Alejandro Prescott-Cornejo: My father, he passed away in 2016 and in March or April of the following year, so 2017 is when I picked up my first camera. And I think for me that kind of process of, mourning and trying to figure out like, wow, there’s this huge hole in my life, led me back to nature, but this way actually interacting with it myself, being outdoors and trying to just, see all of the animals I could, trying to discover my creative eye, and realistically spending time in places where I was able to be alone with my thoughts. And process everything in a much slower way than in my regular life. So wildlife photography for me from the beginning was a way to get over a very difficult period in my life.

Mike DiGirolamo: Welcome to the Mongabay Newscast. I’m your co-host, Mike DiGirolamo, bringing you weekly conversations with experts, authors, scientists, and activists working on the front lines of conservation, shining a light on some of the most pressing issues facing our planet, and holding people in power to account. This podcast is edited on Gadigal Land. Today, on the Newscast, we speak with Alejandro Prescott Cornejo, the senior marketing associate here at Mongabay. Alejandro is my colleague of over four years, and today he shares his story about how he came to connect with nature and eventually find his way to working with Mongabay. He has perhaps one of the most interesting backgrounds I’ve ever seen growing up in a bilingual household. He actually speaks four languages and has a strong familial connection with Spain and its natural beauty. However, Alejandro is known online as APC amongst his followers for his wildlife photography, and we delve into that today, as well as the ethics of the art form, what makes a good photo, and how anyone listening can find their own way into this beloved, medium. Alejandro’s work, as well as that of several other staff members here at Mongabay, is featured in a special exhibit just outside Boston, Massachusetts titled Biophilia, which is currently running through November. And if you can, you’re encouraged to visit it for more information, please refer to the show notes. It will become apparent to you that I really enjoyed speaking with Alejandro and I think it’s essential to highlight the humanity he embodies, which many people I speak with about nature share, which is finding peace and healing in the natural world.

Alejandro, welcome to the Mongabay Newscast. It is a pleasure to have you with us today.

Alejandro: Oh, thanks so much, Mike. After listening to this show for so many years, it’s, pleasure to finally be in the, I guess interviewee seat. So thanks so much.

Mike: Yeah. I’m gonna put you on the hot seat today. We’re gonna talk about a lot. But I wanna start with–don’t be too nervous–but I wanna start with, the fact that you have lived all over the world. You speak multiple languages that reflect a lot of the diversity of the places that you’re from, things like Portuguese, Spanish, French, so can you talk to me about how you came to speak all these languages, how it affects your connection to the places that you’ve lived in.

Alejandro: Yeah, of course. I appreciate you saying that. But first of all, I did wanna clarify. I definitely have not lived all over the world. Most of the places I’ve lived in have either been in the United States, Canada, the UK and, Spain primarily. But, just to give you some, a bit of context, I come from a household where my mother was from Spain and my father was from, New York, from the Bronx and Harlem specifically. Both of them were Spanish literature professors. In our household where we, mainly lived, in the US and Canada for most of my like life until I turned, I became an adult. So most of the time they were like, you know what? They’re already gonna learn English on the streets during their regular lives. So why don’t we make the home a place where they can speak Spanish? So I remember when I was a little boy, my mother had a rule where it’s like you’d only speak Spanish at home, and if you spoke English, you had to pay. So I’d have to give her like a few coins or something like that. So I really credit both my mother and my father, who was not even a native Spanish speaker, for making the home, I guess an environment where we were able to. I guess really develop another, first language. Because for me, the language I started speaking first was Spanish at home with my parents. And it was only like a little bit later when English started to come into the picture. So whenever people ask me, what’s your first language? It’s I really have two because I feel just as comfortable in each and I have an emotional connection to both. When I was about I think six or seven, that’s when we moved to Canada. That’s when I first started learning French. And I remember sitting in class and I was like, oh, shoot, some of this basic stuff sounds very similar to Spanish. And I think because of that I had a headstart compared to other people who might’ve just been coming from an anglophone background. So that was the third language I picked up. And then when I went on to university, it’s a funny story because I initially wanted to learn Arabic. However, they gave the spots to, upper year students. So that was fully… those classes were full. So I was like, all right, I wanna learn another language, but I don’t wanna wait a year to start that. So I was like, all right, let try Portuguese. Funnily enough, Portuguese was even more similar to Spanish than French was. It was like, oh, like the writing looks almost identical. You switch, a few endings, a few pronunciations and stuff like that. But in the end it’s basically the same. So picking up Portuguese was very easy for me, and I think probably to this day it might be my favorite language. And because I started learning it all those years ago, within about two years, I was able to become fluent. And, connecting it back to my work in Mongabay, it absolutely been like a game changer when I go to in-person events because so many of the conservation conversations are about the Amazon, they are about Brazil. So it’s crazy when I see I start speaking to someone in English and all of a sudden I see their expression change when I’m able to switch to Portuguese, and then you discover a whole nother person who’s able to, just be themselves and express themselves a lot better. So it’s really like meeting people halfway there. Yeah. I don’t know if you were gonna say something else.

