Q&A with Wildlife Photographer: Michel D’Oultremont “The Rising Star”

Michel is a precocious talent. At 22 years old only he already won 2 of the most prestigious wildlife photography prizes and is about to release his first book “A l’Affut” (“On The Lookout”) and yet still a student at a school of photography. iLHP is particularly honored to have him answer our questions and he has been kind enough to let us discover even more his world as a wildlife photographer.

iLHP: Hi Michel, I am very pleased and honored to be able to interview you for our online magazine. Indeed, as some might not know already, you just won at the end of 2014, two of the most prestigious wildlife photography prizes! (the Rising Star Award of the BBC Wildlife of London and the Fritz Polking Nachwuchspreis from the GDT of Lunen for photographers under 23). So I am very glad to showcase your photographs here! To start with, can you just tell us a little bit about you?

Michel: Hi, well thanks for inviting me in this magazine. What can I say ? I was born in 1992, in a very small village in the country side of Belgium drowned in a beautiful intact nature. I was very lucky to grow up among animals and little by little I became passionate about them.

Underneath: Michel Hiking in fantastic landscapes to find the most amazing species.

The Best Dog Photographers who Support a Cause: Help Us Give Back

I have been a proud dog owner my entire life. There has probably not been more than a month in between the passing of a beloved dog before another four-legged friend was welcomed into my home.

Currently I have two dachshunds:  Thumper and Truffles.  Thumper has undergone two back surgeries due to several slipped discs that left him paralyzed in the hind legs since the early age of five (he is currently 13).  Thumper was recently diagnosed with cancer for the second time in two years and had his ear canal removed on Christmas Eve. He is undergoing chemotherapy at the present time.

Thumper in his Santa Suit | Christmas 2013 | Taken by Alyssa Black |

Truffles joined our family 11 years ago while I was residing in Florida. Truffles and I were acquainted while Thumper and I were at the vet’s for a routine visit when another dachshund owner and I began talking. The lovely lady had a new chocolate dachshund puppy and was telling me that her friend had one more puppy that she was not able to care for because she had a baby on the way. I quickly took the doxie owner’s phone number and contacted her immediately after the visit. My friend and I rushed over to meet Truffles. I instantly fell in love with her and took her home right away. The owner at the time only asked for the $150 vet expenses she had incurred. My best friend Ally graciously offered to cover the cost as a gift to me.  Truffles is by far one of the best gifts I have ever received to date.

Truffles sunning herself in the foreground with Thumper in the background | Taken by Alyssa Black

I thought a good way to give back to these loving animals in need was to donate $1 for every share + like of this post on Facebook to a local animal shelter till January 31, 2015.  I hope by spreading the word I will be able to help raise awareness for our furry friends in need and give them a voice that so many of them desperately need.

7 Reasons Why the iPhone 6 is My Camera of Choice

I know that this is probably shunned by many professional and semi-professional photographers alike. I can even hear my own friends teasing me from behind the shadow of my words. I think it’s time I come out of the closet.

I love taking pictures on my iPhone 6.

Please allow me to put in a disclaimer here. I have full intentions of purchasing the Sony a7ii. I also have a a so-called, “real camera”. I just know that I will always secretly hold onto my iPhone 6 with a quiet passion.

Let me explain the 7 reasons why my iPhone 6 just makes me happy.

7. Sharing is Caring

My friends, today’s world is all about sharing. We are the selfie generation, and unless you are putting your head in the sand, you have been posting pictures in Instagram, Facebook, Flickr, and other social media platforms.

How quick is the iPhone in uploading these images? As quick as you are in taking them!

With the Internet on hand, there is no need to wait to get home, load the image on your computer, and then post to your favourite platform of choice. You have EVERYTHING that you could possibly need on one devise. And, let’s face it, sometimes speed does count.

10 Reasons To Switch From A DSLR To A Mirrorless System (With examples: Nikon vs Sony)

The Sony A7s, first Full Frame mirrorless camera that can reach 409 600 ISO

Choosing one’s photographic equipment can be both complicated for professionals and extremely difficult for beginners and amateurs. Pros make a living thanks to their equipment (not only their equipment of course, talent too) and thus know what they need in terms of specs for their cameras, lenses and accessories in order to capture their images in the best possible conditions but there are so many options that even them can get lost. Beginners are drowned in a saturated market which also offers a lot of niches, letting their equipment dictate their images.

Just like Jason Lanier who switched from Nikon to Sony and Serge Ramelli (by the way Serge has amazing tutorials on YouTube!) who switched from Canon to Sony (A7s for Jason, A7r for Serge) or even Michael Shainblum, many other professionals are either changing or starting to study the possibilities, pros and cons, to switch to a mirrorless system. Their decisions are interesting to study and understand why this system is a game changer, not only for consumers like us, but also for professionals. Switching from a traditional DSLR to a mirrorless system like Sony’s for a pro represents a big change, not as much as switching from film cameras to digital cameras, but this new technology is nowadays reliable and represents its little revolution of its own in the photography field.

Here are 10 reasons why it makes sense to switch to a mirrorless:

The Curious Houses Along the Venice Canals

Los Angeles is not so much a unified city as a massive conglomeration of smaller cities. To outsiders, you come from Los Angeles. To locals, you are from Santa Monica, Hollywood, Pasadena, KTown, Van Nuys, Inglewood, Beverley Hills, or etc. It is a tapestry of neighborhoods that flow into one another with undefined visual or geographic borders. There is no Los Angeles and everywhere is Los Angeles.

“Which part of the city are you from” is of chief concern among new friends, business partners, and potential lovers because your answer will dictate your socioeconomic status, your cultural heritage, and your commute. When Lorde sang about post code envy, she was probably referring to Los Angeles.

Sandwiched between Marina Del Rey, Santa Monica, and the Pacific Ocean is a neighborhood unlike any other in LA. The Venice Canal Historic District was an early twentieth century attempt at recreating the Italian romanticism in the heart of sunny California. The area has had its cycle of prosperity and disrepair and the houses lining those canals reflect those periods of change.

I took a stroll through this neighborhood on a crisp winter evening. With the neck strap of my Sony A7 loosely wrapped around my right wrist, here’s what I saw through a Leica Summaron 35mm f/2.8.