Wanderlust and a profound appreciation of wild animals has brought Dave Katagiri all over the world. Armed with his Canon 5D Mark III, he finds joy in wildlife photography, discovering the overall experience is often more significant than the photo itself. “Especially attractive was the challenge of chasing subjects that were often elusive, moving, or in low light,” says Dave.
One of Dave’s most memorable photography experiences occurred in 2015 in Botswana. Crouched in a small skiff on the river, a herd of elephants approached, kicking up dust around their behemoth legs. Suddenly, out of nowhere, an impala sprinted, parallel to the shore, between the boat and the elephants. With the deftness only a wildlife photographer knows, Dave raised his camera, focused. As it passed in front of the skiff, the impala’s powerful legs launched it high into the air. Click. He managed to capture a shot of the impala suspended in space, framed by the elephants.
I met Dave at the Eugene Holiday Market in 2019. He graciously offered to share a CD of his photos for me to use as reference photos. When I looked at the photos, I was blown away! He has quite the collection of birds, African wildlife, and reptiles. This painting is based off an American Bittern Dave shot in Ridgefield NWA in Washington along with several Tree Swallow reference photos taken by me.