Mike: No, I, no, I, was actually, I just had a conversation with our co-host, Rachel Donald, about how much Language is important for communicating local knowledge, and that’s something that we cover a lot of. I’m gonna connect the dots here real soon, but first I wanna understand what, when did, you, when did you like, forge your strong connection with nature? What precipitated that for you in your life?

Alejandro: That’s a great question. and over the years, it’s one I find myself coming back to over and over. I came from a family that wasn’t very outdoorsy. like I mentioned, both of my parents were literature professors. that said, I do believe my connection to nature began with my family, specifically my father, when I was, when I was little. We used to watch a lot of nature documentaries, like I’m sure many families did. but I do remember specifically visions of being in our living room in Pennsylvania and state college actually where Penn State is. And, seeing lions on tv, doing their thing hunting, zebras, wildebeest, Impala, whatever that was. And then afterwards my dad would be acting out like the lions and pretending like he was a lion kind of roaring and trying to scare us and stuff like that. and after that I just started to, take that on and it became part of my personality. something I haven’t really spoken about too much in Mongabay, but I love, like impersonating animals. So that’s a way that I guess, my connection nature, that’s how it started. and then it’s just flourished both through the wildlife photography I do. And now, like actually since, my masters where I just dove into a career in conservation and it’s spiraled into the future, with Manga Bay here, which is, yeah, it’s a beautiful thing to see, honestly.

Mike: And when. Because you’re a photographer, and I’m not sure if a lot of listeners know that. And so when did your passion for wildlife photography begin? How did that take shape?

Alejandro: Oh yeah. You know what I’ve been doing wildlife photography now for about eight years, and I have to say that the way it started isn’t necessarily the happiest of reasons. So unfortunately my father, he passed away in 2016, at the end of 2016. And if I’m not mistaken, in March or April of the following year, so 2017 is when I picked up my first camera. And I think for me, that kind of process of, mourning and trying to figure out like, wow, there’s this huge hole in my life led me back to nature. But this way, actually interacting with it myself, being outdoors, and trying to just, see all of the animals I could, trying to discover my creative eye, and realistically, spending time in places where I was able to be alone with my thoughts and process everything in a much slower way than in my regular life. So wildlife photography for me from the beginning was a way to get over a very difficult period in my life. And it’s continued into a passion that I never could have imagined because up until I picked up a camera, I thought that my only passion in life was like basketball. Basketball, till this day is still a great passion of mine and something I continue to play. But I never thought I would be able to love something just as much and sometimes even more and in definitely in different ways than basketball. But wildlife photography became that.

