A Close Encounter With a Grey Heron

Bence Mate takes photographs of unparalleled intimacy

March 3, 2019

A heron flies begins to land on the water. It's legs are very close.

Bence Mate/NPL/Minden Pictures

Hungarian photographer Bence Mate captures wildlife images of unparalleled intimacy by constructing blinds with one-way glass. These allow him, or remote-controlled equipment, to stay concealed even as birds and other animals come up to the camera. In this shot, a grey heron that was perched on his blind swoops down on a great white egret. The legs are the heron's, and the wings belong to the egret.

This article appeared in the March/April 2019 edition with the headline "Hidden Camera."