Danish wildlife photographers Uri and Helle Løvevild Golman have dedicated their lives to bringing attention to the beauty of animals around the world. The husband and wife team have traveled around the globe, from the Arctic to Africa, in order to capture positive images of the animals we are in danger of losing. However, a few years ago an encounter in Africa changed the course of their work forever.
Both photographers were attracted to nature from a young age. Uri remembers admiring Sir David Attenborough and Jacques Cousteau, while Helle was inspired by her sailing adventures as a child. After meeting on an expedition, they fell in love and Helle joined Uri as a professional photographer, with both eventually working with National Geographic.
In 2017, the duo was in Gabon for the third time shooting a documentary. It was there, at a local market, that an extremist attacked Uri unexpectedly, stabbing him ten times. After hitting Uri’s heart, liver, and severing a main artery, Uri fought off the attacker. Uri was immediately transferred to the hospital, where he remained in critical condition. Nine days later, a German plane lifted them back to Denmark and he was transferred into intensive care.
When he finally awoke, he was unable to speak, swallow, or walk and the doctors did not give him a good prognosis. However, two and a half years later—after intense rehabilitation—the couple is back in their home. Uri has regained his speech, his ability to swallow, and movement in his arms. He’s even begun the process of slowly learning to walk again. And incredibly, in the midst of all this, the couple never lost sight of their desire to help wildlife.
During the entire rehabilitation process, with the aid of a close friend who helped them curate the images, they produced a masterful book that encompasses their life’s work. This book, titled Wild, collects the most beautiful and evocative images from their 25 expeditions across seven continents. Encompassing their philosophy that “what you love—you will protect,” the publication is a love letter to all of the animals they’ve encountered.
The determined couple has also started their own wildlife foundation—the Wild Nature Foundation. With this charitable institution, they hope to create and support existing conservation, nature restoration, and policymaking projects. Even if they’re no longer out in the field as photographers like they were before, they are using their experience and knowledge to make a difference.
See some of the incredible wildlife photography from Uri and Helle Løvevild Golman’s Wild.
