Visual essay · Fine-art nature photography

Minimalist
wildlife
photography

I photograph wildlife, from polar bears to birds and insects. Light, space and a simple composition help me focus on what catches my eye.

Polar Power, a polar bear approaching through a broad white Arctic landscape.

The idea

A photograph that makes you pause.

I like images that give your eye somewhere to rest. A clear shape, a small detail or some space around an animal can be enough to hold my attention. That is what minimalist wildlife photography means to me. These four photographs show different ways of getting there.

Words and photographs by Alex Pansier.

Four photographs

What makes each
image work for me.

Polar Power, a polar bear approaching through a broad white Arctic landscape.
01

Room around the animal

Much of Polar Power is white. That space is part of what I like about the photograph: it gives the bear somewhere to move. There is little to distract from its face and the step it is taking.

Glassy Goose, the shadow of a goose’s head visible through its backlit wing.
02

A shadow through the wing

What draws me to Glassy Goose is the shadow of the head, visible through the backlit wing. That small detail is what makes the photograph for me.

Dawn Dragonfly, a dragonfly with worn, damaged wings silhouetted against an orange sunrise.
03

Fragile wings

This dragonfly’s wings are worn and damaged. That is what draws me to Dawn Dragonfly: you can see how fragile it is.

Squeeze In, several tiny fish held beneath the bill of a backlit great egret.
04

The detail in the fish

In Squeeze In, it is the detail in the tiny fish that holds my attention. There is so much to see in something so small. That is what keeps me looking.

Glassy Goose seen as an abstract movement of wings, water and light.

My approach

An idea, with room for the unexpected.

I go out with a purpose: an animal I want to find or an abstract image I have in mind. I often return to the same place, waiting for the right light and conditions. But I keep watching what happens around me. An unexpected encounter can lead to a completely different photograph.

In the field, I choose my position and look for a frame with fewer distractions. Sometimes a small movement is all it takes for the picture to come together. I try to get the image right in camera, so it needs only a little editing afterwards.

More of the work

There is more
to explore.

A polar bear, a bird or an insect can catch my attention for much the same reason: a shape, the light or a detail I had not noticed before. You will find that way of looking throughout my portfolio and in my book From nature to art.

You can also explore Ink-Art’s inkcap mushroom portraits and the stag beetle photographs in Untamed Sculpture, where small subjects offer plenty to look at. My black and white essay looks at contrast through a different set of photographs.