2023-09-03 10:00:59
The nature photographer Alois Absenger became world champion in 2016 with the “picture of his life”. Even today he still hunts the most spectacular motif in the southern Styrian Murauen every day.
His home is nature. For 40 years, Alois Absenger has been spending every free minute in the meadows, forests, streams and ponds to get the local wildlife in front of his lens. With nature photography of any kind you can stop time for a moment. “Nature directs, as a photographer I am only tolerated.” The wildlife photographer is fascinated by the world of birds: oriole, purple heron, white-tailed eagle, red-backed shrike, river piper, yellow wagtail – they all determine the focussed passion. “I leave the house at 5 a.m. and don’t come home until evening – every day, regardless of the weather.” The 71-year-old manages to take pictures that even professional photographers classify as a stroke of genius. “If you invest time and patience and if you’re lucky, you’ll eventually score the goal of the century.” Hundreds of professional and amateur photographers from 112 nations submitted 117,000 photos to this international competition. Alois Absenger convinced the jury with the “picture of his life”. What is behind this “golden” kingfisher photo leaves others in the hometown of St. Peter am Ottersbach amazed.You only get that lucky once in a lifetime.For weeks the nature boy lay in wait until he discovered the breeding nest. After that, staying in the camouflage tent for days to catch the magic moment in the cold stream water. The extremely shy bird perched on a prepared branch for a few seconds. The grazing light couldn’t have been better as Absenger squeezed the trigger with his clammy finger. Jackpot. “You only get that lucky once in a lifetime. If I had received 1 euro for every hour in the camouflage tent, I would have a fat Mercedes in front of the door,” laughs the trained master painter, who only discovered photography at the age of 30. In the beginning it was still “wild” motorsport events that the southern Styrian photographed, then musicians: “I had everyone from André Rieu to Helene Fischer in front of the lens, in the end nature photography took over.” , and the gigantic photo archive. “In Styria, no one has nature photos of this quality anymore that have appeared in numerous specialist magazines. Some photos have even gone around the world,” says the national and state champion, who could never live off the prize money, but is richly rewarded with unforgettable moments in nature. “I’ve experienced so many goosebump moments in nature that many never get to see.”Half of the birds have already disappearedOne makes Absenger sad and thoughtful. “In the past 15 years, a good half of the native birds have disappeared forever, and this year I’m missing a few again.” “There is no more improvement for me. But that’s not why I go abroad on safari and to take pictures. There is a lot of beauty on the doorstep, if you have the time and patience, you will be able to see it.”
#Nature #photographer #Absenger #Beauty #doorstep #photo #lens