World Image Issue 51 Focus On Peter Hogel

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This is Peter Hogel, a Swedish national born 1967. Walking a path as freelance photographer with a studio 

in Stockholm taking on most Photography jobs offered. 

Peter Hogel is a wildlife photographer and guide with 32 

years of professional photography. He has travelled in 

more than 35 countries around the globe capturing and 

freezing life’s moments in photos. 

Peter is experienced in photography of several different 

aspects which include; Architecture, People, products, 

wildlife and nature. 

After a lifetime of travelling in 2012 he ended up in 

Tanzania to run photography safaris, a great opportunity 

to combine his passion for wildlife with photography. 

He later moved to where he now lives next door to the 

mountain gorillas of Bwindi, Uganda and with his great 

love and passion for nature, he currently does wildlife 

photography in and around Uganda. 


In this issue we have decided to focus on Swedish photographer Peter Hogel who has, more 

recently, been working in Uganda. Peter is an exceptional photographer working mainly in 

the field of Wildlife where his two favourite subjects could not be further apart and yet so 

close together, gorillas and insects. 

Global Journey? Well five continents is a good start. North & 

south America, Australia, Asia, Europe, Africa and Canada. 

When journeying through different places and cultures it is 

easy to focus on the people images of which can be as varied 

as the societies in which they reside. Marrakech is no 

exception, from the upwardly mobile businessman to the poor 

labourer and all those in between, not forgetting those who 

have past their prime and are just plain tired. 

Some places in the world are naturally thought of as being grey 

and dull, while others are considered to be bright and lively, 

both are totally wrong viewpoints for the most part. Writing 

this I have two countries in mind but will refrain from naming 

them in the interest of good global relations. 

Then we get places like Marrakech. Marrakech is place of form 

and colour, a former imperial city in western Morocco and is a 

major economic center. It is also full of culture and colour. 

That being said my own first realisation that there was a place 

with that name was from a song by Crosby, Stills & Nash 

called "Marrakesh Express”. 

© Please remember that all articles and images published in this magazine are copyright protected 


To be honest I do not even know 

for certain that they have a 

railway which is where my 

thoughts wander, it could just as 

easily be a fast boat across the 

Atlantic. (ed). 

So back to form and colour. The 

form is there if you look for it, 

be it in the harbour with the 

fishing boats or at the market 

with the fish neatly arranged. 

Colour comes in the same 

manner and more with the 

various foods displayed as 

colourful hillsides. 

Of course it is not necessary to 

take the picture as nature 

intended every time, sometimes 

it is worth trying a new approach 

such as the show stall where it 

adds impact just to throw in a 

curve ball. 


Costa Rica is another place as rich 

in the wonders of the natural world 

as many others. If you like green it 

is rich indeed as it contains part of 

the rain forest. 

Costa Rica is a country of rugged 

rain forest with coastlines on both 

the Caribbean sea and Pacific 

ocean. With about a quarter of its 

area is made up of protected jungle, 

Costa Rica its rain forest is teeming 

with wildlife. 

The trees alone display a wide 

variety of form in shades of greens 

and browns while the quiet rivers 

flow beneath. 


The rivers start with the 

rainfall and end in the 

oceans, and in Costa Rica 

those same rivers act as 

highways and byways 

through the lush forest. 

The eventually reach the 

sea or ocean depending 

on which way the water 

flows, and the beaches 

are another thing the 

country is famous for. 

Although in discussing this 

we are also discussing the 

photography of Peter Hogel 

and Peter can always find 

subjects that please the eye 

and draw the viewer into the 

picture. 

But Peter can also ‘see’ the 

images that fool the eye, and 

by using his skill with the 

camera and his knowledge of 

photography, can deceive as 

these two common subjects 

serve to prove. 


Another aspect of its diversity is the wildlife 

which, as those who know Peter will know, is 

one of his main interests when travelling. He is 

never usually without his camera and , one of the 

prerequisites for a good photographer (well any 

Photographer really) his observational skills are 

very well attuned. 

That skill at observing the area around him and 

actually seeing what is there keeps him at the 

forefront of his profession. Keeping your eyes 

open and being alert can have many advantages, 

including those involving personal health and 

wellbeing. 

You do not want to meet this chap while 

paddling in the river. 

Costa Rica is also on the Pacific Rim and, like all 

countries in that position, has its volcano. In this 

case the Arenal Volcano which still poses a 

threat to the environment. 

Volcano Arenal, still active. 

Top of "Volcano Arenal" still smoking.... 

I suppose you could walk to the top and take a 

look, but much easier to do it from an aircraft. 

There are drawbacks with both options, and 

advantages. 

