Bjorn Olesen

A picture paints a thousand words, but a great one can inspire change. Singapore-based conservationist and wildlife photographer Bjorn Olesen captured our hearts and social conscience with the stunning visuals in his book, A Visual Celebration of Giant Pandas. Energised by this success, the multiple award-winner and finalist in the Smithsonian 2012 Photo Contest is already working on his second book.

Before going behind the lens, the 63-year-old Danish husband of Fanny Lai (who’s featured in the May issue of Singapore Tatler) held a string of senior corporate titles, the last of which was regional managing director of Dumex, overseeing its Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines and Middle East operations. Upon retirement in 2007, he rekindled his teenage fascination for wildlife and photography on a full-time basis. Today, he is a member of Nature Society (Singapore), Malaysian Nature Society, Nature Photographic Society (Singapore), The Photographic Society of Singapore, UK-registered charity Oriental Bird Club and BirdLife International (Denmark).

Just home from an exciting and fruitful four-week photo trip to New Zealand, Olesen tells Singapore Tatler about his journey in conservation photography, his wildest encounters and what he hopes to achieve through his works. As a special treat, he also shares some of his best works and offers a few tips on how to take remarkable snapshots of animals in the wild.

 

SINGAPORE TATLER: When did your passion for wildlife photography emerge and how did you develop this interest?

BJORN OLESEN: I have been fascinated by nature ever since my teens, when I also got my first Nikon camera, however, it was only after my retirement from corporate business in 2007, that I had the time and resources to pursue my passion for wildlife photography on a full time basis.

 

ST: What can Singapore offer in terms of wildlife photography?

BO: The diversity of bird species in Singapore is quite impressive with more than 340 naturally occurring species, including around 130 species breeding here.  My favorite birding locations in Singapore are: Pulau Ubin, Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve, Singapore Botanic Gardens and Pasir Ris Park.

 

ST: You photograph birds a lot. Is this your favourite subject? Why?

BO: With around 10,000 different bird species in the world, there are almost unlimited possibilities for photographing birds in every corner of the world, and that includes Singapore where I have taken a lot of compelling bird images. 

My other favourite subjects are primates, which I have photographed in South America, Africa, and Asia.  I am particularly fascinated by primates because their behaviour is in many ways is quite human-like.  Unfortunately in most areas, primates are threatened by habitat loss, and hunting.

 

The Baya Weaver is one of the most accomplished nest-builders I have seen. Close to the half-finished nest you see two males in their bright yellow-crown breeding plumage in a territorial dispute

 

ST: Where has your passion taken you so far and which is your favourite wildlife photography spot?

BO: My most memorable photo-trips were in Peru, Galapagos, Namibia, Botswana, Tanzania, and Svalbard north of the Polar Circle in Norway.  However, the most unique place was definitely Madagascar, a very special biodiversity hot-spot, where 80 percent of the flora and fauna is endemic, meaning they cannot be found in any other place on earth; this includes all the 100 species of lemurs, which was the focus of my visit.

In Asia my favourite destination is Borneo, where I have taken photographs for the past 15 years.  The biodiversity of this island is just outstanding, and like Madagascar it is an under-appreciated wildlife paradise.

 

This polar bear, which I saw in Svalbard, Norway almost looks like it wants to be cuddled

 

ST: Tell me about the special sightings on your New Zealand trip and where you hope to go next?

BO: During these recent four weeks I travelled 3,500 km visiting some of the most spectacular wildlife locations.  I wanted to photograph the country’s most iconic bird, the Kiwi, as photos of this bird taken in the wild are rare.  It is nocturnal and protected, as you are not allowed to use a normal torch or flash to photograph it.  However, in one location in the most Southern part of New Zealand, Stewart Island, the Kiwi sometimes feed during the day. 

I spent several days in the wilderness, and had only one sighting, but still no good image.  However, a day later on a remote beach I finally managed to capture this unique bird feeding during full moon, and although the light was inadequate, I did manage to get a beautiful shot of it in its natural wild habitat. 

On another memorable occasion outside Kaikoura on the South Island I saw a pod of 300 Dusky Dolphins frolicking in the water displaying their highly acrobatic behavior. They performed a combination of leaps, flips rolls and turns, I had a most productive and enjoyable afternoon watching these wonderful creatures.

 

Outside Kaikoura on New Zealand's South Island I saw a pod of 300 Dusky Dolphins frolicking in the water displaying their highly acrobatic behaviour performing a combination of leaps, flips rolls and turns, and I had a most productive and enjoyable afternoon watching these wonderful creatures

ST: What’s the rarest thing or moment you’ve captured as a wildlife photographer?

BO: The critically endangered Madagascar Fish-eagle is probably the rarest animal I have photographed in its natural habitat.  The only place on the planet, where you can find them is on the remote West coast of Madagascar, where there are only around 120 pairs left.  

