Wanting to pass on his impressive knowledge of photography, Roie Galitz founded his own school of photography in Israel in 2007. The Galitz School of Photography has increasingly than 30,000 graduates to date. As a speaker, Roie has lectured in 3 TEDx events, at the United Nations headquarters and at several climate conferences, among others. Furthermore, he is the founder of Phototeva, a photography trek visitor with many heady destinations and photographers.

Brown Withstand hunting Salmon in Kamchatka ©Roie Galitz 

Roie Galitz unchangingly looked at the world with his own, variegated view. As if he looked at the world in a photographer’s way, plane surpassing he held a camera. Not surprisingly, when his first paycheck rolled in, he bought his first camera in 2002. From that moment on, he was impressed with the results and immediately saw the possibilities that photography offered to share his vision of the world with the public. When he started to take his camera to photograph nature in Africa in 2006, it was simply love of nature that inspired him. But in 2014, during an trek to Svalbard, he saw the effects of global climate transpiration compared to his previous trek there in 2012. This made a huge impression and influenced the way he started using nature photography to tell his story.

Inspiration

“We as photographers are storytellers. We offer people the opportunity to see things they would never see on their own. A photo is a presentation of your view of the world, people go there through your photo. So with each photo you tell your story and the increasingly interesting the story, the increasingly people are involved. That’s moreover why I try to make the animals squint like people, requite them a character, show not only the differences but moreover the similarities, which makes it easier for people to connect with them. And when you see people’s vision light up, then you know they are connected.

Mother polar withstand breastfeeding her twins © Roie Galitz

For me, the rarer the subject and the increasingly difficult the conditions, the increasingly it attracts me to go there with my camera. At home in Israel, it’s hot, so when I go on an expedition, I deliberately squint for something different. That’s one of the reasons I’m very attracted to unprepossessed and remote areas like the tundra and Antarctica. It is moreover one of the places where the impact of global warming is very evident. I’ve photographed polar bears starving considering they can no longer venery as the ice melts too quickly. And when you see that with your own eyes, you can’t ignore it anymore and you have to do something well-nigh it. Doing nothing well-nigh it can only be considered negligence.

But it is not only climate transpiration that threatens wildlife in these areas. For example, virtually a thousand polar bears are killed by trophy hunters every year. People don’t know well-nigh it, we have to point it out to them if we want to transpiration it.”

Last embrace - Lioness cub and sufferer elephant © Roie Galitz

Inspiring photographers

“Photography has been on the rise for the last few decades and the world is full of photographers today. Moreover the level has risen a lot in the last twenty years. I have seen it happen, considering I moreover judge competitions, the bar is set at a very upper level. Among all those photographers, there are at least thirty to forty photographers who I find very good and inspiring. I like it when I see photographers looking for ways to push their boundaries, especially, but, only if it is washed-up in a good way with respect for nature and the environment. I am convinced that, like everyone else, I still have a long way to go. You are never at the top, considering there is no top.

It is important that you constantly try to learn, try to modernize yourself. The increasingly you get out there, the increasingly you try, the increasingly you don’t like your photos, the largest you will become! Unchangingly be artistically frustrated, winnow that the increasingly photos you take, the less happy you will be with the results you are increasingly likely to get largest results as long as you alimony pushing yourself. Alimony reminding yourself that there will be favorite photos, but there is no best. The moment you are convinced that you have taken your weightier picture, you can stop taking pictures, considering from then on it can only go downhill.”

Male polar withstand trying wildlife photography © Roie Galitz

Preparation

“When I travel, I start by creating a shot list, a list that has the ideas worked out of the photos I want to take during my trip. Working with such a shot list makes it essential to prepare. I need to have everything under control. For example, I unchangingly lease my private boats so that I can be where I need to be with that wend to get the shots I have in mind. If I were an opportunistic photographer, just going out and seeing what happens, what crosses my path, I would definitely not succeed.

But plane if you have a list and go well prepared, don’t expect to tick all the boxes on your shot list during your trip. Unchangingly alimony in mind that although you can travel with your list, nature will not read your script.

With my travel company, we organize well-nigh seventy trips a year. And we tell our clients to prepare their shot list as well. And in doing so, it doesn’t matter if they use professional photographic equipment or just their lamina phone. For them, too, the journey begins at home.”

