Wildlife Action Shots: Award-winning Hungarian photographer Bence Mate’s nickname is “the invisible wildlife photographer,” which captures breathtaking images of wildlife photographs of dancing parrots, weightlifting ants, and a toucan looking for a fight incredibly up close and personal. He has taught in startling close-up detail.
These eye-catching photographs give an uncommon perspective on the animal world. He explains just how he manages to capture such cherished photographs, as he spends days, weeks, or even months quietly tucked away in a hide that he has carefully designed and built.
These often utilize one-way glass, which is what enables him to get so close to his oblivious subjects. He says, When I was walking in the wild with a pair of binoculars around our necks, we often witnessed magnificent moments in Mother Nature. However, at such moments, factors such as distance, light, background, environment, and the miracle of surprise infrequently allow us to pass on our visual experience to others.
Therefore, I’ve got to strive to forecast when such breathtaking moments occur and capture them in photographs. You know, great planning and patience are usually required to execute natural photographs, along with a dose of good luck.
A Black-winged stilt captured in mid-stride in the Hungarian countrysideA close-up snapshot of an Eastern White Pelican, taken on the Danube Delta of eastern Romania
A female leafcutter ant carries a fragment of foliage – and an infant and – in Costa RicaA Keel-billed toucan (right) and a Montezuma oropendola in the middle of an aggressive encounter in Costa RicaA Keel-billed toucan takes a bite out of a Brown-hooded parrot at Laguna del Lagarto in Costa Rica
A male European roller bird (left) attempts to impress a potential mate with his food-catching skills, HungaryA Splendid leaf frog (an aptly named creature) caught in close-up at Santa Rita, in Costa RicaA startling image of grey herons, caught at incredibly close range, by Hungarian photographer Bence Mate
In this image, Mate’s camera picks out an Eurasian bullfinch, pausing for a drink in Pusztaszer, HungaryMate has earned a reputation for being able to capture pictures of animals at very close rangeThis image shows Mate training his lens on the sunset over the River Prypiat, in the wilds of BelarusThree Brown-hooded parrots shake off the rain at Laguna del Lagarto, in the Santa Rita area of Costa RicaWildlife Action Shots: Two long-eared owls perch on a wooden cross during a moonlit night in Puszatszer, Hungary
