by Yvette Depaepe
Published the 15 January 2024

Jealousy excels in amazing styorytelling animals portraits.  She often goes to the zoo and loves to capture the rich expressions and the loveliness of animals. She has a profound respect for all nature's creatures and their lives. She feels blessed and privileged to be able to capture their emotions and 'thoughts' through her lens by interacting with them.
Enjoy Jealousy's answers and learn more about her personality.

'Just hold me.'

I really want to extend heartfelt thanks to Yvette for inviting me to this interview!

What first attracted you to photography and which are your most important experiences that has influenced your art?

When I used to work part-time at an art gallery, the elderly owner said to me: 'You’ll understand when you’ve seen a lot of outstanding works.’
It was around 2020 when I suddenly remembered those words, which I didn’t pay much attention to at the time.
It was during the pandemic that I first encountered 1X at home. It felt like a marvel, something truly extraordinary. Could such beautiful works really be born from a camera? It was not until then that I actually started taking pictures with the camera I owned for several years.
Since it happened to be the busiest time of the year, I wanted to avoid the crowds and went to the Safari Park to take pictures of the animals.
I submitted my photos to 1x, received advice and joined the Critique forum section.  My photographs were nurtured by 1x. For example, the advice I received on 'Tamandua' was spot on, and when I put it into practice, it turned out great. I learned that if I would edit my photos correctly, I could bring out the loveliness of the animals.

'Tamandua'

Due to the situation where I couldn't go out to take pictures, I started practising carefully how to edit my photographs, at home. At some point, I began imagining the joy of capturing portraits of animals while engaging in a conversation with them, and I started striving for a finished product with that kind of mood.

'Mischievous little brother'

'hippo'

The titles of my photos are sometimes summaries of what we were talking about at that moment.

'You mean the world to me'

'Sidekick'

Why are you so drawn by Animal photography?

I still go often to the zoo for photography, captivated by the rich expressions of the animals. At the zoo they are accustomed to people, giving them wonderful expressions. If I stay there all day with a few rice balls for my lunch, I can witness their various wonderful happenings and capture many shots.

'Two lions'

When the shooting location is a zoo, a lot of time is needed editing them to eliminate artificiality in the background and to achieve the desired mood. However, if I can capture their devoted and pure expressions and gentle gestures, these efforts are more than compensated by satisfaction. And over the course of many visits, I also learned the importance of the zoo's role. This is mentioned in the caption of this photo.

'Red-cheeked Ibis'

Describe your favourite photograph taken by you and why it is special to you?

I like this photo because it was the first one that made me realize capturing the emotions of animals is also a great privilege for a camera user.

'Affection'

Are there any specific directions that you would like to take your photography in the future or any specific goals that you wish to achieve?

I have a profound respect for nature's creatures and their lives. What thoughts did their creator give them?
Understanding and expressing all of them is something I will never be able to do during my life. As I gaze at animals through the lens, contemplating such things, the desire to continue pursuing that unattainable goal wells up within me.

'Walk along hand in hand'

'Octopus'

I am confident that I will come to 'understand' something as I consistently encounter many of the world's best works here. So furthermore, I aspire to continue learning and showcase on 1x the ongoing growth of my photos.