Mike: First of all, Alejandro, I didn’t know that. And, I am incredibly sorry that you lost your father. That is a, that is heartrending to hear. It’s not…it doesn’t entirely surprise me that you found your way to nature through a process of healing. It is something that I have heard more and more people express to me, and it’s also a way that I found my way to nature as well. But in that process, you capture some truly stunning photos, I have to say. They’re really gorgeous for people to look at. They’re gonna be featured on the, thumbnail artwork of this podcast episode. I’ll also link them to, link to your website for folks that are interested in checking them out. But, what would you say, about wildlife photography, now fills you or perhaps surprises you that you didn’t expect to see or find out about the practice?

Alejandro: That’s a really great question. I think. Along the way in my wildlife photography journey, there’s been quite a bit of development. There was a time where I thought, okay, I just wanna, I just want to get my pictures out to the world. I wanna show everybody. I was thinking, oh, should I start selling the pictures? I don’t know. All I wanna do is be recognized as this great wildlife photographer. That was very early on. Then I started to realize, oh wait, I think there’s a bit of a gap in wildlife photography. And that is because we don’t really have that much strong instruction or freely available, instruction and learning for up and coming wildlife photographers. So on one hand, yes, I still wanted to create absolutely beautiful photographs, however, it became more of a, okay, as long as I’m happy with my wildlife photography, as long as I feel like I’m progressing and creating more beautiful things, then that’s fine. But there was this other aspect, like I just mentioned, that I wanted to help bring the wildlife photography community forward. So the way that I started doing that was through my web website, APC wildlife photography, where I started to write a lot of educational content on, gear, tutorials for people, how to photograph specific animals, how to use different techniques and stuff like that. And that’s an effort that continues to this day. Even if I’m not able to publish as much as I would like to, compared to when I had more time. I still, continue to see the impact of my work, on people. Whether that’s by seeing, the actual data of people reaching my website or, out of the blue. Sometimes I will get messages on Instagram from people being like, Hey, look, I read your review on, this lens. And it really helped me, can you give me a bit more? Oh, I read your, article about shore birds and it was really great. Like, how can, can we take it a bit further? So for me, it’s like seeing the tangible, should I say the real world impact of, something that started as me just writing, little articles from my bedroom in Ottawa during the pandemic turned into something that seems to be actually helping people’s lives, and I guess fomenting that connection with nature. The other thing I would say is that when I began wildlife photography and to this day, I still maintain that the best way to do it is in your local patch. Okay. When I lived in Ottawa, especially during the pandemic, I would go out like each and every day, sometimes twice a day for probably two to three hours, sometimes more. If I had to go a bit, if I found it, I guess a very interesting animal that was very patient with me. But honestly what got me through that time, in Ottawa was just spending time with this one great Blue Heron, who I got to know very well. And then when I moved to Oxford, where I’ve been for several years, then I found a new local patch and I was like, wow. If I come here each and every day, I get to see incredibly beautiful things. Whether that’s sunrises, whether that’s new animals coming through, whether it’s birds, otters, or anything like that. And I am privileged to see a lot of moments in nature that a lot of people wouldn’t, be able to. And I get to come back, capture that on my camera, and make beautiful art with it and also share it with, with my loved ones. So

Mike: That is, that is incredible to hear you mention that like it’s really key to get to know your local area. It’s a sentiment I see shared by birders, a lot of birders say when you start birding, you actually really begin to start to know where you live. Would you say that wildlife photography has like a similar kind of effect on you?

