Meet a 17-Year-Old Photographer Revealing the Hidden Side of Wildlife

While many teenagers are absorbed in screens, Denat Lahi spends his nights and early mornings tracking foxes and pine martens.

At just 17, Denat Lahi is already carving out a name for himself in wildlife photography, bringing both precision and artistry to a field where patience and passion are essential. Born and raised in Lund, Sweden, with Albanian heritage, Lahi began photographing wildlife in 2023 and has since dedicated himself to documenting the secret lives of mammals in his region.

“Wildlife photography became the reason to be outside, and only then did I realize everything that was out there — a whole world of wonders I might never have discovered otherwise,” he reflects.

A Young Photographer’s Path

Lahi’s journey into photography began not with a lifelong bond to nature, but with curiosity sparked by YouTube. Inspired by the work of Duade Paton, he purchased his first DSLR camera and a telephoto lens and began practicing on the birds in his neighborhood. What quickly set him apart was the foundation he already had: four years of experience in visual effects and image compositing, as well as two years of experience as a 3D artist. That knowledge of light, composition, and visual storytelling gave him an edge when he turned his attention to wildlife.

Today, his focus lies on mammals, which he finds more expressive and emotionally resonant than other subjects.

“Mammals can express a wide range of emotions, which sets them apart from birds,” he explains.

He is especially drawn to capturing images that reveal behaviors and family bonds, showing how foxes or pine martens can reflect emotions just as human families do.

Crafting a Style

Lahi is not satisfied with straightforward portraits. Instead, he works to create images that tell stories. By using wide-angle compositions and carefully chosen environments, he seeks to place animals in a broader context. Editing is minimal, limited to exposure and color adjustments.

“The more you do to a nature image after a certain point, the worse and more unnatural it gets,” he says.

For him, the real artistry comes from preparation in the field.

Research Before the Shutter

Behind Lahi’s evocative images lies a meticulous and scientific approach. His ongoing work with pine martens, one of the most elusive mammals in Sweden, has pushed him to develop advanced techniques in nighttime camera trapping and motion-sensing. He spends weeks mapping territories, photographing scat, and cross-referencing local wildlife databases to identify the best locations.

“I have over 400 photos of scat on my phone, and each droppings spot is carefully added to maps where I build up their territories on my computer,” he jokes.

This dedication has already yielded striking results, with images that reveal behavior and intimacy rarely seen in such shy animals.

Challenges in the Field

The technical challenges are as demanding as the animals are secretive. From sensors misfiring thousands of times a day to cats triggering camera traps, Lahi has had to solve problems with persistence and creativity. He rewrote his camera system in Python, experimented with lighting setups, and even embraced the local cats as practice models.

Each obstacle became a stepping stone, refining his process and strengthening his patience.

Moments That Last a Lifetime

For Lahi, the reward lies not in the number of images but in the rare moments when everything comes together. He recalls with particular pride a golden-hour image of a fox mother nursing her kits, taken after months of tracking.

“It was one of those rare moments where everything, timing, behavior, and light came together perfectly after a lot of hard work,” he says.

That image, intimate and unguarded, remains one of his most emotional achievements.

Looking Forward

Still in school, where he studies natural science, Lahi balances his academic life with his growing career. His goals remain ambitious. He hopes to produce a book documenting pine martens in Lund Municipality and to capture dream shots that push the boundaries of what has been seen before: a pine marten leaping in the forest at dusk, climbing mossy trees, or framed against a star-filled sky.

“Knowing that all the early mornings, all the countless hours of research, and all the hassle of fixing the equipment have yielded an amazing and timeless image that I will carry with me my entire life,” he says, “is the most rewarding part of the process.”

A Photographer to Watch

Through his work, Denat Lahi aims to do more than impress with technical skill. He wants to change the way people see wildlife, showing that the animals living quietly around us are full of emotion, love, and character.

“I want my viewers to feel that these animals have emotions and, albeit rare, still live around us, and we must protect them before they disappear entirely,” he says.

What makes his story inspiring is not only the images themselves, but also the way he approaches photography with curiosity, creativity, and discipline that is well beyond his years. At just 17, he is already demonstrating the power of perseverance and imagination to bring unseen worlds to light.

His journey has only just begun, but his work carries the depth and promise of a photographer destined to leave a lasting mark on the world of wildlife imagery. At a time when so many young people are turning away from knowledge of the natural world in favor of technology, Lahi is choosing a different path. He is embracing the wild, investing his energy in understanding the lives of his wildlife muses, and reminding us all of the profound beauty that still exists just beyond our doorstep.

Image credits: Denat Lahi