(^01) FLYING SOLO
An unusual perspective of a lone gannet
flying over the ocean swell – which also
makes a perfect background beneath
Lens Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM
Exposure 1/2000 sec, f/4, ISO320
T WHAT AGE do you
become too old? In Michel
d’Oultremont’s case it is 27.
While that may sound
incredulous to most of us,
in Michel’s case turning 27
has proven to be a critical
point in his brief career
as a professional
wildlife photographer.
Turning 27 means he’s too old to enter the
Rising Star Portfoilio Award in the
prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the
Year competition, run by the Natural
History Museum in London. This award is
open to photographers aged 18 to 26 for a
portfolio of six photographs, and Michel
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2014 with a collection of images taken in
the rural low country of the Netherlands
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success, the Belgian-born photographer
said at the time: “I try to photograph the
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that happen to live in it, pass through it,
or engage with it. I want to take pictures
that do justice to the emotion that this
generates for me and in this way helps
raise awareness of the beauty of nature
and the importance of conservation.”
Michel’s second success in the
There was never any
doubt that Michel
D’Oultremont would
make his life behind
the camera. Keith
Wilson hears how this
young master from
Belgium found success
by following an ethos
of pure wildlife
photography
MICHEL D’OULTREMONT
The Canon Magazine 73
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