My work is linked to the tradition of staged photography, portraiture and to the still-life tradition in visual art. I try to plan everything, for example, the branches and the lighting, so that I don’t have to change the setting during the shoot. As I photograph, I mostly remain calm in my place and react to what the bird is doing. Working with live birds is exciting and surprising. They are intelligent, mysterious creatures. The gaze of the animal is important in the images. I look at the bird and the bird looks at me. My images are both sharp and documentary, but at the same time theatrical and dreamlike. Photography – to me – is a powerful tool to show things. My aim is to work on a large scale so that people can see the birds like they never have seen them before. Images are full of details and visual enjoyment.

My work has long been influenced by my collaboration with scientists and my interest in observing nature. I’m fascinated by biodiversity and I want to highlight that in my work. The species I’m photographing are all suffering some form of endangerment. I'm concerned about the state of nature and about the decline of bird and insect species.