Photographer's Striking Wildlife Images Raise Huge Sum For Conservation
Sweden-born Björn Persson is a fine art photographer who is best known for his images of wildlife, which are designed to engage people into helping to protect the natural world. To date, he has raised over $1 million for animal conservation.
After working with an anti-poaching operation in South Africa in his early 20s, he was inspired to pick up his camera and tell the stories of animals around the planet. His stunning photographs have been published in numerous magazines, including National Geographic, and his work has been exhibited around the world, including at the Natural History Museum in London.
The ability to inspire people to engage was helped by Persson’s background as a creative in the advertising industry, reports Amateur Photographer. Indeed, he only took the step to become a full-time wildlife photographer as recently as 2016. He explains, ‘Advertising and photography are quite connected. I think they have the same end purpose – it’s inspiring people, affecting people and trying to communicate something. I think many photographers don’t have that interest in marketing what they do. But, if you want to reach out, it’s an important experience and tool. That was a very valuable background for me.’
Click to enlarge | All images credit: Björn Persson
When you look at Björn Persson’s photographs one thing that’s immediately striking about them is how close he gets to wild animals - which requires acquiring a great deal of knowledge about animal behaviour. It’s this up-close and personal approach that Persson deliberately employs that he believes makes people care about the animals they see in his stunning ‘nature portraits’ and a significant factor in his remarkable success at raising funds to support conservation through sales of his striking images.
‘I try to capture their soul and personality, and thereby humanise them. I want to penetrate their fur, their skin and make people feel that they’re very aware, sentient, emotional beings. If I can make people feel that, their respect and understanding of animals are going to increase.’
Now, he is publishing a new book of his work: The Earth We Share. He describes it as ‘a “Greatest Hits” and is published by Rizzoli Books.
To learn more about Björn Persson and see other breathtaking wildlife photos (and, perhaps, buy one) visit his website at www.bjornpersson.nu.