On foot you get to see and photograph all the 

scenery and wildlife of the forest, the drawback 

is that it may decide to erupt with you standing 

on the summit. 

In the aircraft you get to see the summit without 

getting tired or burnt, the drawback is that you 

miss the photo opportunities afforded by walking 

through the forest. 

Such are the difficult decisions in life that we 

must face. Of course you could be like Peter and 

do both. 

Walking through the rain forest will present 

some challenges, getting through the jungle is 

the least of them. 

In the rain forest wildlife has adapted to make 

the most of its environment, using camouflage 

and colour to blend in with the variety of plants 

and flowers. 

Snakes can be found close to the ground, and 

while most will move away as you approach, 

some might not. 


Others will be hiding in trees and bushes watching, not necessarily for you but 

for their next meal, wave an unsuspecting finger in their direction and that 

could be classed as lunch at which point both you and the snake get a nasty 

shock. 

Those visitors that suffer from 

arachnophobia need not apply, 

but for Peter Hogel this forest is 

heaven on earth, arachnids 

abound in every bush and crevice. 

Scary as they might appear, 

spiders are more afraid of people 

so if you can get past the phobia 

and get up close with the camera 

a world of diversity appears. 

Not all spiders hide their presence, 

some use stunning colours to display 

their beauty to the world, we only 

need to look. 

Looking is something these predators 

do very well. The frogs are, in some 

respects, very like the spiders in that 

they are more often seen in the trees 

or hanging out on leaves waiting for 

their next meal. 

I only have one question in 

regards to frogs, Why are they 

always smiling? ed. 


Ok so we all expect to find birds in trees, after all that is their 

task in life, apart from raising young and finding food. Costa 

Rica is no different to most other places except it has more of 

them in a greater variety of colour and form. 

Other creatures found in the trees which are normally associated with 

ground living are the lizards . These come in all colours and sizes, but it 

often takes a quick eye and even quicker reactions to get the picture.. 

Luck plays a very important part in getting the one special image. If you 

wait for the lizard to lose its footing it won’t, But occasionally it happens 

and when it does has the camera been in the wrong setting or aimed the 

wrong way, or in the old days … run out of film? 

Nature has no interest in you getting the perfect picture, Peters answer 

when asked the question was simple, “practice, practice, luck and more 

practice.” 


Primates abound in Costa Rica and while some , like these two, definitely have an attitude problem, 

others are a little more placid. 

Walking anywhere can be rewarding and this 

is especially true in woodlands and forests. 

Walk slow, don’t talk, and most of all stop 

and listen on a regular basis. 

Peter like any photographer worth their salt 

will tell you that the vast majority of wildlife 

pictures do not come from seeing the subject, 

but from first hearing them. 

It is the ear that detects the sound before the 

eye can spot the cause. 

Actually they do not care about the 

photographer or anyone else for that 

matter, so long as they keep a reasonable 

distance. 

A long lens and a steady hand are very 

useful tools in the art of wildlife 

photography. 

We say that based on the premise that 

most photography is done within a short 

walk of the car. 

In rain protected forest the car may 

allow you to get to an area, but if you 

intend an extended walk or a climb up 

the volcano, then a big heavy lens is not 

recommended. 


Now I believe that somewhere I mentioned 

Peter Hogels love of insects. 

Their world is a giant world. I sometimes 

wonder if they realise just how small they are 

or how large the world really is, or even if they 

care. 

From Peters photography in this area you soon 

realise that there is absolutely no privacy when 

it comes to the camera. 

It is an interesting fact that if the insects turned on humanity, humanity 

would lose by sheer weight of numbers. 

They can get almost everywhere, and have a huge variety of 

form and colour. Often they adopt a disguise, a leaf by any other 

name may be an insect, and their eyes always seem to be 

watching when seen in close-up. 


Speaking of eyes, this is about as close as you might want to get to this desirable creature. 

Costa Rica is also a land of people, and what you see depends on how you see. It would have been a simple 

matter to stand on the street and take another picture of another person doing another step in their daily 

routine, but gain height and you gain a new perspective on the world and in doing so open up a new scope 

for photography. 


Everywhere we go we can see and photograph people 

doing people things whether it be sport or work, but lets 

not forget the random opportunity when fate takes a hand. 

Peter moved into Tanzania before changing location to the 

neighbouring country of Uganda. 

He admits that he has had the privilege of living in Uganda, 

with its tremendously diverse wildlife and stunning nature, for the past six months he has as well been 

fortunate enough to work and live just outside one of the national parks, Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth 

and he means just outside, going to bed hearing the sounds of the hyenas in the night. 

