My interest in nature photography began many years ago as a young boy growing up in post-war Germany. Annual school visits to the world-renowned Frankfurt Zoo, headed by Dr Bernard Grzimek, who was instrumental in establishing Serengeti National Park in Tanzania as the premier game park in Africa, were my inspiration to take up photography as a way to capture images of vanishing wilderness. That yearning has taken on a new intensity with the end of my career as an airline pilot and the advent of digital photography.

A life-long yearning to travel to faraway places has led me to locales as diverse as Alaska and the Galapagos, Iceland and East Africa. The study of wild animals and the landscapes they inhabit will inform the rest of my life and career as a nature photographer.

As my interest in photographing nature and capturing images of wild animals grew, I realized that I needed help and inspiration to create images that capture the innate beauty of a landscape and its people, as well as finding the decisive moment when an image of a wild animal becomes more than just properly exposed pixels, but reveals its true nature.

My first teacher was Arthur Morris, because I decided that to learn to properly photograph wildlife, birds were a good place to start, and Arthur is arguably the best in the business. I have been to Galapagos, Iceland and Alaska with Art, and I have learned more each time we travelled together. Many thanks, Artie!

Africa has always been where my heart and soul yearned to be. The diversity and richness of its landscapes and wildlife are seen nowhere else on Earth, in my opinion, and if photographing its wildlife and landscapes are the objective, there is no better teacher than Todd Gustafson. I have travelled to Kenya and Tanzania several times with Todd, and come back home after each safari with a desire to repeat the experience as soon as possible. Todd has an amazing ability during game drives to be in the right place at the right time, and I am truly grateful for his instruction, encouragement and most of all his friendship.

Being up early in the morning to capture golden light, coming back to camp after sunset to review the day's images, there is no other place I would like to be than out in nature with my camera. This website is the window through which I would like to share my images with you.

I welcome your enquiries and comments. Please send me an email at rbendjebar@mac.com