"Take your time and magic will come" Jasper Doest

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Very interesting photo and article from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year in the category "Creative Visions":
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"Photography is to bring people to our imaginary worlds, A journey to where the magic takes place. Take your time and magic will come..." Jasper Doest

jasper_doest_macaco.jpg


It has very clear what you want to achieve with your pictures: giving voice to the animal world and connect the viewer with its environment. To Jasper Doest photography always deals with the emotions and transmits only when one plunges into a story is when you can tell it properly. The images of this Dutch have been recognized by publications such as National Geographic and BBC Wildlife Magazine. The fascinating scene of a Japanese macaque caught him recently earned him a Wildlife Photographer of the Year in the category "Creative Visions".

Jasper Doest

"When I was photographing celebrities are Japanese macaques in hot springs of Jigokudani, in central Japan, I was fascinated by the surreal effects that generated the icy winds upon arrival. There were times when the strongest gusts crossed like a burst steam rising from the pools, and if the case was snowing was given, the result was a mesmerizing canvas tangled steam and snowflakes circling around macaques.

But capturing that moment also implied a certain degree of luck. In my case luck was to be there when the wind blew and the monkeys were in the water. My luck did not arrive until after one year. I returned the following winter with the determination to get the picture with which I was obsessed.

I used a polarizer to eliminate all reflections of the water and create a background with a dark contrast. Also prepared a fill flash to capture snowflakes. She started snowing nonstop, and I stood there still. Waited for the wind. He knew he was about to happen, and if I waited long enough, the end coming to me fortunate. But when you get up steam above water no monkeys in sight.

Then suddenly, an adult monkey jumped on top of a rock in the middle of the pool. When snow dusted off I knew this was the time.

This decision was a combination of planning and improvisation. I can not control the natural world, but I can plan, knowing my camera and use it as a tool to anticipate certain situations. We must be prepared for the unexpected. I had an idea in mind, but being a mere guest in this natural world you never know what will happen.

The photo shows the surreal beauty that sometimes experience when we are in nature. Not many people these days you can enjoy a beauty as well. We live in a rushed society we have lost connection with the natural environment. Through my photos I want to give nature a voice and show how beautiful and fragile are our natural environments. They are something that we cherish and protect.

Photography is more than simply registering a moment. Not the reality is my personal interpretation of reality. Photography is bringing people travel to our imaginary world. This is where the magic happens. I think this photograph has this feature, the hand to take you on a journey beyond reality, a journey that makes you wonder what you're seeing. We see a Japanese macaque that seems to be flying on a magic carpet. That's why no sight aside. That's why the picture reaches the heart and soul.

Why do we take photos? I think photography is a form of artistic expression and a very powerful dialog tool. Through my photos I want to do is justice to the nature both the aesthetic aspect and from a journalistic point of view. Why is this specifically? Because these animals matter to me very much and wanted to share the magic of the place with the rest of the world.

To get a photo so you have to completely immerse yourself in the environment. Only when you're part of it, both physically and mentally, you can move the intimacy of the moment the two-dimensional world of photography.

Macaques are a species that has been photographed by many people. And when I say lots, I mean lots. However, for whatever reason, many photographers look for the most obvious pictures: those showing the monkeys bathing and not involving any difficulty. When you have one of these scenes are going to Japan to photograph other things, whether cranes, swans or eagles.

I do not think that will do justice to the nature if you do not spend some time with your subject, so I decided to invest my time to photograph a single species. I spent a whole month with macaques, and working with them was wonderful.

People often quickly fraternize with primates because they are very similar to us. Thanks to this I can play with the deepest expressions of monkeys. People connect with that. They are a very powerful species and is very easy to connect with the natural world through them. It's the only way we can that people care about the environment. Fellowship is the first step, and when you have the attention of the viewer, you can then use that to spread a message of conservation.

"I do not participate in these competitions to be told that my pictures are good. If a picture makes me react emotionally, with that I have enough"

It is very easy to connect with nature. You have to act like a guest and not be in a hurry. When you go to someone's anniversary party do not get there running and you start doing crazy, you take a six-pack and you go, right? You sit down, look at the people around you, you show up and start to know your colleagues while sipping something. The same happens in the natural world: take your time and magic come. You can be sure.

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards are like the Oscars of nature photography. The impact of this competition is huge. This picture was published around the world, and because it has been able to reach millions of people. That's what counts.

I do not need an award to confirm any of these, though it shows that I'm on the right track. But I do not participate in these competitions for you to tell me that my photos are good. If a picture makes me react emotionally, with that I have enough. It is a sign that I've done my job well. When I saw this picture on the screen of my camera I knew it was special, and I was glad when I knew I had won. Thus the voice I want to give nature speaks even more strongly.

In 2015 I will return to Japan to again be working with macaques on a tour I'm ready and will be limited to four photographers more. I want the interaction with the animals is as intimate as possible."
 
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