(Note: All photographs displayed in this interview is copyrighted material, unauthorized use or reproduction for any reason is prohibited.)

Denis Olivero’s nature photography experience began in 1978. That year he traveled to east Africa and toured the game parks of Kenya in an old Bedford truck with ten friends. Equipped with a Pentax K1000 (loaded with Kodak print film) and attached third-party 70-210mm zoom, his first nature images were created. An old faded print from that trip showing a lion sleeping in a tree still hangs in his office today.

During the next two years, travel opportunities were abundant and Dennis made both travel and nature photographs during that time. However, from 1980-1995 there was very little time for photography and only occasional casual photographs were made. School and career development consumed most of his time during those fifteen years. Late in the 1990’s, his photography interest revived. Dennis made a serious commitment to learn the technical and compositional aspects of nature photography. This involved reading numerous books, following photography websites, and workshop attendance. Above all else, time was made to go outside at least once a week and make photographs.

With developing insight, Dennis started photographing birds. They were readily available near feeders and local ponds, and this provided ample subject material for practicing newly learned techniques or trying out new equipment. Other than the local nature centers, Dennis could frequently be found on the weekends at the local zoological gardens photographing birds, but also mammals when the opportunity presented.

Dennis’ most photographed avian species is the Common Loon, the captivating state bird of Minnesota. In the summer of 2004, he spent 75 hours photographing loon chick development from the egg stage to three months of age.

Although Dennis continues to enjoy photographing birds, during the last two years he has spent more and more time photographing mammals. He particularly enjoys photographing marine mammals. He prefers winter settings for photography when possible.

Dennis photographs animals primarily for his own interest and pleasure. His pictures have, on occasion, made their way into books and magazines. He sells prints and greeting cards from his website and at his office in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Dennis owes a great debt of gratitude to numerous professional photographers who have provided him with teaching, support and encouragement along the way. In time order, he would like to thank Arthur Morris, E.J. Peiker, Greg Downing, Charles Glatzer, Peggy & Erwin Bauer, Cheryl Ertelt, and Carol Clarke and to the NatureScapes.Net community for their support and inspiration.

To see more of Dennis’ work, please visit his website at Northern Light Nature Photography.

Question:

Was there anyone (i.e. other photographers) who influenced your work, and what was it about his or her work that inspired you?

I have been influenced by a number of individuals. I started taking animal photographs in the 1970s, on a safari trip to Africa. I didn’t have much time for photography the next 20 years but picked it back up again in the late 1990’s. I originally was drawn to bird photography and read the books by Arthur Morris (Birdsasart.com). I traveled and studied with Artie to a number of locations. Sometimes one of your teachers makes a comment that really sticks with you. We were photographing birds in St Augustine and I was standing next to RT when I had a thought about the background. I had just recognized that the background would make or break a photograph. I indicated these thoughts to Artie and he affirmed to me that the background can often be as or more important that the subject with respect to the success or failure of a photography. During those days, I was shooting transparency film and struggling with basic things like exposure. Getting the composition right was a bonus. I continued to read and learn and found myself more and more drawn to mammal subjects. This was the time of the big conversion from film to digital and I became aware of a photographer named Charles Glatzer (Shootthelight.com) via one of the Internet forums. Charlie had pizzazz and knew how to make the most out of the new technology. He had an extensive background with formal training in photography and years of work doing high-end weddings. I started taking workshops with Charlie and studying every picture he posted. I think if I had to single out one photographer that had the greatest emphasis on me it would be Charlie.

I also have traveled and worked extensively with E. J. Peiker and attended his Duckshop course in Arizona (EJPhoto). E. J. is probably the most informed photographer when it comes to technical issues and his background in his day career supports this nicely. E.J. is probably also the most rounded photographer I have met. He can shoot duck photographs, landscapes, macro and people all in a blink of the eye.

I have also studied under Greg Downing (Greg Downing Photography) and really enjoyed a trip to the Pribilofs with Greg.

I have also learned a great deal from others like myself via the Internet forums. I spent two years as a wildlife moderator with NatureScapes.net and forcing yourself every day for two years to come up with good and bad specific points about a photograph, giving an in-depth critique, is a very good exercise. It makes you look hard very critically at your own work and helps you to grow in terms of style development.

Question:

Have you done any formal training in photography, or are you self-taught?

I have no formal classroom training in photography, no college or high school classes. I have read extensively in the area of Nature Photography and Post Processing work and in other areas of photography. In the field training with professional photographers in workshop settings is as close as I can come to formal training.

