Bence Mate is a young and exceptionally talented wildlife photographer. Growing up in a small rural village in the Hungarian plains, a birder’s paradise, Bence studied nature, his biggest interest. Most of his spare time was spent fishing, hunting, or bird watching, and he built his first hide at the age of 14.

At a time when Hungary had yet to see its first professional wildlife photographer, Bence decided to become one. He has since won numerous awards for wildlife photography, including the Veolia Environnement (BBC) Wildlife Photographer of the Year award in 2010. In 2006, he started a nature photo tourism business, and his innovations in wildlife photography—custom-built hides, tripods, and one-way glass—have caught the interest of many photographers. In 2010, Bence published his first book, The Invisible Photographer.

Eagerly tapping into all the possibilities offered by continuous technical evolution, Bence focuses on action photography of wild birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles. He lives in Pusztaszer on his farm, which is also his business headquarters. He has built photography centers in Costa Rica and Brazil.