Alejandro: Yes. I think there are a lot of parallels between wildlife photography and bird photography. the main difference is one veers more towards, the collecting aspect. Kind of like Pokemon, you gotta catch ’em all I would call birders are like that, right? For them it’s oh, I’m gonna go see, I don’t know, a glossy ibis that’s out of his range. If I just see it from far and I get a good look through my mic, not my microscope through my binoculars, I’m good to go. For us, it’s a bit different because in order to capture high quality photos, you generally have to get certain proximity. And if you can do so while not disturbing the animal and letting it continue with its regular behaviors, that is absolutely key for us. But just going back to beginning that of what you were saying and the last question that I addressed, a lot of people that I speak to and I say, yeah, I do wildlife photography, they’ll say to me like, oh, like, where do you travel for? And it’s it’s not, it is not untrue that I don’t, that, that I travel for wildlife photography, however, people have this association with places such as like the UK and they’re like, oh, but there’s no wildlife there. And it’s like no, there’s wildlife literally all around us. But people have these ideas of just the Serengeti, the Maasai Mara, and it’s what about like the small guys? What about water voles in the UK? What about, I don’t know, shorebirds don’t get me started on shorebirds. ’cause I will talk for hours. ’cause I love them. I absolutely love them. But there’s so many beautiful things, whether big or small, that can be very close to you and you don’t need to go photograph the biggest animals, just photograph what’s close to you. That’s what I say.

Mike: It feels like it fosters a deeper appreciation. It was what it sounds like to me. yeah, of course. At least. I’m not a photographer like yourself, but I became like a birding fan when I moved to Sydney. And like I am, I deeply appreciate the area I live in that much more because of the wildlife around it, and seeing the various birds that hang out here. It really does for me at least, it opens my eyes to the fact that there is a living, breathing community outside. Just my day-to-day interactions with people that exists that I have to take care of. So I would like to ask you what is, what are some of the, and you started to touch upon this just a little bit, what are some of the perhaps understated ethical considerations of wildlife photography? Like you just mentioned, that you don’t want to disturb the wildlife, which is in my eyes, that’s a pretty big ethical consideration. But what are some other ones that you wish more people, could have a deeper appreciation for?

Alejandro: Yeah, that’s a great question, and I’m part of a WhatsApp group with a lot of Canadian photographers and a lot of us talk about the ethical concerns of wildlife photography quite often. For those of us who generally practice wildlife photography alone in places where there aren’t many other wildlife photographers, for us, it’s really just about, okay, how can I achieve my goal of getting the best photograph possible without, let’s say, disturbing an animal? It can be a bird, it can be whatever, but, it seems like every, every animal has this invisible force field around it. Okay. Sometimes it will be a small force field. Sometimes it will be a big one, and you don’t really know how big it is unless you have a good understanding of the species. And sometimes that, and a good understanding of an individual, because some people might think, oh, I don’t know. Oh, great egrets will let you get close to them. But it’s oh. It can really depend on the individual. So I think respecting that is a key consideration. In more urban areas, in places where there are some big, let’s say birding hotspots, where a lot of wildlife photographers, know that they will see a bunch of species or will be able to get close to species. I think there the considerations are more about crowding and not, I guess overwhelming subjects with too much, I guess human presence, right? I can give you some examples. There’s this place in Toronto, that’s, pretty urban, but also very well known for a high density of raptors. Especially in the winter, you have tons of owl species. I think you have northern harriers and probably like a bunch of hawks like red-tailed hawks and the like. However this place gets overrun with, or overrun with photographers sometimes to the point where, you know, owls that are supposed to be sleeping during the day are constantly awake because people are just standing right beside their tree, keeping them awake, and they can’t really, have their natural behavior.

Mike: Oh, okay. Yeah, that seems like a really big problem because if you are out there with a lens, and these are like big fancy lenses, that in of itself seems to attract attention, right? Like people are like get curious, they walk up, oh, what are you doing? They might ask you a few questions. Do you find that is a bit of a complicating factor?

