Contributing Photographers
S. Clayton
Michael Lorentz
Born with a naturalist’s heart and curiosity, Michael has devoted close to 40 years to guiding safaris across the African continent and beyond. In that time, he has journeyed to landscapes as disparate and remote as the teeming floodplains of Chad and the windswept dunes of the Namib Desert.
His bush career started in 1985 in South Africa’s Timbavati Game Reserve, followed by 15 years guiding and running lodges in the Okavango Delta. In early 2000 he moved back to South Africa and shifted his focus to planning, organizing, and leading pan-African safaris through the many companies that he has founded and managed.
Whilst Michael is a pan-African specialist, he works closely with expert guides worldwide and arranges trips beyond Africa’s shores that could be ticked off on many a bucket list, including Antarctica and the Galapagos. Bringing the same guiding principles of respect, empathy, intuition, and understanding to his other passion, photography, Michael has been able to bring others closer to the natural world, and in so doing uses his lens to showcase critical conservation initiatives. His work has been featured in several publications, as well as in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC.
Michael works closely with numerous Conservation organizations, including African Parks, the Ellen Fund, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, the Big Life Foundation, and Natural Capital, to raise awareness and direct funding to some of the most effective conservation projects on the continent.
Marine Drouilly Pryce-Fitchen
Driven by her passion for wildlife, expansive landscapes, and adventure, Marine has traveled and worked across all continents, as a guide and on various conservation and wildlife research projects. While Alaskan grizzlies were her first love, she has since devoted herself to conserving wild cat species and their habitats. In 2020, she joined PANTHERA, an international NGO devoted to protecting the world’s 40 wild cat species and their vital roles in ecosystems. Marine now serves as the Regional Carnivore Monitoring Coordinator for West and Central Africa, overseeing the West Africa Leopard & African Golden Cat Conservation Planning Project. Additionally, she leads a Eurasian lynx conservation project in France for a local NGO and frequently collaborates with the IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group.
Though Marine enjoys wildlife photography, her busy schedule limits her practice, so she partners with skilled photographers and journalists to share conservation stories, celebrate nature's beauty, and highlight the importance of its preservation. During her PhD, she worked with Lenses for Conservation to document the relationship between small-livestock farmers and predators in the South African Karoo.
Originally from France, Marine now lives in Cape Town with her South African husband and spends significant time in West and Central Africa studying leopards and African golden cats.
Marine has contributed to over 30 articles, book chapters, IUCN Red List assessments, and numerous popular publications on carnivore ecology, conservation, and wildlife. She loves sharing her wildlife photography and stories with magazines and NGOs to raise awareness about conservation.
Sebastian Kennerknecht
Sebastian Kennerknecht is a wildlife and conservation photographer with over fifteen years of experience visually covering wildlife and environmental issues internationally, focusing in particular on wild cats. He has produced high quality editorial photographs, time-lapses, videos, and web content featured in and by the New York Times, Washington Post, BBC Wildlife, Smithsonian, The Economist, Science, and Conservation International, among others. Using highly customized SLR camera traps, along with conventional photographic techniques, he works closely with field biologists to both effectively and ethically capture photographs of some of the rarest cats on the planet while also highlighting the threats they face. Working for conservation organizations and on magazine assignments, Sebastian has photographed thirty-one of the forty species of wild felids, in twenty-nine different countries.
Sebastian graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolution from the University of California - Santa Cruz, won NANPA’s emerging photographer award, and is an associate fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers.
Additionally, Sebastian owns and runs Cat Expeditions and Whale Expeditions with his wife Rachel, bringing people eye-to-eye with wild cats and cetaceans around the world through luxury photo safaris that have a direct impact on conservation.
Links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pumapix/
Chien Lee
With a background in ecology and environmental education, award-winning wildlife photographer Chien C. Lee has been based on the island of Borneo since 1996. His primary focus for the past two decades has been documenting the rich diversity of tropical rainforests through photography, with the aim of inspiring a sense of wonder about these remarkable ecosystems and the importance of their conservation. His work has carried him through many remote and poorly explored regions of Southeast Asia, and in the process he has succeeded in capturing the first ever images of many rare and endangered animals and plants as well as documenting undescribed species. Chien is currently an Honorary Research Fellow at the Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.
