Michaël started travelling ten years ago and, “a bit like everyone else”, began by taking photographs of landscapes, as a souvenir of his trips. “But very quickly, I turned towards taking pictures of wild animals in their natural setting. I am a very active person, and during a shoot, I appreciate having to remain calm and find the right balance so I don’t frighten the animals or put myself in danger. I seek to inspire enough trust to be able to get close to the animals and then be patient to succeed in capturing the shot.” 

But the photo is just the icing on the cake! “I sometimes have to make fifteen or twenty outings lasting several hours to take a single photo! Before that, to ensure the best chances of encountering an animal, there is a lot of work to study the species and its habitat, its way of life and habits, the observation of tracks, and often early morning starts... Everything I learn along the way is fascinating.” This desire to find out more about his subjects has led Michaël to pay closer attention to nature and its preservation.  

For Michaël, it is not so much the photo that is important, but the story that goes with it. Indeed, listening to his anecdotes of waiting motionless in the cold of the Great North with the bison of Yellowstone, his selfie with a gorilla in Uganda, or his journeys through the Alps to capture a shot of an ibex, we are taken to another world!   

It is also a story of handing down values: a photograph is the ideal pretext for talking about nature, its protection, and the preservation of species with younger generations, such as his godchildren.  

And to ensure this vital task, Michaël has founded an association: Prenons la pause. “We raise awareness of the need to protect biodiversity and use the medium of photography, particularly of wildlife, as an educational tool.”  Prenons la pause has staged around fifteen exhibitions over the past year in public spaces such as parks, gardens, schools and libraries... The association also organises awareness-raising workshops and is holding a second festival in October 2022. It will bring together exhibitors, speakers and workshops, and 800 schoolchildren have already signed up.