Alejandro: I would say you need to be careful, and I think you hit the nail on the head by saying, sometimes we have these concerns when we go out and it’s oh, if you’re gonna a very urban area, you might look, people might be weirded out if you have this really big lens. Yeah, that’s definitely a very big consideration. I think sometimes we as photographers–those concerns might be a bit overblown, but I still try to, if I go into urban areas, not try to really bring my big conspicuous lens and instead try to bring something that’s a bit smaller but generally my interactions with other people that are not photographers, when they see me from my field, in the field, it’s oh. Wow, that’s a really big lens. Oh, I bet it takes great pictures. Which is a bit of annoyance for a lot of photographers who are like, oh, it’s not just the camera that takes these photos, it’s me, it’s my talent. You’re under underselling what I actually do. But one, one funny thing I’d say is, a comment that I’ve gotten quite often because I have to get generally very low. Sometimes muddy and sometimes on the ground, like two or three times I’ve been confused for a dead body. And people are like, oh my gosh, I thought, I thought you were dead. Oh my God, are you okay? And I’m like, you just scared away my, my, my golden blover!

Mike: Oh my god. Being, mistaken for a dead body wasn’t one of the problems I thought you were gonna talk about

Alejandro: It is.

Mike: Now that I think about it like that is, yeah, that is, yeah, that sounds like that would be a big problem. So from an aesthetic perspective, when you look at a photo, especially from like really great photographers. People that we’ve interviewed, like Christina Mittermeier, who just does insanely good work, like what’s a benchmark you look for in these photographs? Is there, was there like a quality that you can put your finger on that you go That is, that’s it right there.

Alejandro: That, that’s a very good question. I think depending on who you ask, the answer will, and the answer will vary quite a bit. But there probably. Some general guidelines on which all of us agree. First of all, I would say having proper balance is important. So you have to balance your subject with all the supporting features, whether it’s the background, whether it’s the foreground. I like to say make sure there’s enough space around your subject so it doesn’t feel cramped. I want to definitely reduce distractions, in camera, in the field. I don’t wanna have, sticks or branches or leaves intersecting my subject’s face if it doesn’t compliment it aesthetically. But I think more than anything I strive to look for elegance in photography. And I try to portray my subjects like in an elegant light. So that is a combination of composition, it’s a combination of having the light that works the best. And I will stop here to say, it doesn’t always have to be golden hour. Golden Hour is great. It’s great for giving you a lot of drama. But, I also am a big fan of cloudy days, which can give you very even lighting and living here in the UK there’s no shortage of those.

Mike: Yeah, you’re all set there.

Alejandro: Exactly. So I think you have to understand light very well, understand when it works, when it doesn’t, but also realize that sometimes, looking for quality light can go out the window if you capture incredible behavior. I would say there’s a bit of a hierarchy of things. So you probably have like high quality photograph that meets like all the technical standards. That’s, one point. Okay. Very good technical photograph. Incredible composition, that’s like step number two. Step number three would be, great behavior and if you happen to capture all three in one photo, then for me that’s like top tier. You can get incredible photos by just capturing two of those elements as well.

Mike: I guess my next question for you is a bit of a philosophical one, and sure people are gonna have varying opinions on this, but do you have a philosophy behind your photography in terms of What do you see the purpose of it as? Is it conservation value or is it just for the fun of it? The beauty, the capturing still life? Or is there an additional deeper philosophical driving force behind your photography?

Alejandro: Another great question. I think, I don’t really think about it in terms of a philosophical approach. However, I would say that a long time ago I decided that as long as I’m practicing photography and I feel good doing it, that’s all I need. As long as I feel good, as long as it gives me a place where I can, really take a step back and focus on my mental health, then that’s all I need. In terms of conservation value, I think, a lot of people are like, oh, I want to use my photos for conservation. And I think that’s fine. And in fact, if my photos can be used for conservation, that’s wonderful as well. And they are sometimes with Mongabay and everything, but I try to take, when I think about my conservation impact and my impact on nature, I try to take a step back and look at a global view that includes not only photography, but all other aspects of my life. So I believe that the way I’ve set myself up is that through my work in Mongabay, I have a much bigger impact than, me using my photos for conservation in a way that, might not even work. So I believe that, showing up every day, and working with colleagues such as yourself and other people who are trying to make a big difference for nature, that’s my way of contributing towards, the health of the natural world for now and for the future. So photography for me is a way to push my creative boundaries. It’s a way to educate others through the online platform. I mentioned APC wildlife photography, and continued, I guess to develop and, cultivate my brain. That’s how I view it.

