NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER THEO BOSBOOM

From lawyer to renowned nature photographer: Theo Bosboom made a drastic career change years ago. We

From lawyer to renowned nature photographer: Theo Bosboom made a drastic career change years ago. His works have now been awarded titles such as Wildlife Photographer of the Year and The Silver Camera. A small selection from his book especially for MASTERS Gallery: Shaped by the sea.Text: Larissa Schaule Jullens
Image: Theo Bosboom

The perfect storm

"For mine Photo album Shaped by the sea I have been scouring the Atlantic coast of Europe for years, looking for spectacular and interesting beaches in all seasons and weather conditions. The desire to use the power of the sea recording was one of my main motivations. As a photographer I have a preference for rugged nature and extreme weather conditions. Nothing worse than a cloudless, windless day with a tame sea! I much prefer it stormy weather and rough seas with high waves. You then feel that you are alive and also how powerful nature is and how insignificant you are as a human being. I had the perfect storm photo in mind for a long time before I was finally able to take it: several layers of high waves one after the other, across the entire width of the photo, in beautiful lighting conditions. I finally found that combination of elements during a winter storm in Iceland. I had the wind at my back, it was dry, the sun was slowly setting behind the waves and the ocean was particularly rough that day. I took the photo with a large telephoto lens, because you have to be careful not to lose sight of your own safety in your enthusiasm. It was a great spectacle, but also beautiful and frightening at the same time. When I saw this photo later on my screen I knew this was it: I had mine perfect storm photo made!"

Seaweed in tidal pool

“In a small one tidal pool on an island in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland, I discovered pieces of colored seaweed floating in the water among the rocks. The seaweed was probably dislodged during a storm and during retreat seawater left in the pool. It seems like an insignificant subject and I think most photographers would have passed it by. But as a photographer I am often very focused on the details landscape and was immediately intrigued by the shapes, lines and subtle colors. To put it like the American photographer Eliot Porter – known for his 'intimate landscapes' to say: 'sometimes you can tell a large story with a tiny subject'. In retrospect, the photo really reminded me of the painter's work Jackson Pollock think. He made some of his paintings by letting the paint drip in irregular strings - on large - on canvases lying on the ground. As a nature photographer, I get some of my inspiration from the work of painters. Unlike when you are inspired by photos from others, you have much more freedom for your own interpretation.”

Sea snails in habitat

“Photographers tend to value photos that they have worked hard for more than photos taken, so to speak, out of a car window. The question is whether that is correct. After all, the audience does not know how much blood, sweat and tears went into making the photo. After all, she checks whether the image appeals or not. Yet it works that way for me too. And I worked very hard for this photo! During my Shaped by the sea photo project I came across the Atlantic coast of Europe, in various places, encounter the shells that you also see in this photo. Later I learned that they are sea snails, or more precisely: shellfish. I thought it was nice that these creatures are often found in very photogenic places: on beautifully colored rocks in the intertidal zone, so right along the flood edge, sometimes steep cliffs on the background. During a trip to the west coast of Portugal I found the perfect location for the photo I had in mind. A difficult one to reach beach, with a steep descent over an unmarked narrow path. Once downstairs it was delicious. A beautiful rugged place, full of scale horns. Three mornings in a row I got up before dawn, drove to the beach and carefully descended in the dark with my photo gear. Ultimately it fell to 3e In the morning everything came together nicely: a beautiful sky and enough time before the high water came up again. With a so-called wide-angle macro lens I was able to make the image, with the scale horns quite prominently in the picture and also the landscape around it.”

View here Theo Bosboom's website.