Mathew Malwitz Interview

Wildlife Photographer - Mathew Malwitz

What was the Story Behind Your Winning Shot for the 2024 Audubon Photography Competition?

Warblers have been a favorite subject of mine for years now. Since my first introduction to them, I've been hooked. They're not the easiest subject to photograph, and there's a limited window to photograph them where they're most active. I guess I like the challenge. On the day I captured this particular image, I had been driving and hiking around Promised Land State Park in Pennsylvania. This a special location for me, as it was one of the last places I visited with my dad who passed away back in 2019. When we visited, it was during a family vacation to the area, so we made a day trip to the park. My parents sat on a bench near one of the lakes while I explored. I immediately knew it was prime habitat for a number of warbler species, but we were there in August, so I'd have to wait. A few years went by before I returned, but when I did, I was stoked to hear so many birds singing. As a New Jersey native, the most common bird song I'm used to hearing is the buzzing of a mosquito in my ear, but here, I was greeted by the sounds of Black-throated Blue, Magnolia, Black and White, and of course, Blackburnian Warblers. Any time I passed a patch of hemlock or spruce, I heard multiple Blackburnian Warblers singing. Now, anyone who's photographed warblers knows that hearing and seeing are two very different things. I probably passed dozens of these birds as I explored the park. At one point, I heard the familiar song of a Magnolia Warbler. I was walking toward the song along the trail when two quarreling Blackburnian Warblers dropped from the trees above. I heard them well before I saw them. The sound could best be described as a very tiny remote controlled helicopter. It was buzzy and fluttering, but because there were two birds, the sound was amplified. They landed a few feet in front of me, prompting me to carefully step back. They remained motionless, and I worried that the fall had injured them, but a moment later they began battling again. Once I realized the pair were too busy to notice me, I slowly dropped to the ground at their level to get a better look into their world. I adjusted my settings for action and snapped as they fought. I should also add that it was mid-morning and sunny when this began. The light was arguably too harsh, but I wasn't going to NOT take some shots. They continued fighting when a stray cloud rolled in. This provided a few minutes of soft diffuse light, and that's when I snapped this exact image. The scene lasted a few minutes before they let each other go and returned to the canopy.

What's the best part of winning a photo competition?

I'll be honest and say that I'm not entirely sure yet. It of course feels nice to be recognized, but it's strange. I'm not going to sit here and say that it's changed my life, but it certainly has added a level of legitimacy to my work. Not for others to see, but for me. As an artist, I'm very critical of my work. I'd go as far as to say that I'm never fully satisfied with an image. Even if I'm excited about a shot, I can always see where I could've done things differently. Winning an award serves as a nice confidence boost and helps me feel that even though I can do better, I'm doing fine now. When I took this image and entered it, I was hoping to see my name somewhere in Audubon's Top 100. Never did I imagine that I would somehow win, and of all things, Grand Prize. The days since the winners were announced have been odd for sure. I work in a camera shop, so I'm surrounded by photographers and photo enthusiasts on a daily basis. Word of the award winners spread through this group pretty fast, partly due to me sharing it on facebook and instagram, but that's besides the point. I'm very awkward at receiving compliments, so having people constantly approaching me to congratulate me or ask questions has been an experience. I teach classes and lead workshops through the store, so public speaking is not out of my wheelhouse. I guess I just don't necessarily like the attention. It's never just congratulations and move on. People linger, as if I have more to say. I don't, I'm just some guy who happened to be in the right place at the right time.

What are you looking for in a photo to make it stand out and feel unique?

That's a tough question. "Feels unique" is a great way to put it. In the digital age, it seems harder and harder to capture something truly unique. There are so many photographers out there trying to get "the shot". If you go on social media nowadays, you'll see a lot of similar looking images. This is especially true in my area, as there are a number of famous spots to shoot. There are a few photographers who really push the envelope and have developed a signature style, but overall, there's a real lack of variety. I'm certainly guilty of taking the same old bird on stick portrait shots, but I always try to experiment while I'm out shooting. This can be anything from shooting backlit images, to trying to capture wide angle portraits of birds. If you're wondering why you've never seen a wide-angle portrait from me before, that's because these experiments don't always work. In fact, they often fail more often than they pan out, but that's all part of the fun. I'm not going to turn down the opportunity for a perfectly lit portrait on a mossy stick, but if I can somehow do something in a different way from the rest, I'm happy. I also try to photograph the less common or popular subject matter. Going back to warblers being my favorite bird to photograph; it was the lack of warbler shots that I saw that really got me going down this path. It seemed like something only a select few individuals knew about, so I was stoked to be a part of a niche group of photographers. That niche group has grown exponentially in recent years, but there's still a certain skill set and drive level that not everyone has. I guess this has been a long-winded way of saying, I'm looking for interesting and/or unusual behaviors, but I'm not too picky. I'm very satisfied with a standard text-book shot of a bird as long as all of the elements line up and it looks visually pleasing. At the end of the day, I take photos for myself. It's a source of peace and tranquility in my life, and there's nothing I'd rather be doing in my spare time. I am a competitive person by nature, but that only drives me to do better for me. If other people like them, that's a bonus.