Louis Guillot is a zoologist and wildlife photographer whose work has featured in BBC Wildlife. His work has also been highly commended in the Nature Photographer of the Year contest. He lived in the Amazon rainforest for eight months, with much of his work highlighting the species found there.
- "Now on all fours, it turned and charged at the tiger. As it took the lead, the feline retreated gradually"– A photographer got more than he bargained for...
- "A policeman listed our alleged crimes: 'Illegal entry into Sierra Leone, illegal stay, and suspected subversive activities in the forest..."
How did your career start?
My interest in wildlife began when I was three, watching ants in the garden. When I was seven, my dad bought me a cheap digital camera. I started taking photography more seriously, and while studying zoology at university, realised it was more than a hobby.
Which of your images is most important to you?
Two stand out. The first, taken from my Bristol flat, shows a lesser black-backed gull dive-bombing a builder who was pointing his drill at the bird like a gun. It’s funny at first glance, but reveals a darker truth – the building site was far too close to the gull’s nest and the bird was defending its chicks.
The second is a camera-trap image of a jaguar in the Amazon. I’d spent about a year there, camera-trapping almost every day. One day I checked the trap and saw a jaguar staring back at me. I jumped with joy.
What’s your most memorable shoot?
Predation events are always unforgettable. I’ve photographed peregrines diving for pigeons and gulls over central London with commuters blissfully unaware of the events unfolding above them.
Other highlights include trying to capture an ocelot hunting macaws at a claylick in the Amazon (I did eventually get it). I’ve also photographed both a toucan and an Amazon tree boa individually catch and consume a bat. Hard to watch, but astonishing behaviour.
What’s been your hairiest experience while in the field?
My scariest moment actually happened indoors at an Amazon eco-lodge. After putting on trousers that had been drying, I felt a sharp bite behind my knee. I pulled off the trousers and out fell a wandering spider, a genus comprising deadly species.
The nearest hospital was five hours away and I had to walk slowly to the motorboat to minimise the flow of blood and the subsequent venom travelling through my body. I was rushed downriver then driven to hospital.
Luckily, the only doctor who knew how to handle wandering spider bites happened to be on call. It was one of the most frightening experiences of my life.
Any other bites or stings?
Oh yes. I was once scouting for camera-trap sites in the Amazon when I slipped and grabbed a tree housing a bullet-ant nest. Four stings hit one finger. The nausea began quickly and pain migrated up my arm.
My companion had to help me walk – but then he stepped on a bamboo spine, which pierced his boot and lodged in his foot. He hopped and I staggered, and we eventually made it back to camp.
On another occasion, I spent about 40 minutes photographing an emerald tree boa, with hundreds of mosquitoes biting me relentlessly. The itching afterwards was unbearable, but the photos were worth it.
Have you any epic fails to share?
I once overslept during a flash flood in the Amazon. By the time I reached my camera-trap site, my gear was submerged under 1.5m of water. Miraculously, the camera survived thanks to its protective housing. After drying everything else with a heater, fan and silica gel, the set-up worked again, and later captured my best jaguar image.
What’s a favourite species to focus on?
Right now, black-headed gulls, which are abundant near my home in London. They’re fun to photograph and, crucially, not magnets for crowds of photographers. There’s less pressure of missing a once-in-a-lifetime moment, which gives me the freedom to experiment creatively.
What one piece of kit would you never be without?
A plastic bag. It serves as an emergency waterproof layer for my camera bag and, if you cut a hole for the lens, makes a surprisingly effective raincover.
Can you share your top tips for budding photographers?
Do it because you love it. Don’t get caught up in technical details early on – angle and composition matter far more. The technical knowledge will grow naturally with experience. Learn to shoot in manual as it gives you full creative control.
