We got in touch with Dutch photographer Lennart Verheuvel and asked him a few questions to learn more about his work. First, we were curious about what sparked his passion for wildlife photography. Lennart kindly answered: “I’ve always been interested in nature, but when I was around 12 years old, I got more seriously interested in wildlife photography. I used to cycle around in the nature surrounding my village and take some pictures of the birds I saw. I remember one moment when I saw a bird I had never seen before. This turned out to be a Eurasian blackcap, quite a common bird at the right time of the year, but I had never heard of it before. This was the starting point of me looking for more species of birds I had never seen before.
Years later, when I was around 20 years old, this turned into a broader focused interest when I went on my first dedicated wildlife trip and was able to see polar bears for the first time in the wild. It was then I realized that some mammals are just more special than any bird I could think of. Since then, I have combined mammal- and bird-watching in my home country (the Netherlands) with trips abroad to look for specific mammals (often wild cats or bears) and other wildlife.”
Next, the photographer shared his thoughts on the importance of safety while shooting in the wilderness: “It’s a factor to consider, although in general my concern is not so much with the wildlife as it is with humans and domestic animals. Wild animals behave quite predictably in that they generally don’t want anything to do with you, especially if you make some noise. When I’m in an area with a lot of stray dogs, I am actually more cautious than in an area where I know big wild predators live. Also, most predators are very rare to encounter, especially on foot and during the day, so the chances of being attacked are very low to begin with.”
Lennart continued and shared some of the risky situations he has encountered during his shoots: “In some forests, there can be a very realistic danger of getting lost, so that’s usually the first thing I worry about: I always need to be able to find my way back. In some areas there can be a risk of getting robbed or harassed by corrupt police officers. In general, it’s always a good idea to let at least some people know where you are and register your presence in a certain area as far as that is possible.
In general, I don’t carry anything special with me to counter attacks from animals. I have never felt the need to as well. Of course, this depends on the habitat and the kind of animals that live there. It’s a good rule of thumb to behave as the locals do. In some areas, it’s smart to stay in a vehicle or only go with a guide.”
Later, we wanted to talk about how the photographer handles the patience required to capture those perfect wildlife shots. Here’s what he shared: “It depends on how you look at it. I have waited for three days in a hide to get a good picture of the Iberian lynx. That was a very boring wait for me, which definitely tested my patience. Usually, I spend 2 or 3 weeks looking for a certain animal. I remember searching for two weeks in the Andes for an Andean mountain cat, with nothing to show for it. In general, however, there is always something to see, so my patience is not so much tested.”
Next, Verheuvel told us about some of the most unexpected encounters he’s had during his shoots: “One I remember very well is the moment I encountered a wild giant panda. We had actually been searching for it for days, so it shouldn’t have come as a total surprise that we would eventually see one, but the way it happened still left us speechless. Seeing a giant panda in the wild is a very hard thing to do, but we knew about sightings of giant pandas that had climbed into trees. The strategy would be to position ourselves on a good vantage point and scan the trees for hours. After 10 days with no sightings and even very little tracks, we did not expect to see one at all anymore. Then when we were driving down a road after a morning of fruitless scanning, suddenly a big male giant panda stood on the side of the road! It was much closer to us than we had ever expected it to be, and the way we saw it was totally unexpected.
I have had many other surprising encounters when I’m out in the field. They always come at some point: you just have to be out there. I often plan a trip around a specific animal I want to see, but even if I don’t see it, I know there will be other moments that will have made the trip worthwhile.”
Finally, we learned more about the dream destinations still on the photographer’s bucket list and the species he’d love to capture in his photos: “My wish list is very long! I want to see all the wild cat species in the world, so there are still quite a few for me out there. The only ‘bigger cat’ I haven’t seen is the mainland clouded leopard, which is extremely hard to find in the wild, so that’s definitely a dream animal. If I’m talking about the kind of dreams that might be impossible to fulfill, then being in a colony of emperor penguins would definitely be among them. Also swimming with narwhals is a good one. Those areas are just so remote that it takes a great deal of effort and money to even get there. But the world is big enough that I can keep myself busy with goals that are slightly more reachable.”