He has been running safaris in Uganda for four and a half years, returning to the parks frequently, but 

actually living there is different. 

The moon slowly rises through the trees and the warm glow in the sky intensifies the sounds of the night 

emanating from the forest and parklands around. 


When he goes shopping in the nearest village, the best road there goes 

through the park so I keep passing through. 

After a while he started recognizing the monkeys around and he “got to 

know” the elephants, their individual moods and behaviour, he says its 

amazing to feel the connection to such a place, and this season has been 

extraordinary… Peter continued ... 

The young family of lions in the 

southern part of the park, have 

cubs. The three sisters and the 

young brother are sticking 

together and they had four cubs 

about 8 months old (father of the 

cubs was a male coming for a 

visit from another part of the 

park, its not the brother.). 

We started to see the cubs when very small 

and could follow their progress and growth 

and sometime back, the big step for them, 

to become part of the famous “tree 

climbing lions of Ishasha” when they were 

big enough to start climbing the fig trees. 

They are now very comfortable tree climbers tho’ lions aren’t very 

good climbers I have to say, far from as gracious as the leopard, 

occasionally stumble around up on the branches …but very 

comfortable when finding the right branch to spend half a day 

sleeping on, not even bothering standing up to pee. 

The cubs are grooving and so does the young lions, we see a change 

in territory coming , splitting up and finding new grounds, and we 

are looking forward to it, its good changes, more prides in a park 

that have not only space for it but also plenty of food to go around. 

Occupying an estimated 1,978 square kilometres (764 sq mi), the 

Queen Elizabeth National Park is located in the Western Region of 

Uganda. It extends from Lake George in the north-east to Lake 

Edward in the south-west and includes the Kazinga Channel 

connecting the two lakes and spans the districts of Kasese, 

Kamwenge, Rubirizi and Rukungiri, and includes the 

Maramagambo Forest. 


It borders the Kigezi Game Reserve, the Kyambura Game Reserve, and the Kibale National Park in 

Uganda, and the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

The park was founded in 1952 as Kazinga National Park. It was 

renamed two years later to commemorate a visit by Queen 

Elizabeth II. 

The park is known for its wildlife, including African buffalo, Ugandan kob, hippopotamus, Nile crocodile, 

African bush elephant, African leopard, lion, and chimpanzee. It is home to 95 mammal species and over 

500 bird species. 

The area around Ishasha in Rukungiri District is famous for its 

tree-climbing lions, whose males sport black manes. The park is 

also famous for its volcanic features, including volcanic cones 

and deep craters, many with crater lakes, such as the Katwe 

craters, from which salt is extracted. 

Its been a great time in Ishasha and I hope to be around for 

a long time!.. Peter 


Did we mention the snakes? 

Probably but not in Uganda. 

Then allow us to introduce you to 

Toxicodryas blandingii, commonly 

known as Blanding's cat snake or 

Blanding's tree snake, is a species of 

rear-fanged venomous snake of the 

family Colubridae. The species is 

endemic to Sub-Saharan Africa. 

The dark is the male and the light is 

the female … just in case you were 

wondering. 

On the previous page we mentioned in passing the Kibale National Park here in Uganda. The park is the 

home of the Mountain Gorillas of the Kibale Forest. 

This is a species that is under constant threat. Peter has spent many hours photographing these intelligent 

and social creatures and we hope that can persuade Peter to supply enough pictures and information to 

dedicate a future issue to this subject. 

So for now we will leave you with the smiling face of hope. 


Back Again? - Only Time Will Tell 

In our last issue of the magazine dated November 2017 I stated that it would be the last in 

its current form. This was due to two situations, first my own time limitations due to a 

house move and subsequent renovations, and second the possibility of the magazine 

becoming interactive so that contributors could generate their own articles or so that I 

could create an open input magazine. These latter options never materialised so the 

magazine went into a state of hibernation. 

However the on-line groups continued and some of the diehard contributors have been 

keeping it alive while my attention has been elsewhere. Thank You All. 

All the earlier issues are still available to read on line at Yumpu.com or through 

worldimagemag.com 

After some consultation we have decided to issue the magazine in a new format of which 

this is the pilot issue. Publication will be on an ad-hoc basis thus removing the time 

constraints on the editor and also the reliance on obtaining submissions for editorial. It still 

does not ‘pay you money’ but it is an opportunity to ‘get you out there’. 

Focus on Photography will do exactly what it says, each issue will focus on either a 

photographer, a subject, or both. 

Photographers wishing to ‘join in’ with this project may do so with pleasure, buy quality 

of picture and taste in subject matter published will be at the sold discretion of the editor 

whose decision is final.

World Image Issue 51 Focus On Peter Hogel

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