by Yvette Depaepe 

Yaki Zander  is a nature lover since his childhood.  Over the years, he started photography developing constantly his skills and is now an achieved nature photographer spending most of his free time shooting animals, especially birds, combining his love for nature and his photographic passion.  Let's accompany him on his nature journeys and learn more about him.

At first I photographed flowers and landscapes with a Nikon camera.  Of course, I developed my love for photography which always captivated me and became my favourite hobby.

After my military service, I joined the "Egged" cooperative (one of the largest transportation companies in the world).  My work forced me to reduce some of the intensity of photography. In 1995, I was appointed director of the "Egged printing department".

I went back to take pictures with a Minolta i8000 but this time my heart totally focused on animals and especially on wingers.

I combined my work with calendars into diaries and other works of the printing house.

“Rose-ringed Parakeet.”  

“It's not what you think...” 

“Palestine Sunbird.”    

My retirement has left me with so much time to photograph that I like it.
I study the terrain in which I choose to photograph, choose hiding places and try to get the right background in my photographs.

“The Band.  White pelican.” 

“Goldfinch.”     

“Hoopoe”            

 
I trace hours and days after animals, especially birds, and sometimes go back to long observations to catch the magical moments of bird courtship, hatching of the chicks, their feeding and flowering from the nest.

“Graceful Prinia.”       

“(European) Reed Warbler...”  

“Common Tern.”   

I photograph with ecological awareness and conservation of animals and nature and avoid interference to maintain

The magical beauty. Sometimes I go into hiding in the dark.
Indeed, the exposure of their lives, customs, and secrets evokes us, the human beings, to think of the great responsibility
That we have toward them and the nature that surrounds us.

The most important thing to me during photography is the story behind the pictures, the situation itself and of course, but technical perfection completes it.

“”8” - Flamingo.”         

“Little Green Bee-eater.”  

“Barn Owl with Vole.”   

My photographs were widely published in the Israeli magazine "The World of Photography and Video" and in the "Composition" magazine.

Today I have a Nikon D500 camera and 500 F4 lenses and 200-500 F / 5.6.
Until about a year and a half ago, I photographed with Nikon 300 D.
I photograph from hiding in the field with a tripod and also from the car with the aid of a window tripod.
To process my image, I'm using Photoshop.

My advice to beginners in nature photography is to start in their immediate surroundings, even in the yard, and slowly accumulate experience with long lenses and a tripod.

My greatest wish for the future is going on safari in Tanzania, but unfortunately I cannot afford it  because I'm retired.

The 1X site is a great place for me because of the high quality of the photographs and the wide distribution.

“Little Egret.”               

“Stonechat. (female) 

“White-throated Kingfisher.” 

“Dogfight... Spanish Sparrow.”

“Flamingo.  (Siamese twins...)”