Website: www.chienclee.com , Facebook: chienleephotography, Instagram: @chienleephotography
Sandra Clayton
I was raised on a sugar farm in South Africa, where my love of nature and wildlife was instilled in me by my parents. This interest stayed with me despite living in London for 20 years, pursuing my career in Banking. I re-located to South Africa in 2013 and renewed my passion for wildlife, photography and conservation, spending as much time as possible in the African bush, and travelling abroad to experience wildlife on other continents. It is a personal and enriching journey and I hope to inspire others to fight for the preservation of our natural world by creating an awareness with my images.
Website: https://www.sandramclaytonphoto.com/
Ben Cranke
Ben Cranke is a Namibian born South African and holds a degree in Veterinary Science which strengthened his affiliation with the natural world and his desire to photograph them in their natural environment. His passion for photography began as a young boy when his father gave him a second hand camera. Ben’s penchant for the natural world, combined with an insatiable wanderlust, has seen him travel to all seven continents to photograph their wild inhabitants. In addition to leading specialist photo tours, recent years have seen his photographic interests concentrated photographing the world's wild cat species in many remote destinations. Ben’s images have been placed in many photographic awards such as BBC Wildlife Photographer of the year, Nature's Best Photography, Big Picture and GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the year.
Instagram: ben.cranke
Alexander Sliwa
Dr. Alexander Sliwa, born 15.01.1965, is a German zoologist, curator at Cologne Zoo since 2007 and from 1999-2007 general curator of Wuppertal Zoo. Between 1992 and 1998 he conducted the first field study on black-footed cat (Felis nigripes) in South Africa and is continuing as project leader of the Black-footed Cat Working Group since 2005 until present. He has done fieldwork on Arabian wildcats (Felis l. lybica “gordoni”) in and is International Studbook keeper for the species. Likewise he conducted field research on African sand cats (Felis m. margarita) between 2015-2019 in the Sahara. He has co-chaired the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) Felid TAG since 2002 and is chair since 2004. He is international advisor to the Ex-situ Breeding Programmes for Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), Eurasian lynx (L. lynx) in the Linkin-Lynx Network, Saving Wildcats (Scottish wildcats), and Arabian leopards (P.p.nimr).
Instagram: blackfootedcat.life , sliwaalexander
Facebook: sliwaalexander , black footed cat
Guilherme Gallo Ortiz
Guilherme Gallo Ortiz Guilherme is a Brazilian biologist specializing in bird behavior and environmental management. He has extensive experience in wildlife and photography, with his work published in national and international magazines and awarded in local and national photography contests. Since 2010, he has been involved in animal behavior research and wildlife management. Today, he works in wildlife photography tourism, focusing on Brazil’s rich biodiversity. As a professional guide, he combines his expertise in natural history and photography to provide his guests with unique and enriching experiences. He has also participated in photographic projects in remote and pristine areas of the Atlantic Rainforest, capturing the unparalleled beauty of this biome.
Instagram: gallo_naturephotography
Website: www.pantanalphototours.com
Additional Acknowledgements to:
Dave Zimmerman: Canada Lynx images
Xiong Jiji: Chinese Mountain Cat
Flon.AB: Jaguarundi
Bernardo Segura/ Andean Cat Alliance: Andean Mountain Cat
Robin Horion/Panthera: Drone images of Gabon rainforests
Team Bars Turkmenistan/MoEPT/CXL: Persian leopard
Patrick Meier
An IT and technology entrepreneur by trade, Patrick Meier has been fascinated by natural history since the days of his youth. At some point the passion for wilderness and wildlife conservation (cats in particular) was combined with that for photography. Today, Patrick regularly embarks on special expeditions to find and photograph wildlife in all corners of the planet.
www.mywilderness.net
www.intellitraps.com
Instagram: patrick.o.meier
Malini Pittet
Website design and content management
Growing up in southern India I have always been fascinated by wildlife, and felids in particular. After completing my degrees in Biodiversity Conservation and Management at Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) at the University of Kent, I was actively involved in conservation projects for Arabian leopards, Indian tigers and leopards, jaguars, pumas and ocelots in South America, the Persian leopard, as well as the recovery of wolf and lynx in the European Alps. For some years now I have focused on conservation photography and photojournalism. Through field guide training in southern Africa, and an advanced open water diving certification I further extended my range of activity in conservation journalism for print and online publications.
Instagram: malini_pittet
Stuart Chapman
Since the age of 5, Stuart wanted to be a naturalist. A lifelong conservationist and vocal advocate for nature, he has lived in Asia for more than 20 years and worked for WWF for over three decades. Starting his international career as a ranger trainer in Wolong Panda Reserve in China in 1991, he started working for WWF in 1993 at Bach Ma National Park, Vietnam. Since then, he has been posted to Laos, Indonesia, and Nepal and is now based in Malaysia and is WWF’s Tigers Alive Initiative lead. His hobby and personal quest is to see all 40 species of wild cat, and he has currently seen 33 species in the wild.
