While most people would run screaming from a dark forest filled with crackling branches, rustling leaves, and the calls of owls, 20-year-old Luca Lorenz from Berlin's Pankow district thrives in this solitude. The young photographer, who spends days alone searching for the perfect wildlife shot, has been rewarded for his skill and endurance by winning Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 with images captured primarily in Berlin and Brandenburg forests.
Lorenz's passion for nature began early and developed rapidly. By age eight, he could identify every bird species and recognize their calls in his parents' garden. At twelve, he would spend hours wandering alone through the forests of Blankenfeld. "I always loved this, but I was desperate because I couldn't describe to my parents everything I was experiencing," Lorenz explained. This frustration led him to get his first camera and teach himself photography to capture what words couldn't convey.
The young photographer's dedication to his craft requires extraordinary patience and persistence. To capture the perfect shot of a kingfisher, Lorenz spent weeks in the forest, sitting under a camouflage tent for up to ten hours daily until the bird finally appeared. In another instance, he spent eight days observing a pair of Eurasian pygmy owls at their tree hollow, documenting their behavior including a tragic moment when one parent returned with prey to find all the chicks had fallen from the nest and died.
Nature photography can be dangerous, as Lorenz has learned firsthand. During one expedition, he crossed a mud bridge through reeds and swamp to reach an abandoned beaver dam when suddenly a group of wild boars appeared. "They stared and grunted at me. Even after 40 minutes, they wouldn't leave," he recalled. His mother had to rescue him from the tense situation. Despite such encounters, Lorenz continues his solitary pursuits, though he has never encountered a wolf and hopes to photograph a lynx someday.
Committed to his calling as a nature photographer, Lorenz left school after tenth grade to pursue his career full-time. Rather than traveling around the world for exotic shots, he finds his award-winning subjects in the forests of Berlin and Brandenburg. His portfolio includes intimate portraits of fallow deer with blackbirds and tiny Eurasian pygmy owls that are sometimes no bigger than mice.
Lorenz has turned his passion into a sustainable career, conducting workshops, giving lectures, and producing calendars featuring his now prize-winning photographs. Those interested in his work can visit www.lucalorenz.de or follow his Instagram account @luca_lorenz_wildlife to see more of his remarkable wildlife photography from the forests surrounding Berlin.
