Michel D'Oultremont

There was never any doubt that Michel D’Oultremont would make his life behind the camera. Keith Wilson hears how this young master from Belgium found success by following an ethos of pure wildlife photography

- Michel D'Oultremont

AT WHAT AGE do you become too old? In Michel d’Oultremont’s case it is 27. While that may sound incredulous to most of us, in Michel’s case turning 27 has proven to be a critical point in his brief career as a professional wildlife photographer.

Turning 27 means he’s too old to enter the Rising Star Portfoilio Award in the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, run by the Natural History Museum in London. This award is open to photographers aged 18 to 26 for a portfolio of six photographs, and Michel has won it – twice. The first time was in 2014 with a collection of images taken in the rural low country of the Netherlands and Belgium. Speaking about that first success, the Belgian-born photographer said at the time: “I try to photograph the environment first, along with animals that happen to live in it, pass through it, or engage with it. I want to take pictures that do justice to the emotion that this generates for me and in this way helps raise awareness of the beauty of nature and the importance of conservation.” Michel’s second success in the competition came four years later in 2018. He had another set of six pictures that (except for one) were confined to that small area of northern Europe, which has been his home and favoured photo haunt throughout his life. His competition success is further proof that the best pictures are often made in an environment as familiar as your own home – requiring frequent return trips, local knowledge, and a depth of understanding that a single fleeting visit can never truly attain.