Thirteen-year-old Lubin Godin from Haute-Savoie, France, has achieved remarkable recognition in the world of wildlife photography, winning awards in two of the most prestigious international wildlife photography competitions this October. The young photographer from Taninges captured first place in the 11-14 age category at both the "Wildlife Photographer of the Year" contest organized by BBC Wildlife and the Natural History Museum of London on October 15, and the "European Wildlife Photographer of the Year" competition organized by the German Society of Nature Photographers on October 25.
In the Godin family, talent runs deep - after the older brother became the French mountain biking champion, now comes the younger brother photographer. Lubin's passion for wildlife photography began at an extraordinarily young age, even before he could read. As a subscriber to Wakou magazine, he would spend hours studying animal photographs. "I discovered wildlife photography before I even knew other types of photography existed," laughs the young photographer from Haute-Savoie.
While many children love animals, Lubin possessed the essential quality of a photographer: observation. "From the age of three, we could place him in the garden to watch a butterfly or insect without moving for an hour," marvels his mother, Manuella Cany. She notes mischievously that this was completely opposite to his brother - the mountains allow the older brother to release energy on his bike while letting the younger brother observe animals.
To capture the perfect moment, Lubin is capable of waiting for hours. "I love seeing animals gradually forget my presence and act as if I'm not there," he explains. During vacations, the middle school student ventures into the mountains around Taninges five to six times per week to photograph wildlife, weather permitting. While Lubin claims he has no favorite animals, he keeps a mental list of species he has never successfully photographed: "The lynx, which is really very rare in Haute-Savoie. The wolf too, which is a bit more present but also very rare. The nocturnal bird of prey I'd most like to see is the Eurasian pygmy owl. It's barely bigger than a sparrow, so it's also hard to spot."
Lubin's current equipment consists of "a Canon EOS R7 and a 100-400mm lens, with a multiplier to photograph animals from very far away." However, he has only had this professional setup for two and a half years. At age eight, his parents gave him his first camera - a compact model. "He already had a sense of light and framing, but very quickly he had to borrow our DSLR camera because he was too limited by the compact," explains Manuella. The question then arose of buying him another camera. "We preferred to wait - we weren't going to give a DSLR to an eight-year-old child. We wanted to be sure it wasn't just a passing fancy," his mother recalls with amusement.
It was clearly not a passing fancy. With his new camera received two and a half years ago, the young photographer has already taken more than 150,000 shots. This dedication and natural talent have earned him growing recognition among his peers in the photography community.
Winning the "Wildlife Photographer of the Year" prize was unimaginable for Lubin. "I didn't expect it at all. After the results were announced, my excitement subsided, then shot back up during the awards ceremony at the Natural History Museum in London. I'm still on cloud nine," describes the Haute-Savoie resident. His award-winning photograph, which he titled "Horns of Mist," competed against more than 6,000 candidates in his category.
"I didn't even think he would be selected among the more than 6,000 candidates in his category," confirms his mother. She assures that both she and Lubin's father do nothing to propel their son's career. "We accompany him, but we have never asked festivals to invite him. He is increasingly recognized by his peers." This caution is shared by both parents, adds Manuella: "As a parent, you never really know if you're objective about the quality of what your children can produce, but little by little, we realize that yes, objectively, he has talent."
Lubin's photographs, including his award-winning ibex image from mid-October, will be displayed in two exhibitions in Haute-Savoie. The first will be in Chamonix, as he won the springboard competition at the Chamonix Photo Festival. He will therefore exhibit at the Majestic Congress Center from October 31 to November 2. The second exhibition will be in Cornier for the Wild Moments Festival of Cornier during the last weekend of November, showcasing his growing reputation in the world of wildlife photography.
