About

About

MARCUS WESTBERG, AWARD-WINNING PHOTOGRAPHER & STORYTELLER

I’ve always loved storytelling, although as an introspective child I tended to prefer reading about the adventures of others to creating or talking about my own. Even today, having long since overcome that shyness and quite happily telling (and quite possibly retelling) tales from my admittedly fairly exciting life—or should that fail to achieve the desired outcome, those of others—with the inarguably lofty aspiration of inspiring, educating or at the very least entertaining anyone willing to listen, writing my own bio is not a comfortable exercise. Listing my achievements in first person feels decidedly odd, yet doing so in third person—essentially pretending that I am someone else writing about me when anyone kind enough to read it will no doubt be fully aware of the text’s true author—is probably worse. So here goes.

I love what I do - let’s start there.

Not every moment of it, of course. In fact, as glamorous as the life of a travelling photographer often seems, there are a whole host of things which aren’t much fun at all, ranging from the mundane (broken equipment, countless hours spent in uncomfortable places, deadlines, customs officials, mosquitoes) to the downright unpleasant (tropical disease courtesy of said mosquitoes, bullets, charging animals, panic about life choices). But everything I do, I have chosen to do, and though I always cringe a little when I hear the word ‘luck’, I certainly recognise how incredibly fortunate I am to have been able to choose this path in the first place, having been born into an affluent society (Sweden), a loving, supportive family and with no real hardships to speak of.

Photography is about sharing stories. These stories are the stories of others—of other people, of animals, of places and events—and although not something I seek out consciously, I find that my photography has a tendency to focus on the strength, integrity, affinity and love I see around me.

Perhaps this is because these are qualities I instinctively look for in others; perhaps because they are qualities I would want others to look for (and hopefully find) in me. (And perhaps, at least in part, because I enjoy making people feel good.) But their stories are also my stories, and how I choose to tell them, whether through photos or words, says as much about my own journey as it does about the world around us. Most importantly, my effectiveness as a storyteller hinges on my ability to be present, to form connections and to listen, and to keep an open mind. I certainly don’t succeed all the time, but that’s no reason to stop trying.

Having been bitten early and decisively by the Africa bug, this is where I spend much of my time. An academic background in environmental science soon gave way to full-time photography and writing, working with or covering the work of some incredible organisations, projects and people.

I am now a two-time Wildlife Photographer of the Year finalist, a photojournalism winner at both the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year and the Siena Awards as well receiving the Sony World Photographer Award for best Swedish photographer. I am a proud member of Wildlife Photographers United, a Sony Imaging Ambassador, a Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers and have spoken about my work in front of live audiences of over 2,500 people.

I also run - or ran, and will hopefully run again - trips and yoga retreats together with my amazing wife Jessica, which is a lot of fun. A selection of my photographs are available as fine art prints. Between travels you will most likely find me foraging for mushrooms and berries in my native Sweden or photographing surfers in Portugal, where we now live, but in the event that this is somewhat out of your way - or that borders are once again closed - you are more than welcome to reach out via more conventional methods.

CLIPPINGS

I have written and photographed over 50 feature articles for, or had my work featured in, numerous prestigious travel, conservation and photography publications.

NEW YORK TIMES | Zambia

WANDERLUST | Mongolia

TRAVEL AFRICA | Cover

NEW YORK TIMES | Ethiopia & Djibouti

WWF | Gorillas

VAGABOND | Svalbard

THE GUARDIAN | Lion Guardians

VAGABOND | Ethiopia

THE RPS JOURNAL | Gorilla Doctors

NEW YORK TIMES | 52 Places To Go

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC | Big Cats

BIOGRAPHIC | Lion Guardians

Books

Currently working on my first solo book project, my work has also been featured in a number of prestigious photographic books used to raise funds for wildlife and conservation projects.

FEATURED CLIENTS & COLLABORATORS

Through commissions and collaborations, here are some of the companies, non-profit organisations, and publications that I have worked with over the years.

African Parks
Gorilla Doctors
National Geographic Society
Zambia Carnivore Programme
Luambe Conservation
Lion Guardians
Anne K Taylor Fund
& Beyond
WWF
Tierra
Onguma Private Reserve
Remembering Wildlife
Primus
Brunton Outdoors

New York Times
Vagabond
The Guardian
Africa Geographic
Travel Africa
Biographic
Maptia
Natural Selection
Royal Photographic Society
Gitzo
Svenska Turistföreningen
Wilderness Safaris
Lundhags
Världens Resor

Lewa Wildlife Conservancy
Daily Mail
Hilleberg the Tentmaker
Gorilla Highlands
Feed the Children
Force For Good Foundation
Walking With Maasai
GEO
Morocco Tourism Board
Nu Skin Enterprises
LowePro
Wild Sweden
Viking
The Times

Behind-the-scenes

Although I tend to be more comfortable behind the camera than in front of it, here’s a brief look behind the scenes of what it’s like to be me (at least sometimes) and how I like to work.

Photography is about sharing stories. These stories are the stories of others—of other people, of animals, of places and events—and although not something I seek out consciously, I find that my photography has a tendency to focus on the strength, integrity, affinity and love I see around me.

CLIPPINGS

Books

FEATURED CLIENTS & COLLABORATORS

Behind-the-scenes