In the field, 2024
The Photographer
About Jonathan Sippel
Jonathan Sippel has been photographing birds for nearly twenty years, beginning with a borrowed telephoto lens and a heron pond thirty minutes from his childhood home. What started as a weekend habit gradually became an obsession, then a calling. He has since photographed in coastal marshes, boreal forests, arctic tundra, and tropical lowlands across four continents.
His work occupies the precise intersection of naturalist documentation and fine art practice. He is as interested in the scientific reality of his subjects — their behavior, ecology, and conservation status — as he is in the formal qualities of the resulting image. This dual attention produces photographs that reward both the birdwatcher and the aesthete.
Jonathan's prints are held in private collections across North America and Europe. He has contributed to nature publications, conservation campaigns, and gallery exhibitions. He accepts a small number of commissioned projects each year and teaches field photography workshops at select locations.
When not in the field, he is reading about birds, thinking about birds, or quietly wishing he was somewhere watching birds.
Practice
Approach & Vision
Equipment
Jonathan works primarily with a Sony Alpha system, favoring the long telephoto reach of the 600mm f/4 GM for wildlife work and a 100–400mm GM zoom for more dynamic field situations. He shoots in RAW and processes in Lightroom and Capture One, always prioritizing the natural quality of the light over aggressive post-processing.
Approach
Every session begins with research — species behavior, habitat cycles, light predictions. Jonathan spends more time observing than photographing, often arriving hours early to allow wildlife to grow comfortable with his presence. His ethic is simple: the bird's welfare comes before the photograph, always.
Vision
Jonathan's goal is to make photographs that endure — images that reward long looking, that contain a specific quality of attention. He is drawn to the tension between stillness and motion, between the individual creature and the vast world it inhabits. The best photographs, he believes, are those that make the viewer pause and wonder.
Work Together
Jonathan accepts print orders, licensing requests, editorial commissions, and workshop inquiries. All correspondence welcomed.
Contact the Studio