How did your interest for wildlife arise?
Since I was a child, I had an interest in nature. We live in a city that is very close to the mountains, and we always spent our family vacations there. From the end of November to the beginning of March, we lived in the mountains, very close to the river, and we spent all days interacting with nature.
On the other hand, my paternal grandfather, at that time, 40 years ago, had an aviary in his house that occupied the entire back part of the backyard. There he had more than 30 species of birds. It sounds cruel to think of it like that now, but I must admit that being there with him, feeding the birds and learning their names and characteristics that he taught me, was what marked me with respect and love for birds and generated interest later to photograph them.
How do you describe your journey as a photographer and a person?
I started with nature photography at about 40 years old. I did it with the sole interest of having a hobby. And since that is my personality, everything I undertake, I undertake with great passion.
Looking at an Argentine nature photography page, Fotonat.org, I marveled at the images of birds that those photographers achieved, and I decided that I wanted to achieve something similar.
I started with very basic equipment, which was not suitable for birds, but I tried to do what I could with it. After several months of interacting on the page, receiving the suggestions of the members, I decided to buy a suitable lens. Thus, I began to meet people who were very generous with their knowledge and participated in workshops. I was able to progress little by little.
The day I realized that photography was my passion was when I did the floating hide workshop in a lagoon in La Pampa, with Mariano Fernández.
Currently, what I love the most is lagoon photography. Being in that environment, blending in, with the environment and feeling part of it, causes me a state of total happiness.
On this learning path, I met many people. Excellent people who helped me through it, to whom I am very grateful and with whom we are united by a beautiful friendship.
What is your view on Wildlife Conservation? How can we, as wildlife photographers, help to protect our Mother Nature?
There is a song that says in its lyrics “I do not complain about your progress, civilization, But your steps go hand in hand with the unreason “ and I think that unfortunately it would seem, that there can be no progress without destruction. But if there is something that comforts me, it is to see so many children and young people truly committed to conservation and with a real interest in nature.
I don’t see it as an imposed ideology, but as something genuine that comes from them, and that gives me a very optimistic view of the issue.
I am currently seeing a lot of young photographers aged 15 or 16, with a real interest in the subject and a lot of children doing bird watching and reading about it. I think that is a sign that something, education on these issues, is leaving its mark and that is encouraging.
As nature photographers, I am convinced that we play a very important role, since as we know, no one can love and protect what they do not know, therefore, with our images, we are a fundamental link in this chain of protecting nature. I know everyday cases of people who through a photograph find out that this species lives in the backyard of their house, and that they had never observed it before. And it is from there that awareness begins to be created about everything that lives around us, and that we share our habitat with all these species, and we have the responsibility to take care of this space.
I have no doubt that the nature photographer is fundamental in the conservation of nature.
Can you give our readers the best wildlife photography tips? Do you have any recommendation on settings or gear for wildlife photography?
A fundamental advice and the most important in my opinion, is to be patient and not lose concentration. The situations that nature presents us, and from which our best photos can come out, are unpredictable on the one hand and ephemeral on the other. Generally, these key moments last seconds and that is when we must act. That is why we must be patient, and sometimes wait many hours for the species that we are looking for to appear or wait for a certain action to take place in order to capture it. Without patience and concentration, there will be no good photos.
On the other hand, it is also very important to know the place, to know what species we can find there and to know the habits and behaviors of said species to optimize the search for that image.
Something I like to say is that you don’t have to go on long trips to do nature photography. We only need to sharpen our sense of observation, since we can find the best images around us.
Regarding the equipment, the reality is that having a great equipment is not going to make us better photographers, but it is also true that the equipment must be consistent with the type of photography we want to do.
In my case, what I like to do the most is bird photography, and for that type of photography in particular there are two things that are important to take into account when purchasing equipment. A focal length of no less than 300mm and a camera with a good burst to capture action.
What plans do you have in the future related to wildlife Photography?
I would like to do many things, but these last times have taught us not to plan so much and to live more day by day.
There are many places where I would love to go to do photography. One of them is Africa. It is the place I dream of being able to go one day.
I would also love to be able to photograph pumas, it is an animal that fascinates me, and it is in my plans to be able to make that trip.
Regarding more specific plans, and that have to do with nature photography, I am venturing into the idea of tourism, in a place that I have in the mountains of Córdoba, where I would like to be able to take photographers. It is a place where we can find many interesting species to photograph and at the same time it can be shared with the family, since it is a very pleasant place to rest and do other activities. It is a project that is being put together and that I hope will come to light soon.
Tell us something about the gears you use?
The equipment I currently use is a Canon 1DX MII camera with a Canon 500mm F4 lens plus a 1.4 extender.
I also have a Canon 100 – 400 lens which is more versatile and lightweight for some occasions.
