“ATHENE” is the result of more than five years of work on the little owl, the last three of which have been exclusively focused on this species. If the images presented are the result of a few years of photography, they are, above all, the result of nearly more than 30 years of observation, monitoring and protection of a small population of owls in the northeast quarter of France (inventories, installation of nesting boxes, etc.).
The owl of Athena being a common species and often photographed in France, François Nowicki sought to focus his photography on artistic work and on the originality of the images. If the exhibition is a step in this work, the images of the exhibition have already received numerous prizes in international competitions, including 2 “highly commended” images at the GDT and the mini-series prize of the bird festival.
Some images were taken without prior preparation in the sandstone of many, many hours of observation and stalking, but many images are the result of reflection and specific work of preparation, installation and discretion in order to that each image be as striking as possible while respecting the bird.