"When people look at my photographs it is my hope that they will feel this connection. I believe photography can be used as a tool to trigger an emotional response in the viewer and thus has the ability to make people see and care about the beauty of our planet. It is my hope that my imagery does exactly this."
Eugene Kitsios, a budding nature a wildlife photographer, has found himself with three images chosen for the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards. He has two images in the shortlist and one commended, all in the Wildlife category of the Open competition. Here, he explains each shot and his love of the natural world.
Hi Eugene. Tell us about you and your photography
I started photography when I was 16. I've always had a big love for the natural world and I admired people that had the ability to draw or paint beautiful scenes. Unfortunately my drawing skills were (and still are) quite poor so I decided to buy a compact camera to attempt to 'paint with light' instead. This quickly turned into a passion and this passion has only grown over time. I mostly enjoy photographing wild animals in their natural habitat.
Where do you find your inspiration?
My inspiration comes from photographers such as Paul Nicklen, Vincent Munier, Art Wolfe and Marsel van Oosten (to name a few), but also from lesser-known photographers that I discover at online photo galleries. Each day, I try and take some time to view the work of other fellow nature and wildlife photographers. Looking at the work of others opens my eyes to different perspectives and I believe this is one of the key aspects in improving oneself.
Tell us more about your successful images ‘Eye to eye’, ‘Serenity’ and ‘Hunting Dolphins’
'Eye to eye' was taken on the clifftops of Scotland. I had planned to spend the day photographing Northern gannets. Some time had passed and I had taken several shots, but nothing exciting. Finally I had a stroke of luck when I saw this beautiful gannet looking straight at me. I took the shot and cropped the photo to end up with a portrait of the majestic bird, eye to eye with the viewer.
My photograph 'Serenity' was taken in Bimini, the Bahamas. Together with a small group of friends we went out for the day, hoping to find and photograph wild dolphins. After some searching, we came across a pod and entered the water. The dolphins seemed to enjoy the encounter, as they were playfully swimming around us. I saw a mother and her calf approaching me and as they swam by I took this photograph. It was a very peaceful moment and I thus titled the image accordingly.
'Hunting Dolphins' was also taken in Bimini, the Bahamas. During a field-trip with the Bimini Biological Field Station we stumbled upon a pod of Atlantic spotted dolphins. We could not resist stopping our vessel to snorkel with the dolphins. As I returned to the boat I came across this group of dolphins which were exhibiting their cooperative hunting behaviour. Dolphins use echolocation to find their prey and are able to locate their prey even when it is camouflaged and/or out of sight. I free-dived down and slowly approached the group. The dolphins accepted my presence and I took this shot. As I surfaced I knew I had captured a special moment and I had a big smile on my face for the remainder of the day.
Do you have a photographic philosophy?
We live in an age in which many people seem to have distanced themselves from Mother Nature. However, I think that we all have some sort of deep-rooted connection with our natural world. When people look at my photographs it is my hope that they will feel this connection. I believe photography can be used as a tool to trigger an emotional response in the viewer and thus has the ability to make people see and care about the beauty of our planet. It is my hope that my imagery does exactly this.
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About Eugene
Eugene Kitsios is a 25-year-old Dutch photographer with a focus on nature and wildlife photography. After completing a Bachelor's degree in ecology and marine biology in the Netherlands and a Master's degree in fisheries science in Norway he decided to pursue his dream of becoming a recognized wildlife photographer.