Question:

What is your favorite/most used post-processing technique (unless this is a trade secret).

I have a pretty basic workflow. I shoot pretty hard in the field. I think Nikon shooters may have gotten in the habit of doing this because of the lack of VR on long lenses, not every frame is sharp. I toss the duds on a quick nightly edit and get a feel for the success or failure of the day. I hope to have new ideas for approaching the subjects the next day. Later after getting away from the emotional element of the shoot, I sit down and can very objectively get rid of most of the rest of the photographs I made. I hope to come away from a 3-4 day trip with about 100 photographs that I really like.

Although three-stage sharpening has become popular recently, I don’t sharpen in camera or on conversion, trying to avoid halos where I don’t have control over them. I correct the exposure if necessary before raw conversion and try to get the white balance close. I convert in Nikon Capture and then go into Photoshop and pick light and dark points then correct any colorcast with individual RGB curves. I then go into Lab color space and tweak the colors and sharpen creatively in the L channel before converting back into RGB with a minor adjustment in levels, contrast, rotation, crop, resize and slight global sharpening. It’s a pretty basic workflow.

Question:

On your photographic journey, did you go through different phases? different styles?

With the Internet forums it is possible to see people “grow up” in their photography. New people come onto the site and start to post photographs and if they stay for a number of years, you get to enjoy watching their progression and improvement. I have known some of the people on the Internet for 7-8 years now. I think we all go through different phases and it is a natural part of the progression.

When I first started out, I was thrilled when I was able to get close to a subject. Having seen many close-ups in wildlife photography magazines, I wanted to emulate that style. I would spend the majority of my time making head shots, tight face shots, portraits etc. But once you have done that for a while, it seems you want to loosen up a little and try to incorporate some of the environment. Currently I am striving for a balance between a subject large enough to appreciate the details but also some or lot of environmental features. I have a growing interest in landscape photography and I think this is a merging of wildlife and landscape, an “animalscape.”

Question:

What influenced you in your choice of subject (landscape, portrait, etc.)?

I originally was interested in bird photography and I still enjoy photographing birds, especially iconic birds that non-birders will readily recognize and appreciate. More and more I am becoming interested in mammals and starting to think more about landscape. I think I “connect” best with the mammals and I enjoy the experience working with them the most, however. I dabbled in macro photography for a while as well but seem to keep coming back to the mammals. I think you have to have a connection or passion for the subject to want to keep going out there and trying to get a slightly better photograph.

Question:

Did you ever have any advice from colleagues, reviews, etc. and how helpful was it to you?

I have certainly learned a great deal from other photographers via critique internet forums and I cannot say enough about what a resource this is for people starting out.

Question:

When you find your subject to shoot, are you usually looking for something to enhance it? i.e. nice foreground in a landscape?

Absolutely. As I noted above, when I first find a subject, I try to get photographs from further back. Show the subject in its environment and gradually work forward until you are able to make close ups and portraits The biggest thrill for me is getting the right combination of a animal subject with an outstanding background, a photo that tells the whole story.

Question:

Tell us about your equipment and what pushed you to that decision.

I started out with a Pentax K1000 camera and a short third party zoom lens. I went to Africa with this combination in the 1970s and came back with some keepers despite the limited focal length. My Pentax camera was stolen and I purchased a Nikon FM camera. I have progressed through the various Nikon cameras over the years. I became familiar with their product and stuck with them through thick and thin. Of course, there were times shooting next to a Canon shooter with IS on the big lens, when the thought crossed my mind about changing systems. But, I guess I was just stubborn and persistent and felt that I would just have to work harder to get sharp pictures with the equipment that was available. This year marks a big change for the Nikon/Canon issue and I think it’s a pretty even race.

Regarding glass, I am sold on zooms. While primes may be somewhat sharper and may focus faster, I think it is very important to be able to compose the picture in the field making every pixel count. I have a variety of lenses from a 12-24 Nikkor through to the 200-400 VR. The only primes that I still have are a 500mm and a 600mm Nikkor lens. But recently, for the zoom capability, I have been using a Sigma 300-800 zoom. With a flip of the zoom ring I can go from environmental to close up and back, no tele-converters, no lens changes, no dusty sensor. Too many shots are missed, in my opinion, as a result of a fixed focal length lens.

Question:

How do you see your photographic future, what do you dream about?

I hope to be able to photograph northern species in the Arctic and maybe one day even get to Antarctica. I guess I feel pressure about these areas because of Global Weather Change.

