It’s rare that someone wants to know about the person behind the camera, and I have to admit, I am comfortable in this position. My name is Peter Bredahl Dam and for me, photography is about the grandiose natural world, the one that never ceases to amaze me.
I am more than happy to walk in the woods before sunrise, waiting for the right moment to silently press the shutter release button and capture the beauty of nature for my fellow humans who are still asleep. Furthermore, I can sit patiently in a hide for hours at a time, bonding with birds over a few seeds or staring in awe at deer. I can easily forget about time following the tiniest bugs one can imagine.
My photography is much less about me than it is about them, but my journey started a long time ago.
A Photographer’s Story
When I was a child, I wanted to be either a zoologist or a wildlife photographer. Both professional choices were based on my strong passion and love for animals. However, my dad owned a chain of photography and computer stores around Denmark. So, I got comfortable with cameras and computers early on. This initially tipped the scales in favor of photography. I remember biking to a local wetland area and trying to capture images of bird life. My photos were quite bad, but I enjoyed every moment of being outdoors and spying on birds. But as a teenager, my interests diverted towards computers. From then on, I remained loyal to those two, and that was the route my working life took.
In 2013, I decided to focus on nature photography 100%, and I never looked back. It is a vast genre that keeps me outdoors and allows me to photograph diverse subject matters. Such as landscapes, animals, insects, and plants. So, I can honestly say that I have done my share of landscape and macro photography.
In the end, my love for animals won, and I had to admit that my heart was and always will be with wildlife photography, really. This is what gets the adrenaline kicking and makes me painstakingly follow wildlife websites and schedule trips. This is what got me into teaching, too, because it hurts to see how people mistakenly take wildlife photography for a form of trophy hunting, and not learn the story of the animals, like their struggles and highlights, thinking about why they go to certain places instead of others.
What I Value the Most
I aim to help people appreciate the natural world. That’s my mission as a nature photographer. People can admire the subject of a photograph and value the photographer for showing them something they can’t go and see for themselves, but that is just appreciating the aesthetic part or the novelty factor. I want them to feel, connect with nature, learn its stories, and care about it. I want them to understand the concept of an ecosystem, respect plants and animals, and take responsibility for their actions. That’s why I teach fellow nature and wildlife photographers not just about technique but also about storytelling, planning photo sessions, and how not to interfere with or disturb their subjects.
Finding My Artistic Voice
It wasn’t difficult for me to know what I wanted to photograph. I had the intention before I had the means. However, I had to find a style that suited my purpose, values, and workflow. That came with time and experience. It makes the process a bit faster if you listen to your intuition.
I really love soft light, so I follow my heart in this regard, too. I am usually out before sunrise, catching the softest light and watching wildlife’s behavior before anyone else gets out of bed. It can be hard to get up. But for me, the silence and calm state of nature that you experience at this time of the day is worth everything. Plus, the light is exactly how I like it. Whenever possible, I use backlighting, and that added a certain consistency to my body of work: golden hour plus backlighting.
I also enjoy minimalist compositions, and I make mine as simple as possible by using out-of-focus foregrounds and backgrounds and putting all the focus on the animal. It enriches the story and adds a sense of depth. Nature is never flat, regular, or boring, and I intend to show this through my work.
The Photo Equipment of a Nature and Wildlife Photographer
Nowadays, I shoot mostly with a Nikon Z8 and a Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 lens. Like any wildlife photographer, I dream about the ultimate telephoto lens, which in my case is the Nikon Z 600mm f/4 with an inbuilt teleconverter. I’m saving up whilst enjoying shooting with the lens I have.
A guy like me spends a lot of time in a hide or dressed up in funny camouflage clothes. I now even own a drysuit and a floating hide. That is how I can get close enough to animals, even with my 400mm lens. I also spend a lot of time researching bird and animal species, learning about their timeline and lifestyle, and making plans for when to be in which location for the best shot of encountering one or another. But when nothing comes together, I mount the camera on a tripod and set up a photo session in my backyard. There, insects and birds are always welcome.
I believe in high-quality gear, but I don’t believe in owning a lot of it. Plus, I get rid of anything I don’t use anymore and refuse to carry any piece of equipment “just in case.” Just like when I was a child, I often bike to a location, so I pack very light.
For my videos, I have a bit more gear than what I use for photography. Such as a second camera, a microphone, some lighting equipment, and, of course, a computer. However, they all came over time and only when they were really needed. Keep it light if you can.
Current Focus
That’s the part I love telling people about: what’s currently in front of my lens. At the moment, I am caught up in photographing Kingfishers and water birds. It’s almost winter in Denmark, the fallow and red deer rut seasons are over. But we now have some Kingfishers as winter guests from Sweden. So, I’m focusing on them. They are incredibly colorful and beautiful and, sadly, rare. But that’s not to say I don’t enjoy encountering other water birds, such as grebes and cormorants.
I am also focusing more on raising awareness and teaching about animal behavior and storytelling in wildlife photography. It’s a topic I feel deeply about.
Future Exploration: The Trail Camera Project
Future projects that are currently on my mind are working with local nature reserves and getting better access to photograph some of the species on my bucket list. The main goal is to find and understand tricky animals like the fox and badgers. I need to learn their habits and where they hide using using trail cameras as extra eyes when I’m not able to just sit and wait. I am reaching out to local officials and land owners to get offroad access permits. This would allow me to follow animal paths and tracks into deep parts of reserves and private land.
My big goal is to better predict when and where they will appear, and then set up quietly and wait, so I don’t scare them. Hopefully this will turn into a bigger collaboration where I share all the photos and information with the local nature reserves. This way, my passion for photography helps protect the wildlife here in Denmark.
Final Thoughts
That’s me, Peter Bredahl Dam, the nature photographer, and that’s the journey that brought me here. I hope, and put a lot of effort into making my work inspiring and helping others find their way in the world of nature and wildlife photography. It’s an extremely rewarding field. Feel free to reach out or subscribe to my YouTube channel if you share my passion and want to know more.
