BIO
Heike Odermatt had dreamed of pursuing nature photography since childhood—a wish she was able to fulfill many years later. Since 2002, she has devoted herself wholeheartedly to this passion, although not professionally.
For years, she embarked on numerous journeys, instinctively aware that such freedom might one day vanish. Due to a chronic illness, she stopped photographing for a long period, but has begun finding new ways to reconnect with her passion.
She is especially drawn to the planet’s cold regions, with their remote and rugged landscapes, where she feels a deep connection with nature and the sense of being merely a small guest in an overwhelming environment. In contrast, she feels that in the Netherlands—her home—the landscape is too densely populated to offer the same serenity.
She is a member of organizations such as the GDT (German Society for Nature Photography), the NFG (Nature Photographers Guild of the Netherlands), and Nature First.
Her photographs are regularly published in international magazines and calendars and have been awarded in prestigious competitions such as Wildlife Photographer of the Year and European Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Heike Odermatt in Montphoto
2025
There will always be water
Saturday
13:15
Main Auditorium
Her talk is a photographic journey through the years—how it all began, and how she has had to embark on a new quest to fully live her passion and stay true to herself. From beautiful, remote areas with a focus on landscapes and abstraction to small, seemingly insignificant moments close to home, she is primarily drawn to shapes, colours, and lines. Her inner self longs for harmony and tranquillity in her images. Less is often more. She photographs with her soul. For her, nature photography is like a book that is never finished—each time you enter nature, that book grows thicker.
Since chronic illness has forced her to conserve energy and limit her mobility, her photographic opportunities have changed. Where she once drove to remote areas and searched for subjects on foot, she now finds them near paths and trails in her immediate surroundings, during moments when she feels well enough. Water is one of the subjects she especially loves to photograph, and the element of water is also the connecting thread of this talk.
