Waiting 8 years for the perfect shot
We spoke to Brazilian photographer João Marcos Rosa on his life-long passion for wildlife.
How did you get into wildlife photography?
I lived close to nature all through my childhood and my first contact with wildlife was when my father and grandfather took me on trips to the countryside.
My grandfather was an amateur photographer who kept lots of books. When I was 15 years old he gave me my first camera. It became my partner on the trips I took to all the wild places in my state. It also was a way to bring a new vision of unknown places back to my family and friends. Nature soon became my passion and object of study.
I wanted to tell the stories behind the photographs and so went University to study journalism. I also published my wildlife stories in newspapers.
My links with conservation projects happened naturally, as soon as I started to search for new stories to tell.
How do you set up your camera so you don’t scare the animals?
I work with researchers who know the animals’ behaviours for most of my projects so I can plan the best techniques to get the pictures I want.
Sometimes I use long telephoto lenses and in other cases wide angle lenses triggered by a remote control.
Do you have to wait a long time to get the perfect shot?
Yes. Photographing birds, especially raptors like the harpy eagle, I have waited for days to get some special shots.
The picture of the harpy eagle carrying the armadillo, which is in the exhibition, took me eight years to capture. Since starting the project in 2004 I have never had another opportunity like that.
As I say, you get luckier the more time you dedicate to your project.
What are your favourite animals to photograph?
I love to photograph giant otters. They are funny animals and very sociable. They live in large families and keep playing, fishing and swimming all day long.
The pictures I take of the otters show a vision of a pure happiness in the wildlife.
How did you decide which photos to include in this exhibition?
I have tried to consider the biodiversity of all the ecosystems in Brazil: Amazonia, Atlantic Rainforest, Caatinga, Cerrado, Pantanal and the Coast. So these images represent the diversity of Brazilian wildlife.
What would you like people to think about when looking at your photographs?
I would like people to feel the same happiness I experienced when watching those scenes.
I hope that after seeing the exhibition, people will be more open to think about the importance of wildlife conservation.
What does Brazil mean to you?
Brazil means happiness to me. It is the place I choose to live, raise my family and do most of my work.
You can see Fauna Brazil in Gallery Square at the Horniman until 8 January 2017.
Want more from João Marcos Rosa? Watch an interview with the photographer on our YouTube channel.
Fauna Brazil is curated by Alicia Bastos in association with Braziliarty.
This post first appeared on the Horniman Museum and Gardens website.
