Nature footage reveals the flow of time that usually escapes human perception – it opens our eyes to hidden worlds.
For Markus Nilles, the camera is not the destination.
It is a way back into an adventure.
At the heart of Markus’ work is not the perfect image at any cost, but the experience behind it. Encounters with wildlife, journeys to remarkable places, and moments that stay with you.
For him, the camera is a tool for preserving adventures. Photos and videos make it possible to return to those experiences years later. Not just to see what happened, but to feel something of the moment again.
This idea has shaped his photography from the beginning.
His first serious nature footage was made underwater. During trips to Okinawa, Markus wanted to capture the dives he shared with his wife. He once told her that one day, when they were old, they should be able to look back at these moments and dive into those adventures again.
Early GoPro footage gradually developed into travel and landscape photography, and later into wildlife photography.
Today, wildlife encounters are at the core of his photographic work. Two of his first bird photographs still hang on the wall. A kingfisher and an osprey with its catch. Technically, they are not his strongest images. Emotionally, they are among his most important, because of the experience behind them.
This approach defines WildeNatur.com. The site is about nature adventures, wildlife watching, photography, and the question of how we can experience special moments outdoors more consciously and preserve them with the camera.
From Nature Experience to Photography
Many of Markus’ images do not happen by chance. Before a photograph comes research, scouting, and observation. He often works from a hide and takes time to understand an area. Which species live there? How do they move? Where can he position himself without disturbing the animals?
WildeNatur.com
In 2016, Markus began blogging about his nature adventures under the domain impressions4all.de, with a strong focus on Japan at the time. In 2022, he founded WildeNatur.com as an editorial website for nature adventures, wildlife photography, gear, and field stories.
The website combines practical experience with real stories from the field. It is aimed at people who want to experience more outdoors and learn how to preserve their own moments in nature with a camera, knowledge, and patience.
Gear plays a role, of course. But cameras and lenses are only tools. What matters is what they help preserve. Encounters, stories, and rare moments that still mean something ten years later.
Memberships & Publications
Markus is a member of the German Society for Nature Photography (GDT) and the Deutscher Foto-Journalisten-Verband (DFJ). His images have been published in “Welt der Wunder”, among others.
Gear
Markus shoots with Sony cameras and lenses. For him, equipment is a tool, not an end in itself.
- Cameras: Sony α1, Sony α7R VI
- Lenses:
- Sony 400 mm f/2.8 GM
- Sony 200–600 mm G
- Sony 100–400 mm GM
- Sony 90 mm f/2.8 Macro G
- Sony 16 mm f/1.8 G
- Tamron 28–75 mm f/2.8
- Teleconverters:
- Sony 1.4x and 2x
- Tripods & Accessories:
- Berlebach UNI 22C
- Rollei Rock Solid Alpha XL Mark II Carbon
- Manfrotto XPRO+
- Eckla-Camdisk
- Flexshooter Pro Lever