Mike: And so I think that this would be a good spot, Alejandro, to talk about your work with Mongabay because, as people will learn, from this podcast, you are the senior marketing associate here at Mongabay. What is it you do and, how do you contribute to that impact?

Alejandro: I think that’s, what you’re asking me is, it just takes me back to a lot of conversations I’ve had, at different networking events with Mongabay because, during those times you really have to be like, okay, how do I condense what I do in a sentence? So generally what I like to say is, I take the incredible work of our journalists and try to get it to the right audiences. So that’s a very simple way to, put it. But if we look at my day to day, a lot of my work, consists of, organizing, marketing strategy. So that could be looking at, I don’t know, organizing a campaign on the illegal wildlife trade where we have to, attack, no, maybe not attack, reach people on all, reach people on all fronts. So that could be via social media, via newsletters, via direct emails, and as well doing some of that follow up. So I would say I’m a person who very much prioritizes like efficiency and organization and systems. So I try to bring that approach in my work. And I feel like a question I’m always asking myself is, okay, how can I save time? How can I make work more efficient for me, but also my colleagues? So that’s generally my work at my desk, but when I’m out in the world in person. Whether it’s going to different conferences such as, COP 16 last year, in Cali, or, where was I? Oh, Climate Week in New York last year is really about meeting people, introducing them to Mongabay if they aren’t familiar with it or if they are familiar trying and understand a bit more what their interest is in and if there are any kind of synergies we can explore and I can connect them with the right people in our organization, in order to make, a greater impact for telling the truth, and showing the evidence of what’s happening on nature’s front line.

Mike: That was a great explanation. I loved how you condensed it. By the way, your, your little boilerplate there was a perfect way to describe what you do. No, and I really appreciate what you do. Every time I finish, a webinar or podcast and communicate with you on how do we get this to the audience audiences we’re trying to get it to, it’s a vital role. So I just wanted to extend my appreciation to you for that. But your photography is also playing a role within the organization and some of your work is on display, with three other Mongabay photographers and the Linden Street Gallery near in Boston, right now, which goes through November. And the exhibit is called Biophilia. So for people who are listening who don’t know what this is, can you talk to us about this? Why is the show called Biophilia? What’s the goal behind it? And, what do these images show?

Alejandro: Yeah, thanks for the question, Mike. I think, last year some of our team members, were approached by, Shalin Liu. Or Liu, I hope I’m pronouncing that name correctly. Regardless, her name is Shalin, and she is, she’s a person who really loves and cares about nature and she has this gallery, as you said, near Boston. And she approached us with the idea to put on an exhibit, an exhibition called Biophilia, which is really about, the word that means, the love that humans have for nature or an instinctive, human connection to nature. She was inspired by the work, of us at Mongabay, as well as, I think a lot of us that actually take photos, on the team. It’s not just, it’s not just me. It’s Rhett, our CEO and founder has been taking photos for years. You have Romi Castagnino who does a lot of work on the camera. I think especially around like Peru and other parts of Latin America. You have Erik Hoffner, who does a lot of stuff locally as well. I think he, had a really good photo of a fungi that was at the

Mike: Yeah, I saw that one. That was good. Yeah. Yeah.

Alejandro: And then who else am I missing? Romi? Erik? Rhett? Am I missing someone else? Is that it?

Mike: I think you’ve got it. I think you’ve covered it.

Alejandro: Okay. So sure. Us, us four, shared some of our photos there. And, the process was really, great because it forced us to think, okay, what, which photos of ours not only are we most proud of, but which of them I guess, fit the theme of this gallery? And which of them, represent us? So it was wonderful to go there and meet people in person, speak to all of the people that, turned up and that were invited, to check out the exhibition. But more than anything is always a pleasure to see, how people’s relationships to nature are exhibited through the camera and seeing how different, how differently we view the world and the subjects we’d like to photograph.