Elephant male in Musth © Roie Galitz

Signature

“When I think of what my signature could be, two things come to mind, technique and aesthetics.

I value technique, so photos, for me, have to be of upper quality.

And as I said surpassing I try to humanize the animals in my photos, so that people can connect with them, fall in love with them. That’s moreover why I scrutinizingly unchangingly use photos that are aesthetically pleasing, that show the eyeful of nature and wildlife. And once the connection is made, I try to bring people to an understanding, to make them enlightened of pressing environmental issues. It’s been my wits that people don’t get a connection if you show them the horrific consequences of human impact on nature over the years. And if there is no connection, your message is lost and it becomes a lost battle.”

Brown Withstand in Kamchatka © Roie Galitz

Ambition

“My yearing is to help protect the world’s fragile species and habitats. And although I love photography, I consider it a tool. For me, it’s a starting point, not the end result. I think raising sensation of pressing environmental issues is weightier washed-up with inspiring lectures. As photographers, we cannot be naive; we are activists. We have to tell what is happening and moreover tell where and what solutions can be found. Therefore, for me, photos are a ways to tell the stories that need to be told.

Since I have spoken at the United Nations, at Greenpeace meetings, etc., I notice that people are getting increasingly involved. But it’s going too slow, we don’t have time, we have to speed it up.

With our photography expeditions, we are targeting three groups of people. First, we need to get politicians on board, considering politicians are key figures for implementing increasingly sustainability in global policy. The second group is the people with money. Money is the cause, but moreover the solution. I took CEOs of very large companies on a trip to Svalbard. When they saw with their own vision the effects of climate change, they immediately decided to use reusable plastics in their companies from then on instead of single-use plastics. The third group are the influencers, for example people like Greta Thunberg and Leonardo di Caprio. We help them build their story and provide them with visuals.

Polar Bears male and sexuality during courtship © Roie Galitz

I moreover try to transform (trophy) hunters into photographers. Hunters and photographers have a lot in common. I am happy that I have succeeded so far in converting a number of hunters, who are now regulars on my expeditions as spanking-new photographers.

Furthermore I am trying to set up my own NGO and raise a lot of money, with the aim of ownership hunting permits and then destroying them. It may sound strange, but it is necessary in this way. By ownership these hunting permits, we are supporting the local people who depend on this money for their livelihood. And then destroying these hunting permits will help to end the needless shooting of animals.

I am very optimistic and based on my preliminaries I know we will survive. But we have to realize that the sooner we start, the less impact it will have on us as individuals. Yes, it will stupefy all of us, but if we do it now, it will be much cheaper than if we start in 10 years. It is like cancer and we need to treat when it is just discovered, not wait until it is in its final stages.”

Spirit Withstand in British Columbia © Roie Galitz

Photography contest

“Participating in photography contests like Nature Photographer of the Year was for me in the whence mainly to establish my brand. Later it was increasingly well-nigh meeting and getting to know other photographers, towers a network.

If you squint at photography competitions today, you see that the bar is getting higher and higher, so you have to push yourself. The competition pushes you vastitude your limits. But don’t forget that stuff among the winners of a races is moreover a matter of luck, and remember that the judges are important.”

Polar Bears hunting a Seal in Svalbard © Roie Galitz

Social Media

“For me stuff zippy on FB and IG is a necessary part in creating business, getting exposure and influencing people. I need sponsors for my activities and to get sponsors it is necessary to reach a wide audience.”

Covid-19 effects

“First of all, I think Covid-19 taught us a very important lesson well-nigh humility, reminding us that we are not whilom nature but part of it. Having said that, I must moreover shoehorn that the last two years have been very tough. Owning a travel visitor during a pandemic ways merchantry is bad. It kept me indoors and provided a lot of time to play dad, which of undertow was a pleasant downside. But I am grateful that we have put this period overdue us and that things are getting when to normal.”

At the end of the interview I asked Roie the question: “if you could ask flipside nature photographer one question, who would that be and which question would you ask?

Roie answered right away: “I talk to many photographers regularly and unchangingly ask any questions I have. I think as photographers we are part of a small community, we need each other and we can unzip increasingly if we work together. So my motto is; if you have a question for a person, just go to that person and ask that question!”

Arctic Fox yawning © Roie Galitz