6 QUESTIONS TO MATEUSZ PIESIAK

Can you tell us how you got into photography?

It all began in 2008 when I found a small camera at home. Intrigued, I picked it up and started taking photos of everything in sight. Little did I know, that would spark a passion for photography that would shape my life in ways I could’ve never imagined.

Photography quickly became my passion, and combined with my interest in nature (which I have been interested in since I can remember), animals, mainly birds, quickly became my main photographic subject. I spent every free moment in nature, often waking up at 4am and photographing before school. I just couldn't stop taking photos.

I soon realized that to truly capture the essence of an animal, I needed to understand its habits and how to approach it without disturbing its environment. In the following years, I read a lot of books and spent countless hours observing animals in their natural habitats.

Photo: Mateusz Piesiak

When I found a good location, I carefully planned my shot, taking into account the sun's position, the background, and where the animals would appear. Then, under the cover of darkness, I would build a small hide and spend hours waiting for animals. In such moments I feel like a visitor sitting in the front row of the theater, where I can admire the great spectacle of nature taking place just in front of me. It is a true honor to be able to witness these moments and share them with other people through my photographs.

However often, after days of waiting, animals just don’t show up and I come home without any result. But when I finally take a long-awaited shot, it rewards all efforts.

Please share something about your images. What is your special interest? How do you choose the colors, composition, themes etc.? 

At the very beginning, I was taking photos to document animals I saw in the field so I could share them with my family and friends. I was very happy when the animal was full in the frame and you could see all the details.

But as time passed, my photographic style evolved into something more artistic. Rather than simply documenting the animal species, I began to pay attention to the light, background, and composition. I sought to capture fleeting actions and intriguing behaviors that lasted mere moments and were often too quick for the naked eye. My field trips became less spontaneous and more intentional, focused towards capturing a particular vision that I had in mind.

Nowadays, the species of the animal I'm photographing is not as important to me. I really like to photograph common animals, but in an interesting way. It turns out that even a common pigeon, starling or swan can be a great subject for photos, if only we show a creative approach.

Photo: Mateusz Piesiak

Where does this interest come from?

To me, photographing common animals stems from the fact that I live in a big city, full of noise, people, and cars. But it turns out that even in such a place you can take interesting pictures. You just need to wake up before the sunrise and go to the nearby park.

And when it comes to my interest in wildlife photography, it definitely came from the fact that I loved observing nature since I was a child. Wherever I went, I looked for the animals living in the area, I learned their behaviors and sounds. This really helped later as I could better predict their habits and prepare for photo sessions.

How do you get inspired? And what inspires you the most? This could be films, books or magazines or anything that surrounds you. 

I draw inspiration mainly from nature, from what I can see. I often go to observe nature with only binoculars, without a camera. I like to sit in one place and observe the world around me in silence. Then my senses sharpen and I begin to notice things that I had passed by indifferently. When I see an interesting species, behavior or pose, I remember it and try to realize the vision in future.

Photo: Mateusz Piesiak

What are your plans for the rest of the day? 

I'll probably sit down at the computer to edit photos from my last trip to Iceland. I have a lot of material that I need to select and edit the best images. This is definitely the more boring part of wildlife photography than shooting in the field, but what to do :)

What else should we know about you? Maybe give us a short profile of yourself.

I am a 27 y/o wildlife photographer from Wrocław, Poland. I graduated from Wroclaw University of Science and Technology with a masters degree in Automatics and Robotics. However, I decided to follow my passion which is wildlife photography and recently it became my full time job. In my free time I also like to play the piano and train volleyball :)

In nature photography, I enjoy the feeling of being concealed in my hiding place, and like a visitor sitting in the front row of the theater, I can admire the great spectacle of nature taking place just in front of me. It is a true honor to be able to witness these moments and share them with other people through my photographs.

Recently my photographs have been awarded in the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, where I won the Rising Star Portfolio Award. If you want so see more of my works or would like to order a print please visit my website. For news and behind the scenes stories from my trips, follow me on my social media profiles.