I spent days trying to locate this species, and ended up having to charter a boat to take me to an offshore island where I finally spotted this eagle - one of the rarest in the world.

 

ST: What do you hope to achieve through your wildlife photos?

BO: Wildlife photography is an ideal way of engaging people in wildlife conservation and education, and it is my hope to create an interest in preserving the beauty of the natural habitat through photography. 

 

ST: You’ve won awards for your photos. What makes an award-winning photo? Any tips for aspiring wildlife photographers?

BO: It has to be original and show an interesting behaviour from unusual perspective.

An aspiring wildlife photographer, who studies and knows their subject well enough, will sooner or later find the opportunity to take something inspirational. They will know when and where, and will have time to work out how, which sometimes requires field-craft as much as technical knowledge.

I particularly like this early morning photo taken at Kinabatangan River, Borneo, when the first sun rays penetrated the canopy at the same time that this Oriental Darter took off.  It was one of those situations where you either make it or not - as you will probably never be able to do a re-shot

 

ST: How important is research about a habitat/species prior to going out on the field? Have there been times when you got so close to a wild animal you felt that your life was on the line?

BO: If you really want to have a good chance of taking stunning wildlife images, you must devote time to learn about the behaviour of your target species.  These days lots of quality information is available in wildlife guides and on the Internet, so research is a lot easier than in the past.

On one of my early photo trips to Borneo, I was observing a herd of Bornean Pygmy Elephants from a boat.  I asked my guide whether we could go on land to see them close up, which we did, and I took photos of one individual at a distance of only 4 m.  Suddenly something spooked the elephants, I heard a loud trumpeting, and there was a stampede, luckily I was not in the way, and we made it safely back to the boat. This was pure stupidity on my part, but you live and learn.

 

ST: What’s your take on photo editing? To what extent do you do this if at all and what’s your advice to avoid over-processing photos?

BO: For me, what’s key is spending time in nature, not behind a computer. I do not use Photoshop, and if I spend more than 2 minutes post-processing a photo, then I have not done a good job in the field. Besides, the ‘celebrities’ that I photograph do not require any face-smoothing or body-slimming enhancements.

The most common mistake I see is over-sharpening, which gives a grainy and unnatural image, so this should be avoided.  I normally limit my post-processing to adjustment of light, colour saturation, and sharpening.

 

Having stalked a group of Silvered Langurs at Bako National Park in Borneo for a full morning without much action, suddenly half a dozen aggressive long-tailed macaques moved in, and the Silvered Langurs cleared out, with this individual escaping straight in my direction 

 

ST: Your gear?

BO:

2 x Nikon D4 camera body

1 x Nikon D800E camera body

1 x Nikon 600mm f/4 VR

1 x Nikon 300 f/2.8 VRII

1 x Nikon 70-200mm zoom f2.8 VRII

1 x Nikon 24-120mm zoom f/4 VR

1 x Nikon 14-24mm zoom f/2.8

3 x Nikon Tele-converter TC-14EII, TC-17EII, TC-20EIII

1 x Speedlight SB-900

1 x Gitzo tripod GT4542LS

1 x Wimberley WH200 tripod head

1 x MacBook Air for backup

 

ST: How can photographers like you help protect wildlife and promote wildlife conservation?

BO: When we travel abroad we always make sure to support the local community near nature reserves hiring native guides and using local accommodation.  We also share our travel and ‘untold’ wildlife tatler_tatler_stories in newspapers, magazines, and social media promoting eco-tourism to these destinations.

All our royalties from the sales of our coffee-table book ‘A Visual Celebration of Giant Pandas’ are donated to WWF for nature conservation.

In support of conservation all of my 100,000+ images are available free-of-charge to non-profit conservation organizations, which can use my photos to promote conservation causes.  In this respect I can be contacted through my website: www.bjornolesen.com.

 

Night time is ideal to capture amphibians and reptiles, such as this Great anglehead lizard. At Kubah National Park Borneo.

ST: Together with your wife, Fanny Lai, you launched a book, A Visual Celebration of Giant Pandas last year, proceeds of which go towards World Wildlife Fund. What projects are you working on now?

BO: Fanny and I have already started on our next project 'A Visual Celebration of ……', However, it is still early days, and this work has not yet been discussed with our publishers, but as soon as we have firm details you will be the first one to know. 

 

ST: Apart from wildlife, what else do you enjoy photographing? Tell me about your other hobbies or interests.

BO: When going to exciting destinations, we always take photos of local people and customs to capture the atmosphere, which we also use for our travel writing.  We also take time to research and find the most unique restaurants and eating-places, because enjoying the local food is one of the greatest pleasures of travelling – something I am sure that most Singaporeans will agree with!

 

 

Photos: Bjorn Olesen