My passion for wildlife photography was born on the ice in the middle of baby harp seals in Canada. I was 12 and I had the chance to go and watch these exceptional animals in their natural environment. I made the decisive encounter of Rei Ohara, a famous Japanese photographer. This gentleman had the patience and kindness to explain his “photographic tricks” to a little French debutante and took the time to tell me about his passion.

For me, who wanted to show the beauty of the animal world and had never been able to draw as I would have liked, photography became obvious. The next day, my mother lent me her old and fully manual camera … the virus never left me since. Obviously, my models were the animals that most fascinated me : marine mammals.

I began studies ethology to learn more about the behavior of cetaceans. Photography and scientific research form an interesting duo. Photography is necessary in our work to recognize individuals within a group. And we are the privileged observers of exceptional behaviors or unique moments: the jump of a whale, the bow riding of a dolphin or sea lion antics. The picture can remember, relive those moments and most of all, help me share to share that feeling with a lot of people. My goal as a photographer and as a scientist is to share the complex and fascinating world of these mammals to raise awareness of the beauty but also the fragility of their world because we only protect what we know well.

Isabelle_Dupre_portrait

Follow her on Facebook

Visit her Website