Question:

Do you have any specific photographic experiences that were of a wow factor and will remain with you forever?

I think the wow experience is what makes us go out into the field day after day, rain, snow whatever. For me it is at least as much about the experience as it is about the photographs that I make. One summer four or five years ago I decided to photograph the Common Loon story. This was a self imposed project and I got up every Saturday and Sunday and drove 150 miles north, launched a boat on a remote lake and photographed loons, not matter what, rain or shine. I got the entire story from eggs in the nest to chicks ready to fly for the winter. I hope I never forget the mother loon doing a wing flap one misty morning with the 5-day old chick doing one in synchrony right next to her. How many times will I see that? Will I ever forget a big burly Coastal Brown Bear making eye contact at me coming down a stream as I lay on the gravel bar making photos? The experience of being with baby seals on an ice floe in Quebec and photographing them with wide-angle lenses is exhilarating. I could go on and on..

Question:

How important is photography to you besides any financial gains?

I don’t make photographs for fame or fortune. I have had a few pictures published by word of mouth and sold a number of prints for wall hanging but I don’t make any effort to market my work. So with that in mind, because of the huge time and financial commitment I would say it is very important. I go out in a remote location for a few days and come back feeling rejuvenated, reconnected and ready to hit the day job hard for another few months until I can get back out again with the animals. I guess if you have to be addicted to something, this is pretty harmless.

Question:

If you would change what is now your favorite subject in photography, what other subject would you really like to follow?

As I noted above, I am trying to learn more and more about landscape photography. I think I may be too hyper for this type of photography. With wildlife, you find your subject and you kind of explore your subject by shooting. As you go you evaluate the angles, the light, what works and what doesn’t work. Point is, you are doing something. With landscape work, in my limited experience, you find a great subject then wait for the right light, weather, clouds. It requires unbelievable patience in my estimation. I try to travel with E. J. Peiker when I can, hoping his expertise in this area will eventually rub off on me.

Question:

What really inspires you now?

I have some self-imposed projects that I like to do, like the loon project mentioned above. A few years back we had a great gray owl migration into Minnesota and I made a project of working the owls as much as possible. Once I have a good group of photographs about a subject, my mind starts to drift towards other subjects. Currently I am fascinated with bears and with the northern species of the Arctic. I would like to photograph Arctic fox more and see Musk Oxen. I also have a growing interest in the marine mammals, particularly whales. It changes as I go and I try to plan trips 6-8 months out to go after the subjects I am currently interested in. Local subjects are much more amenable to working hard and I highly recommend this. Subjects outside of driving range are considerable more difficult to work extensively because of travel and time constraints.

Question:

Which one of your own images is very special to you and why? Could we also have that picture to display?

I would be happy to share any of them with you. My favorite changes all the time. When I come back from a trip, I have a favorite for a while then it changes again. From the loon project I really wanted a chick on the back image and I got one, on a Saturday evening at sundown and I really am thrilled with this photograph. From Katmai, I like the bear and the mountain photograph; I have a tight close up of two polar bears wrestling from the first trip to Churchill. I don’t think I have one single picture I like better then the others.

Question:

Can we have a link for our visitors to view your work on the Internet?

Northern Light Nature Photography

Question:

And finally, what message would you send to the visitors of our blog and in general any new or fairly new photographers?

Some advice for people starting out:

1. Know your equipment cold. I have seen a lot of missed shots on workshops by people that don’t know their equipment. Fumbling with the settings out in the field is a recipe for failure. I once read that you should be able to operate all of the common adjustments on your camera with your eyes closed. I think that is a good goal to strive for.

2. Read as much as you can both about photography and your subject.

3. Carefully check on your destinations for subject availability, time of year etc. It seems there are key places to go for key species, where they are accessible and maybe more used to the presence of people.

4. Get involved in a photo club, Internet forum where you can evaluate the work of others and vice versa. This is the single most important learning resource for people. You can do it any time of the day or night and can work in daily increments to better your photography. Formulate more of an opinion beyond wow or that is really bad, but come up with specific points why it is good or why it is bad because applying these to your own photography will help you to grow.

5. Take some workshops if you can. They are fun, you meet like-minded interesting people and often learn at an accelerated pace.

Thanks so much to Dennis for his time in conducting this interview. Dennis has become recognized as one of the most talented nature photographers in the world today. It is hoped that readers of this blog will follow his work as it progresses. Our best regards to Dennis.