have to say that rather than chasing the latest camera releases I like to slowly grow into advanced features of top models. I started from D90 and slowly transitioned into full frame cameras such as D3s. The ISO performance for me as a wildlife photographer, is one of the most important aspects nad therefore I have been loyal to the flagship models. The addition of what I call the ‘ultimate safari lens’ (Nikkor 180-400/4 TC1.4) made my travels even easier on top of being an excellent lens. The days of mirrorless are here – I have transitioned through the Nikon Z6II, Z8, Z9 and selected S-lenses. I am quite happy with results achieved by the mirrorless combos and fully enjoy all capabilities of the super pro body Z9 and its smaller buddy Z8. These days, my D5 stays at home.
Cameras
- Z8 x 2
- Z9
- D5 (retired but still with me)
Lenses
- 85 mm f1.8 S
- 105 mm f2.8 S Macro
- 14-30 mm f4 S
- 24-120 mm f4 S
- 70-200 mm f2.8 S
- 100-400 mm f4.5-5.6 S
- 180-400 mm TC1.4 ED FL VR
- 180-600 mm f4.5-6.3 S
Main Accessories
- Backpack MindShift Firstlight 40L
- Gitzo GT3541XLS tripod (for heavy lenses)
- Gitzo Traveler Series GT1545T with Gitzo ballhead (for my light travel and landscape photos)
- Gitzo Monopod
- Zanelli gimbal head – pricey but unbelievably light
- Nikon Monarch HG 8×30 binoculars