Heiko Kiera has been a Shutterstock contributor since 2009. He specializes in filming wildlife video in the Everglades. Recently he took the time to answer five questions as Shutterstock Footage’s Featured Contributor.
Shutterstock: What’s your background and how did you get started in video production?
My name is Heiko Kiera, also know as Ojatro throughout the internet community. The name of my company is Ojatro Visuals Inc. I was born and raised in former East Germany. I was trained to become a civil engineer but my inner aspiration had always been to become a filmmaker. I moved to the United States shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find my way into the American film industry, so I ended up working as a handyman for the next fifteen years. I bought my first camera 14 years ago and started filming wildlife.
Shutterstock: Tell us about your passions and about your production company.
I’ve been interested in wildlife since my childhood, especially venomous snakes. The fear and misconception that people have towards these misunderstood creatures has always puzzled me. My hope is that my work will help to make people understand that snakes play a very important part in the ecosystem and that they should not be scared of them.
See one of Heiko’s clips that features a Jameson’s Mamba, an extremely venomous snake.
Shutterstock: How did you get started in stock footage? What camera do you shoot with?
I once heard in an interview with Director Ridley Scott that the process of becoming a filmmaker begins with having access to a camera. If you have this access, then it’s up to you to film, film, and film. This was my wake up call. I went out and bought my first video camera (the Canon XL2) back in 1997 and began filming wildlife in South Florida. People instantly responded to my first documentary, “Florida’s Venomous Snakes,” after I published it on YouTube. Film production companies soon began to buy my footage, and in less than two years, my work began to appear frequently on wildlife channels like Animal Planet, Discovery, and National Geographic. I’m currently filming with a Panasonic X-170.
Shutterstock: You say you have a passion for wildlife…What do you like to shoot the most about?
The natural behavior of animals is what holds my main interest. Wildlife is all about survival. The invasion of a non-indigenous like the Burmese Python in Florida (link to python hatching for egg) offered me the unique opportunity to film never before seen before images of this newly established predator into the Everglades. I’m very comfortable with filming reptiles, snakes, and crocodilians in particular.
See one of Heiko’s clips that shows the non-indigenous Burmese Python in the Everglades.
Shutterstock: How do you use social media to promote your work? Why did you decide to join Shutterstock?
I use mainly YouTube to reach my audience and to promote my work. The responses become overwhelming when over two million people from around the world tune in each week. They ask so may questions and there is always growing demand for more wildlife footage.
I decided to join Shutterstock because the platform offers me the opportunity to promote and sell my work for a competitive price around the world. This gives me the freedom to continue with my life long ambition to film wildlife.
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