{"id":42347,"date":"2025-09-01T10:59:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T10:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/muse.international\/?p=42347"},"modified":"2025-09-05T03:37:03","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T03:37:03","slug":"interview-alexandra-surkova-london-photography-awards-winner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/muse.international\/index\/interview-alexandra-surkova-london-photography-awards-winner\/","title":{"rendered":"Chasing Lynxes and Sunrises: Life as a Wildlife Photographer with Alexandra Surkova"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Once on track for journalism and diplomacy, Alexandra Surkova instead found her true calling in the wild, camera in hand. Her photography reflects both the unpredictability of nature and her commitment to making every image pulse with life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alexandra Surkova Q1<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Thank you so much! Honestly, I never thought I\u2019d end up as a wildlife photographer. I studied journalism and diplomacy\u2014so technically I was supposed to wear suits, not camouflage. But life had other plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What inspired me? A very unexpected gift. A stranger who followed me on Instagram liked the street photos I was taking with my very first camera, and instead of sending a postcard, he sent me a Sony 200\u2013600mm lens. That was the turning point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My first wildlife shots were terrible\u2014I\u2019m pretty sure even the squirrels looked embarrassed for me. But little by little, I got hooked. What started as \u201clet\u2019s see if I can take a nice picture\u201d turned into \u201clet\u2019s survive +50\u00baC just in case a lynx might show up, or not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then, the journey has been full of missed shots, unforgettable encounters. And many moments\u2014especially at 4 a.m. when the alarm goes off\u2014when I thought: \u201cWhy am I doing this to myself?\u201d. But then, the animal appears, you press the shutter, and you remember exactly why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So yes, it started as curiosity, became an obsession. And now it\u2019s a lifestyle (one that includes permanently muddy shoes and way too many hard drives).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q2<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

One of the winning photos is of a lynx cub surrounded by bees\u2014curiosity meeting curiosity. The little one was completely fascinated. And instead of looking like a future predator, it looked more like a clumsy apprentice beekeeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s what I love about wildlife photography: you can wait for hours, even days. Imagining a powerful, majestic scene, and then nature gives you something far more surprising, tender, and unique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winning with this photo makes me feel grateful\u2014not only for that fleeting moment but for the entire unpredictable journey that led to it. Every 4 a.m. alarm, every missed shot, every \u201cwhat am I doing with my life?\u201d. Thought suddenly feels justified when the animal decides to surprise you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, this award is a reminder that patience pays off. And that sometimes, the best stories in nature are also the funniest ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

<\/i><\/a><\/i><\/a><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Once on track for journalism and diplomacy, Alexandra Surkova instead found her true calling in the wild, camera in hand. Her photography reflects both the unpredictability [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":42364,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[372,553,463],"tags":[504,507,382],"yoast_head":"\nInterview with Alexandra Surkova | London Photography Awards Winner<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Once on track for journalism and diplomacy, Alexandra Surkova instead found her true calling in the wild, camera in hand. 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