Laila Bahaa el Din
I have spent 14 years in Africa working on the conservation of wild carnivores. My cat journey started with cheetahs in East Africa, then moved westward to Gabon where I completed my PhD on the ecology and conservation of African golden cats, then southward to work on connectivity of big cat populations in the Kalahari. My interests include assessing impacts of human disturbance on wildlife, maintaining/re-establishing connectivity between wildlife populations and the use of domestic dogs in research/conservation. My current role with Intellitraps allows me to pursue my interest in camera traps as a fast-evolving tool in photography and conservation.
Laurent Geslin
Laurent Geslin is a professional photographer working mainly on environmental issues.
While studying history of art, he discovers classic photographers such as Cartier Bresson, Raymond Depardon and Martin Parr.
His passion for wildlife soon led him to the work of Stephen Dalton and Michael ‘Nick’ Nichols.After being a naturalist guide in France, South Africa and Namibia, Laurent moved to London where he becomes a professional photographer himself.There he began his project to photograph wildlife in cities.
Between two assignments in distant countries, he takes advantage of his stops in the English capital to expand his subject on the urban biodiversity. His ‘Urban Safari’ was conducted in major European cities in order to shoot foxes, beech marten, badgers, wild boars and even bears! His original work has been published in numerous books and foreign magazines. His work is regularly exhibited in galleries and museums and has also shown his work at the United Nations in Geneva.
Now, Laurent lives in the Jura mountains of Switzerland and has been working extensively with lynx for the last years. His new book ‘LYNX, regards croisés’ is the result of fours years chasing the elusive cat.
Website: http://www.laurent-geslin.com/
Kalyan Varma
I am a wildlife photographer, filmmaker, naturalist and explorer dedicated to documenting wildlife and the environmental issues that define our times. I freelance with many of the world's leading magazines, environmental NGOs and television channels like Nat Geo and BBC.
Over the last decade, I have worked on many landmark blue chip wildlife series for the BBC and National Geographic channel. My work has appeared in many publications worldwide, including National Geographic, Nature, The Guardian, BBC Wildlife, GEO, Smithsonian, Lonely Planet and other magazines.
Website: http://kalyanvarma.net/
Instagram: kalyanvarma
.png)
Juan Reppucci
He has worked in research and conservation of carnivores in Argentina throughout his career. The High Andean carnivores, especially the Andean cat, were the focus of study for their doctorate from the year 2005, and since then he have been working with the species in research and conservation activities. Since 2015, he has worked as Researcher of the National Commission of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET).
Lars Begert
Lars Begert, who actually studied business informatics, is a passionate wildlife photographer and has a great passion for wildcats. He spends a lot of time in the Aargau Jura and mainly photographs lynx and European wildcats in their natural habitat using photo traps. His holidays often take him abroad, where he seeks out encounters with other fascinating wild cat species.
Photography is more than just a hobby for him; it is his contribution to the protection and conservation of these fascinating animals. His pictures, which bear witness to patience, perseverance and a deep understanding of wildcats, are intended to draw attention to the importance of these animals and help to ensure that they are preserved for future generations.
Instagram: lynxlynx.ch
Livia Carta
Hi, I'm Livia Carta, 18 years old and in the 4th year of my apprenticeship as a mediamatician. I love designing creative projects, whether it's design or social media. I find it particularly exciting to put ideas into practice and try out new things in the process.
Karan Modi
Karan Modi was born and grew up in Mumbai City. There is hardly a bigger contrast than leaving a city with a population of over 21 Million and moving into the fringe of the Kanha National park. His vision was to live a simple life in the forest and share it with like minded people. He is a trained naturalist and hence the dream of living in the wilderness was omnipresent in this life. From the first time he visited Kanha, his heart was captured by the magnificent landscapes, the glorious Sal trees and the variety of wildlife the park has to offer. There is always something to discover, something to learn and cherish and certainly there is never a dull moment when you are on a drive with him. Karan is always looking for the next adventure, embracing opportunities to grow, learn and transform.
Fadri Wehrli
I am Fadri Wehrli. I have been travelling in the Engadin mountains in my free time since I was a child, whether as a wildlife photographer, hunter or fisherman. This has allowed me to see all the local animals in the Engadin through my camera and learn from them. For me, a successful day is when I can observe the animals undisturbed, alone and far away from civilisation.