RTL Today - Wonder of wildlife: Luxembourg wildlife photographer inspires us to love nature

Sparking interest in the natural world around us is the raison d’être for young Luxembourger photographer.

Kevin Duclos is a wildlife photographer who expertly and delicately represents a wide range of wildlife in his photography; everything from bees, butterflies, dragonflies, woodpeckers, blackbirds as well as roe deer, foxes, badgers and his firm favourite owls simply because “they are just interesting” he tells RTL Today.

Fragile nature

Showcasing the beauty and fragility of these species, of wonderful fleeting moments happening in nature, all the while raising awareness of the natural wildlife around us is what informs Kevin’s passion, he says.

In the midst of our busy, modern lifestyles he believes it’s important to tread carefully and take the time to listen and hear what is living and breathing around us in our gardens and woodlands.

“It’s about finding that fine balance between economy, ecology and social activity," states the 28-year-old.

"My aim is really to say to people to open your eyes, take the time to listen to the natural sounds around you in the forest," says the Mersch native, who first discovered a passion for wildlife photography while a student in Montpellier.

"There are living beings in these spaces and when we enter them we are entering their home and we need to respect this. This is what we expect from other human beings.

“I wanted to raise awareness of this and use wildlife photography as a tool to show people what we have in nature. I wanted to go back to this simple way of educating, maybe in a way, people.

“How can we collaborate and cooperate with nature and protect habits while maintaining our lifestyle? I know myself I am also polluting and having an impact on nature so I think it’s about noticing that there is a lot more going on and we sometimes need to reconnect with what’s around us,” he adds.

Diversity

The diversity of species that can be found in one garden is a deep source of fascination for Kevin.

By photographing the various insects, birds and mammals as well as plants that are found in a regular garden, Kevin was able to put together an inventory of what he uncovered to better understand the vital pollination process.

“I wanted to see if there was a correlation between the plants and the species that are present in a garden.”

And Kevin hasn't just stayed behind the camera - in order to share what he has discovered, he has even held workshops for kids on this theme, helping them to tap into their natural curiosity about the world around them.

He has also run workshops for adults on how pollinating species work with plants, why it is important to have a lot of diversity in flowers and why it’s important to connect different habitats so the species can travel from one to another.

Taking this love of wildlife even further, he has participated in a variety of conservation and nature studies.

Earlier this year, he travelled to Sedbergh in the UK for a month-long focused study on the dipper bird, Britian’s only aquatic songbird. The objective of the research was to determine whether the noise of the river where the birds are found affects communication between them, Kevin explains.

Endangered species

With a keen sense of ecological awareness since his teens, Kevin has also volunteered with conservation projects in far flung places.

Seeking out opportunities in this vein brought him to a natural reserve in South Africa where he worked with a team from the organisation Wildlife Act to protect endangered species – namely African wild dogs, white rhinos and cheetahs.

This was a deeply personal and satisfying experience, Kevin recalls, to see the impact he was having on safeguarding the future of these vulnerable animals.

Another cause close to Kevin's heart that he mentions is tree planting in sub-Saharan Africa to promote bio diversity and develop a sustainable eco-system for species that live there.

And it's fair to say that Kevin is not short of inspiration from those around him as his father, Ody Marc Ducros, is co-founder of La Foundation Coeur Vert, which carries out projects focused on environmental protection.

Kevin’s passion for capturing the living heritage around us cannot but inspire. “My purpose is that I want to respect species and respect how independent they are and how they manage to survive. By discovering photography, I was able to see wildlife in a different way,” he affirms.

You can keep following Kevin Duclos' projects and photography on his Instagram and website.