Photographer Pretends to be a Swan to Get Intimate Shots of Birds in Their Natural Habitat

Swan or not?

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Henryk Janowski is a wildlife photographer who is willing to go through the experience of becoming his subjects—birds. In order to observe and capture truly candid moments in nature, he has developed a new method of approaching the shy and alert beings. Janowski, dressed in a neoprene diving suit, conceals himself underneath a large swan disguise and queues underwater for his next best shot. His photo shoots mostly take place in a local preserved swamp that caters to a variety of wild birds. As seen in the resulting images, the photographer's tactics have been effective in allowing him to get closer to his subjects both physically and mentally.

Janowski says of his experiences, "Whenever I swim in my camouflage, I feel at one with nature. You pass birds and beavers at play, undisturbed by human presence. This proved to me that I had successfully broken the taboo that the aquatic environment was inaccessible."

[via PetaPixel]

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