Mike: Yeah. Is there a can you tell me a story behind any of the images featured in the exhibit of yours? Is there a favorite image of yours that was featured? And if so, like what’s the story behind that?

Alejandro: Yeah, I if you don’t mind, I might have to break it up into two photos, because

Mike: Oh, come on.

Alejandro: Just two photos.

Mike: Just gimme one, one, go ahead. I’m kidding. Go ahead.

Alejandro: Haha. No, I’m just saying because there, okay. Well the reason why I’m saying two photos is because I think there’s one that would be like, oh, of course that’s gonna be your, your favorite photo, your most impactful photo. And there’s one where it’s oh, maybe a lot of people wouldn’t necessarily value it as much. And I guess it all goes back to this idea that large fauna is more charismatic than smaller animals. Okay? Especially if they’re mammals. Last year I started traveling more for my work at Mongabay and one of the destinations I went to was Rwanda for a conference. And during that time, I actually got to go get out in the field and go, on an exhibition or no expedition, should I say, to try to find, Eastern Mountain gorillas. So we went to Volcanoes National Park for that. The hike up to up through the mountains and through this different agricultural fields and different villages took about like three hours. Terrain was not that fun to walk through. They said it was a dry season, but I saw more mud on the ground than, I’ve probably seen in many other places. And, oftentimes we had to go up, quite, steep, I guess surfaces in order to get to where we had to be. However you know it, it was an incredible experience. I remember a lot of us in the group had walking sticks and we were led by a guide and we got to a point where we passed all the villages. We passed all the fields, and we got into, I guess the boundaries of what was like the forest, at that moment. And the guy, he stopped us and said, okay, the gorillas are nearby. The tracker has just let me know that we’re close to them now and he’s found them. However, you’re all gonna have to leave your walking sticks. And people were like, oh, what? Why? Not, that we necessarily needed them. ’cause the terrain was a bit flatter there, but everyone was like, what’s going on? He is like you know what, some of these gorillas have great memories, absolutely great memories. And they have, they remember a time when they were poached. They saw a lot of their family members get killed by people with long objects that resemble sticks. So they said, some of them might have a trauma response to those sticks, so it’s best if we just leave them back. So that was like, whoa, because it’s one thing to, to read about, poaching is one thing to read about, I guess the impact of the legal wildlife trade. Or subsistence hunting. But then when you get to see it in person and hear about it from people who were in the field, it’s okay, this takes on a very different, a very different level of importance. So anyhow, that was step one. We started walking through the forest and of course aren’t really any paths there. So it was just like, machete swinging, not me, but the guide in the group, to clear a path for us. Until I eventually got to a place where I was like, what the heck? Why is there this little round, black ball in the middle of, this, green, this ocean of green. And then I realized it was this gorilla just sitting there just munching on all the vegetation. What is that in the distance? And it was just like this gorilla’s head. Cool. At the time, I guess I was, I think I was at the front of the group, but people got really excited so they passed me. And one thing I’ve always tried to do, and I think I mentioned earlier, is I don’t like being close to crowds when it comes to photography. Yeah. I like to have like my own personal moments. So I let people go ahead and I was like, where there’s one, there’s probably many more. ’cause they’re not solitary. So I let people go ahead and I was towards the back of the group and then all of a sudden I look to my left and I see this mother and her baby. And they were just like chilling there. And this baby leans down and he’s like munching on these little tubes and stuff like that. And the mother actually came up to me within I don’t know, a meter while I was like kneeling on the ground with my camera who while, and I had that moment to myself, I had that moment to myself for a whole like couple minutes while everyone else was off, looking at the first one they saw. And I just remember looking at this, the female gorilla in the eye and she was just like sniffing, observing my camera, my lens until she finally got bored of me and went back and started hanging out with her kid. And, one of the photos that was super special to me was one that I captured of them two interacting. So that’s one of the ones that, that I, that’s there from the exhibit.

