About us and our work

We, Anskar & Lea, welcome you to our website about photography as well as wildlife & nature conservation. We come from different parts in Germany and first met when both of us started studying Wildlife Management in the Netherlands. Quickly we realized that we share the same passions and with time friendship turned into a relationship.
These days, both of us are graduated Wildlife Manager with much in-field experience in different countries. We still share the same passions, including photography, traveling and various nature activities.

Through our study and instinctive interests in wildlife and nature we developed the urge of playing our part in the fight against climate change, species extinction and other global environmental threats.
We do so by capturing and presenting the natural pearls and wonders of our world, as well as blogging about important conservation subjects or teaming up with sustainable brands.

People will only protect what they know of and by showing them our beautiful landscapes and animals, we hopefully motivate people to explore more of our nature or at least care more about our environment.
Photography has slowly turned into a passion but even more into a perfect communication tool. We believe that a picture paints a thousand words and connects the viewer more with the great outdoors.

Our photographic work has soon reached ten thousands of people on our social media channels.
But we do not only want to use our reach on Instagram and other platforms to present our pictures, but more importantly to build a community and raise awareness about environmental topics.
In conclusion, we see ourselves as digital conservationists.

(Picture taken by Animal 360)

My name is Anskar and I am a 29 years old student from Germany. My life has been shaped by a constant interest in nature and animals. In my mid-twenties these interests got more serious and I ended up studying Wildlife Management in the Netherlands resuling in much in-field experience all around the world. One thing led to the other and soon my spirit for adventure and exploring was awakened.
Since then I have travelled several countries which then again led to the desire of capturing the moments I experience on a camera. After buying my first DSLR back in 2015 it took me a couple of years until a hobby turned into passion and a passion into a part-time profession.
Nowadays, I work with a Sony a7II full-frame camera while editing my images with Adobe Lightroom.
I worked together with several sustainable brands while trying to use the reach I have built up over the past years to raise awareness about environmental problems. Combining my knowledge for nature and wildlife conservation with photography has become a major task in my life besides studying Wildlife Ecology.

I truly hope that my images motivate and inspire people to take our world, along with its problems, more serious. There is a lot to discover out there and every bit of it is worth saving!

Let’s connect on Instagram: @anskar.lenzen

“You don’t take a photograph, you make it.”

Ansel Adams


My name is Lea Milde, I am 27 years old and I grew up in the beautiful German country side Münsterland. I am a wildlife ecologist, conservationist and self-taught wildlife and landscape photographer. 2018 I received my B.Sc. degree in Wildlife Management and I am currently pursuing my M.Sc. degree in Wildlife Ecology. These conservation related studies gave me the incredible chance to work with wildlife all around the world, including Uganda, South Africa, Sri Lanka and several countries in Europe. This is also how I got into photography. I got my first DSLR back in 2013 to document my first work experience in Uganda. However, it took me until 2018 that I started to learn more about photography and to slowly turn my hobby into a possible profession.
2020 I was selected to be one of the Ambassadors for Girls Who Click and I am currently mentored by Janet Kleyn, a profession wildlife photographer and nature guide from South Africa.
My future plan is to combine my passion for wildlife and nature photography with my scientific knowledge about wildlife and conservation. I want to use my photography as a tool to tell stories about conservation and research efforts, to raise awareness for the threats wildlife is facing today, and to bring people closer to nature again.

Find me on Instagram: @lea.milde

“Only when the last tree has died, and the last river been poisoned, and the last fish been caught, will we realize we cannot eat money.”

Cree Indian Proverb


The websites name ‘Against the Light’ originates from our nature of taking pictures. Light plays a vital role in photography and basically there are two times a day where you have the best conditions to shoot: sunrise and sunset. Sometimes we have to endure the heat or the cold for hours just to wait for the perfect light situation. Luckily, we already brought the indispensable trait of patience with us from our experiences with wildlife watching.
But sometimes time is rather short and instead of waiting photography turns into a race ‘Against the Light’, as you have to be at a certain spot during the perfect light condition.
Hence it can be rather challenging on the one hand, and pure freedom on the other, as you experience many well-known locations completely on your own.
There is no better feeling than sitting at a usually crowded place and enjoying a sunrise all for yourself while capturing the perfect moment.
But, it doesn’t always need to be the craziest location, the highest mountain or the most exotic country. You can find true beauty in your neighbouring forest or at the closest lake as long as the perfect light and conditions are given. That’s also what ‘Against the Light’ is about, motivating people to explore their very own surroundings!