French View on the Commander Islands: an Online Tour of Nathan Livartowski's Photo Exhibition
08 Apr — 2020
French View on the Commander Islands: an Online Tour of Nathan Livartowski's Photo Exhibition

The visitor center of the Commander Islands Nature Reserve presents the works of Nathan Livartowski, French photographer, winner of competitions at the international festivals "Montier-en-der" and "Golden Turtle". In connection with the self-isolation regime, the Commander Islands Reserve published a video with a virtual tour around the exhibition, where its author introduces the audience to the history of each photo and shares his tips on shooting the wildlife of the archipelago.

In 2020, Nathan Livartowski flew to the Commander Islands for the third time to take pictures of protected animals at the turn of winter and spring and to open his exhibition. Its exposition presents 11 photographs taken during summer 2018 on Bering Island. All pictures reflect Nathan’s individual style, which is distinguished by its picturesqueness and ability to capture a vivid moment in difficult conditions.

Натан Ливартовски

Arctic fox cub by Nathan Livartowski

Not only the works themselves are interesting, but also how they were created. In a video tour, Nathan tells guests about each of the heroes of his photographs, whether it be a Bering arctic fox, a tundra partridge or a Mongolian plover. For example, to take one successful shot of salmon jumping out of the water, the author spent three days. And to photograph the puffin in the backlight, he spent long hours on top of a hill near the rookery. There he found the ideal conditions for the picture of a bird flying above the sparkling waves.

“I come to Bering Island for many reasons: firstly, because it is really a wild place with many different species. I also like to come here because the people here are very good, the culture is different, and it is always nice to get local news. Each visit here is a kind of adventure, I try to go as far as possible and I feel really happy when I succeed,” Nathan says about his travels to the Commanders.

Initially, the photographer and the reserve planned to invite Nikolskoye residents to the exhibition, for whom Nathan was going to conduct an excursion. However, the self-isolation regime in Russia made adjustments, and the presentation had to be transferred online. The video is available on the Komandorsky channel on YouTube.

Nathan Livartowski was born in Paris in 1988, studied various subjects, such as geology, biology and programming. Today he lives in a small town in the vicinity of the capital of France. Photographing wildlife is his main hobby.

Nathan began to take pictures of birds at the age of 14 and since then has been paying more and more attention to ornithology. He does not consider himself a professional photographer and does not earn money from his photographs. However, his skill was noted at international photo contests. The best achievements were two victories: in category of the Montier-an-der festival (Birds, Man and Nature) and one victory in the category of Golden Turtles (Man and Nature).

Nathan Livartowski notes that his exhibition, including the online format, is designed to show how beautiful Bering Island is. As a nature photographer, he also participates in the study of some endangered species in France, such as the scops-owl and wood dove. 

Заповедная Россия English

Заповедная Россия English