Surkova shared that her journey into wildlife photography began by chance: “A very unexpected gift. During COVID, a complete stranger gave me a telephoto lens. Suddenly, I was holding this incredible piece of equipment and had absolutely no idea what to do with it. At the time, I was living in the countryside, surrounded by fields and animals, so I started going outside trying to photograph whatever I could find. It turned out wildlife was everywhere. Looking back, it’s funny. Someone basically handed me a lens and accidentally changed my life.”
When asked if she experienced a particularly meaningful moment with an animal, she answered right away: “The Iberian lynx, without a doubt. I have been chasing this animal for years, and every encounter still feels like a miracle. Not long ago, the species was on the edge of extinction, so seeing one in the wild is incredibly emotional. The funny part is that my hands still shake every time I see one, which is not exactly ideal for photography.”
Surkova also shared some very practical advice for aspiring wildlife photographers: “Buy very good boots, because you will spend a lot of time walking. Then learn patience, a level of patience you probably did not know existed. Wildlife photography often means sitting in uncomfortable places, questioning your life choices, and sometimes returning home with empty memory cards. But every once in a while, an animal appears, and everything aligns for just a couple of seconds. In that brief moment, you capture a photograph that makes all the effort completely worth it.”
