Wildlife Photography By Ignacio Yúfera: 30 Images Of Animals In The Wild

Bored Panda reached out to Ignacio Yúfera to learn more about his journey as a wildlife photographer, the challenges he faces in the field, and how his work contributes to wildlife conservation efforts. The photographer shared that he has been passionate about nature since he was a little boy, and was an avid birder and wildlife enthusiast long before he began taking photographs. "When digital photography became popular, I started doing digiscoping while birdwatching (attaching a compact digital camera to a spotting scope), and soon switched to digital DSLR looking for higher quality and the possibility of capturing action."

Ignacio told us that he lived in Spain, France, and Canada, and has always been particularly drawn to wide open spaces such as deserts, tundras, and high mountains. "The deserts and mountains of Morocco and the Middle East will always have a special place in my memories; I made the coffee-table book 'Birds of Morocco', with a foreword by Morocco’s Royal Princess, to show and celebrate the birdlife of that country.

However, when I moved to Panama in 2016, I discovered the beauty and unique birds and wildlife of the Cloud Forest, and since then, I’m doing most of my photography there, as well as its lowland and coastal rainforests, leading tours and workshops with my company Tamandua Nature Tours."

When asked about the most challenging part of capturing wildlife, Ignacio explained that, coming from Europe, the biggest challenge is getting close to the subject. "In Panama, where I now live, this is generally much less difficult, since there is little hunting and animals and birds are often less wary of humans. Working in the deep Neotropical forest, dealing with difficult light situations is often the most demanding task, something made much easier these days thanks to the high-ISO capabilities of the latest cameras."

"I think these days photography plays a major part in showing many species that before were very rarely seen by the general public. Traditionally, mainstream documentaries and magazines have focused mainly on large, iconic species. Thanks to social media, many photographers working with little-known animals can reach a large audience and raise awareness about conservation issues that previously were known by just a few field specialists."