Morten Koldby: Soul-Catching Portrait Photography of Animals and Humans

Morten Koldby is a Danish photographer and filmmaker based in Aarhus. He studied at the Danish School of Photography and launched his own business in 2009 after gaining experience in the field. His career spans over 20 years, focusing on creating visual stories for clients in Denmark and internationally. Key milestones include starting his renowned animal portrait series around 2011 and expanding into video production that same year. His work often features soft, muted tones and stark white backgrounds that emphasise textures and expressions.

• Primary Genres: Portrait, Wildlife
• Primary Photography Style: Minimalism (storytelling through clean, simple compositions that isolate subjects for impact); Straight Photography (direct, emotional portrayals emphasising authenticity and raw connection)
• Key Message: Morten Koldby aims to capture the essence and humanity of his subjects, whether human or animal, through minimalist portraits that highlight facial expressions and forge emotional bonds. His images tell subtle stories, encouraging viewers to reflect on the personalities and narratives behind each gaze.

Morten Koldby’s most common subjects include humans in environmental and corporate settings, as well as animals from zoos, parks, and reserves. He has a strong focus on a unique aesthetic that uses soft greys, warm browns, and stark blacks to highlight textures like fur or skin, often against clean white backgrounds to isolate the subject and amplify emotional depth. His compositions are tight, with eyes and faces filling the frame to draw viewers into a direct, intimate connection. Techniques involve digital cameras for flexibility, with soft, even lighting from studio setups or natural overcast conditions to avoid harsh shadows and maintain a gentle mood. Editing is minimal, done in-house with retouching to enhance contrast and warmth without over-processing, resulting in clean, authentic finishes. Presentation includes ad campaigns, online galleries on his website, and collaborations such as photo credits for the World Wildlife Foundation, with plans for a coffee-table book of animal portraits.

For intermediate photographers, Koldby’s minimalist style demonstrates how simplicity in composition—focusing on one key element like the eyes—can create powerful narratives without clutter. This approach draws from straight photography principles, prioritising authenticity over manipulation, which he achieves through digital tools rather than film for quicker workflows and precise control. Unlike film, which requires careful exposure planning due to its unforgiving nature, digital allows real-time adjustments, enabling Koldby to capture spontaneous expressions in animals or humans. Learners can experiment with white backgrounds to practise isolating subjects, using softbox lights to mimic his even illumination and build skills in evoking emotion through subtle details.

His work educates on the balance between technical precision and storytelling, showing how minimal post-processing preserves the subject’s true character. By travelling worldwide for assignments, Koldby incorporates diverse environments into his portraits, blending industrial elements with personal stories.

Lessons from this Photographer:

Koldby’s approach teaches the value of minimalist composition to let subjects’ expressions tell the story, encouraging photographers to strip away distractions and focus on emotional authenticity. By using soft lighting and tight framing, one can forge deeper connections with viewers, a technique applicable to both human and wildlife portraits through patient subject interaction. His minimal editing mindset shifts emphasis to in-camera decisions, inspiring experimentation with digital tools for efficient, genuine results that prioritise narrative over perfection.

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