Prelena Soma Owen

When the African bush is your playground, you can't help but fall in love with the beauty our planet has to offer.

"When I'm in the bush, in the silence, I can watch something for hours, in the same spot," says wildlife photographer and conservationist Prelena Soma Owen, who could be described as an animal whisperer. "I've never been afraid, and I have so much respect for all animals; I much prefer them over humans," she laughs.

Prelena's passion for nature and photography comes from her father who would take her on drives and then pull over so they could admire the views. She progressed from following ants and observing their behaviour in her garden to winning international competitions, but now invests her energy in teaching the next generation about conservation and caring for wildlife, splitting her time between volunteering at The Jane Goodall Institute South Africa, guiding on photographic safari tours, and mentoring young photographers.

"In my lifetime, I've seen a decline in the number of polar bears, elephants and rhinos, so I want to teach children about the beauty of these animals and how they fit into our ecosystem," she says. "I started with traditional wildlife photography, but I soon realised that you could search the internet for an image of a tiger and get a decent one. My passion now is to tell stories either about endangered species or the people trying to save them."

Prelena's photos have won her many national and international competitions, including the Creative Digital category at the 2022 Benjamin Mkapa African Wildlife Photography Awards. She was a finalist in the 2023 Royal Photographic Society's Women Science Photographer of the Year awards, and received an honourable mention in the Environmental Editorial category at the 2023 International Photography Awards.

While this success is welcome, Prelena wants to focus on the educational side of photography. "I want to stimulate children's minds," she says. "Even if they can't afford a camera, I want to help them understand nature. I think people look but don't see, and that's what I want to change."

What does volunteering at The Jane Goodall Institute South Africa involve?

"I see lots of children who are mesmerised by animals but don't fully understand the severity of species decline. They learn that littering is bad, but they don't understand that a piece of plastic will probably end up in the stomach of a fish. When I was teaching at Roots & Shoots [a Jane Goodall education programme], I wanted to give the children a skill, so taught them photography using point and shoot cameras. Learning becomes more fun that way. Change starts with one child saying, 'I remember you and what you taught me'."

Do you look up to any photographers or is there anyone who inspires you?

"All of the International League of Conservation Photographers – Peter Chadwick, Brent Stirton, Chris Fallows, Sylvia Earle to name a few – that whole group inspires me. They're making a difference. My other inspirations include Sir David Attenborough and Dame Jane Goodall, especially Jane – meeting her was one of the highlights in my life."

There's a little elephant statue among your cameras and lenses (pictured below). Is it of any significance?

"I collect a lot of weird stuff, but I bought this at the airport where I met a nun in her eighties on the way back from Zimbabwe. We had a two- to three-hour wait and started talking. She was so inspiring and the elephant reminds me of her. I like collecting things that remind me of certain people or places."

Is there an animal you really want to photograph but haven't had the chance to yet?

"Snow monkeys in Japan, definitely. Snow leopards as well. I would also love to have the luxury to take a month off to photograph whales, and also go back to Antarctica for the glaciers. Last time I was there, I came back with hundreds of thousands of photos of penguins. The silence is amazing – you can actually see the silence. And – my goodness – the shades of blue are mesmerising. I would love to go back."

What's next on your photographic journey?

"I was contemplating getting into underwater photography but unfortunately I have nasal issues. Can you imagine capturing a sardine run underwater, though? It's a whole other universe down there. I would also love to do a series on what happens at recycling sites. Birds are attracted to these dumps, which is a hazard because they're picking up plastic all the time. So, I would love to do a story on that process. I have so many ideas: too many stories, not enough time."

"Gaining knowledge and learning from other people is so important. I'm really inspired by what people do. At the rate that technology is progressing, soon you won't even need to know photography, you'll just point and shoot, so think about how you stand out from the rest. For me, it's the stories you tell through your photos, because AI is not going to be able to capture those emotions. It's not going to be able to tell you the story of the pangolin, for example: where it was before, how it got to where it is now. It's important to remember, in the words of Ansel Adams, that a photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense."

Facebook: Prelena Soma Owen

Website: echoesofthewild.com