Knut Erik Alnæs ¬– Showcasing the often-unseen beauty of wildlife

Knut Erik Alnæs fell in love with photography when he was 9 and borrowed his father’s video camera to film roe deer and red foxes around their cabin. “I loved being close to wildlife and being able to relive the experience afterwards,” he explains. A couple of years later he bought a Canon EOS 550D digital SLR and has been hooked on nature and wildlife photography ever since.

When he was 15, Knut Erik was awarded second place in the Young Nordic Nature Photographer of the Year contest. While it was great to have his images acknowledged by the professionals that had inspired him, it was also a perfect way to get to know other photographers, to expand his network and thereby his source of inspiration.

For years Knut Erik considered photography as a serious hobby that happened to bring an income. He continued to win awards, but it wasn’t until Canon first reached out to him in 2019 that he realised that photography could be more than a hobby. However, he had signed up to study law at the University of Oslo, and he wasn’t about to back out on that.

Being a full-time law student and a full-time nature photographer requires hard work and great organisational skills. Dedication and time management are key to succeeding in both.

As advice for anyone interested in nature photography, Knut Erik says the first thing is to spend time in nature. Second thing is persistence and patience. With wildlife, there are a lot of times when you catch nothing. But that is not a reason to give up. Even if you don’t take any pictures, it will still have been a great nature experience.

It is important to have fun. Knut Erik says it can be useful to share experiences with other photographers. Teaming up means you have double the eyes, which increases the odds of spotting something amazing.

And on a more technical level, it is important to be aware of two angles: that of the light and that of the subject. Planning ahead, you should think about the light in which you want to photograph your subject, then find the best angle for that purpose. When it comes to the subject, try to be at the same level and preferably create a complementary foreground for it.