Mike: Alejandro, that is an absolutely incredible story. I almost, I don’t want to, I don’t wanna ruin that. I, that, I just wanna savor that story that was so awesome. Thank you for sharing that. So where, would you say–and I, don’t want this to be too obvious to a question, but is there a favorite place you’ve visited in all your travels and all your work, that you could pinpoint and, why

Alejandro: That is a…that is a difficult question, but I think I’m, sometimes, when it comes to this stuff, I’m a bit of a sentimental guy. So I think it often comes down to connections and places that I feel are home. And one thing I didn’t mention, or maybe I, alluded to earlier was that, my mom’s side of family’s from Spain. And I’ve been going to Spain, I think every single year since I was born, sometimes for months at a time. And maintaining that connection with my family there has been absolutely crucial, not only through language, but also, by diving into the culture. And, it was the culture I was raised with at home with my mother anyways. So when I started wildlife photography, I was like, dang, I know Spain is like one of the most biodiverse countries within Europe. I need to find my own local patch for when I go there. So now when I go there in the summer or different times of year, my family’s from Salamanca. Okay? So it’s this region that’s, about like north ish western Spain, close to the border with Portugal. It’s a region that has, rolling hills, it has mountains. It also has some wetlands. I try to do my best to represent these different ecosystems. and I think my two favorite places, to photograph wildlife would be in a wetland there. That’s a reservoir that gets inundated with, a whole bunch of migratory shorebirds, throughout the year. And also tons of like white storks, sometimes black storks. And recently actually flamingos, oh my gosh, I was so excited when I saw them. That was very new. But I think the mountain, the mountains there in what’s called la Sierra de Francia or like the, France Mountain range, even though it’s not in France, where I get to photograph Iberian ibex. Those places for me are just absolutely special, because I’m there by myself. I’m close to my family, and I just get to, yeah. I’m just inundated with love there. That sounded a bit corny, but…

Mike: No, the way you describe that is beautiful. It makes me want to go visit there. I because–no, that’s incredible. Alejandro, where can people see more of your work and also, the work in the Mongabay photo exhibit?

Alejandro: Yeah. I think the best way for people to keep in touch with me, if you wanna talk about work and conservation, feel free to message me. You can hit my email, [email protected]. But if you wanna talk about wildlife photography, best way would be to message me on Instagram at APCWildlife15. As well as check out my website, apcwildlife.com and that’s where you can learn all about any sort of wildlife photography education and there will continue to be more. So yeah.

Mike: I really enjoyed speaking with you, Alejandro, and, again, appreciate the work you do here. And a lot of what happens here at Mongabay wouldn’t be possible without you. So thank you so much, and thank you for speaking with me today.

Alejandro: Thank you for your time, Mike. It was wonderful to be in the hot seat.

Mike: If you wanna see Alejandro’s work or learn more about the biophilia exhibit, please see the links in the show notes. As always, if you’re enjoying the Mongabay Newscast. Or any of our podcast content and you want to help us out, we encourage you to spread the word about the work we’re doing and tell a friend and also leave us a review. Doing this helps elevate our profile. Word of mouth is the best way to help expand our reach, and you can also support us by becoming a monthly sponsor at our Patreon page at patreon.com/mongabay. We are a nonprofit news outlet, so when you pledge a dollar per month, you’re making a really big difference in helping us offset production costs. So if you’re a fan of the work that we do here, go to patreon.com/mongabay to learn more and support the Mongabay Newscast. But you can also read the news and inspiration from Nature’s Frontline that we make at mongabay.com, or you can follow us on social media, find Mongabay on LinkedIn, at Mongabay News, and on Instagram, Threads, Blue Sky Mastodon, Facebook, and TikTok, where our handle is @Mongabay or on YouTube @MongabayTV. And if you wanna reach out to us directly, you can email us at [email protected]. Thank you as always for listening.