My name is Mateusz Piesiak and I am a wildlife photographer and filmmaker from Poland.
Through my work, I want to show the beauty of nature and to tell the stories of those
who live all around us but cannot speak for themselves – the animals.
How it all began
Ever since I was little, I felt drawn to nature. Instead of playing football with my friends (I like sport now too!), I would rather just go at the lake, check on the family of swans, watch where the ants go and just listen to birds.
I loved all the animals however for some reason birds were the most interesting to me. I had a checklist and where I would mark all the species I observed. I had so much fun learning about birds their behaviour. I knew everything about birds – how to tell which species of woodpeckers hits the tree based on the frequency of hits, how to tell whether it’s a chiffchaff singing or just a starling imitating a chiffchaff.
When I was 13, I got my first camera, and that’s when my journey with wildlife photography began. At first, I was just documenting every animal I encountered, but over the years, my approach evolved. I started to think more intentionally about each shot, trying to capture specific species and building hides where I would sit for hours waiting for the animals to come.
When I was 14, I used to wake up at 4am, catch the first bus out of the city and head off to photograph wildlife – then go straight back to school.
One day, I went to photograph little ringed plovers in a muddy field. As I tried to get closer, I suddenly sank so deep that both my boots got completely stuck. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t pull them out. In the end, I had to walk back to school barefoot, completely covered in mud. But it was worth it – I got a photo of a plover!
While studying Automatics and Robotics at Wrocław University of Science and Technology, I continued to photograph nature whenever I could. Along the way, I started sharing behind-the-scenes videos on social media, which gained traction and made me consider pursuing wildlife photography full-time.
Over the years, my accounts grew to nearly 2 million followers across platforms and I’m incredibly grateful for the support and for everyone following my journey! After graduating, I decided to follow my heart and dedicate myself to wildlife photography and filmmaking full-time.
What I do now
I’ve been fortunate to travel across the world, exploring remote locations and working with biggest brands, like BBC, Canon, NVidia, to create unique content. See recent collaborations tutaj.
I lead wildlife photography workshops and guide trips worldwide. Check out the upcoming events tutaj.
I’m the author of How to Photograph Wildlife: The Complete Guide — a comprehensive resource for photographers of all levels. It’s available tutaj.
I also share my adventures and the stories behind my photographs at various festivals and events. To stay updated, subscribe to my newsletter tutaj and follow me on Facebook i Instagram.
And if you want to bring some nature home – check out my webshop tutaj, where I offer my favorite photographs as high-quality prints in various sizes, calendars and more.
Fotografia
Nagrody i wyróżnienia
Moje zdjęcia i projekty znalazły się wśród zwycięzców międzynarodowych konkursów fotografii przyrodniczej, między innymi:
Wildlife Photographer of the Year
– Rising Star Portfolio Award – 2022
– First Prize u17 – 2013
– Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year – 2011
European Wildlife Photographer of the Year
– Fritz Pölking Junior Prize – 2018
Memorial Maria Luisa – 1st prize (u21) – 2015
Siena International Photo Awards, 2x First Prize – 2015
Oasis Photo Contest, Grand Prix – 2014
Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2022
Rising Star Portfolio Award
Siena international Photography Awards
I nagroda w kategorii „Student” oraz I nagroda w kategorii „Wildlife”
Muzyka
Muzyka
Outside of photography, I have a deep love for music. I’ve been playing piano since I was little. Couple of years ago I came up with an idea to connect music and photography and I’ve created a unique project that combines both passions called “Capture the elusive”.
During these performances, I play live piano compositions while showcasing immersive diaporamas: photo sequences paired with sound and motion that bring the wild moments to life on screen. It’s an emotional, atmospheric way of experiencing nature — one I love sharing with audiences.
Capture the elusive concert in Germany
In 2023 I perfomed at the biggest wildlife photography festival in Europe “GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year” in Germany.
Akwarele
Poza fotografią, uwielbiam także malować i szkicować, głównie zwierzęta. Moją ulubioną techniką są akwarele.
Painting is a magical thing. Here, unlike in photography, I am able to think of a certain pose of an animal and visualize it on paper. Click on the button below to see selected commissions and my personal works.
Media
Wywiady i wystąpienia
Wybrane wystąpienia w telewizji i innych mediach
Filmy
- Pytanie Na Śniadanie
- Dzień Dobry TVN
- TVP3 Wrocław
- TVN24 - 2015
- TVN24 - 2012
Interviews
- www.wrocław.pl - wywiad 2015
- www.wrocław.pl - wywiad 2016
- Gazeta Wrocławska - 2015
- Gazeta Wrocławska - 2013
- Wrocław Nasze Miasto - 2012
- Wrocław Nasze Miasto - 2013
- Wrocław Nasze Miasto - 2013 wywiad
- Wrocław Nasze Miasto - 2015
- Wrocław Nasze Miasto - 2016
- Gazeta Wyborcza
- Fotopolis.pl - recenzja obiektywu