About
Kaylee Ritari was born and raised in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. When she was around the age of 15 she received her first camera, a Canon EOS Rebel T3. She started out photographing her family members, friends and gradually became more interested in photographing nature.
Macro became her favourite area of photography, photographing flowers and insects. Kaylee was then given a 70-200mm lens from her friend who had found it in her basement, all dusty and had no use for it. That's when she began her journey with wildlife photography. The lens gave her the ability to get just close enough to the common birds found in her backyard.
All her life she has enjoyed being around all types of animals and wildlife. She loves to travel, go camping, hiking, and kayaking, all of which puts Kaylee in great positions to take photos of wildlife in their natural habitat.
Growing up she was always fascinated with wildlife and felt very empathetic and curious towards them. Kaylee knew from a young age she wanted to work with and help animals. This led her to the optimal choice for her to be a professional wildlife photographer. Being a wildlife photographer not only allows her to be up close and personal with animals but enables her to bring people into their world and help conserve and educate people about wildlife. Through her photography she hopes to bring people closer to wildlife so they can see the beauty in nature and want to help with conservation.
Artist Statement
The moments I capture in my photos are everyday occurrences, the animals I photograph always show their personalities and express themselves. I am there solely to witness the beautiful moments and share it with the world. I want people to see the beauty in nature; the individualism that I get to witness from the different animals is incredible. I want to show everyone the reality of wildlife. The peacefulness in their habitat, the intelligence and pure strength they have when they’re on the hunt, and the beautiful intimate family moments shared between their mates and young. Unfortunately, many people view wildlife as lesser, or unintelligent. I want my photos to be the voice for these creatures; to show you how alike we truly are. Many animals are misunderstood and still portrayed in a negative light by the media, which instills fear and hatred. I want to be someone who can help change the views and opinions people may have. I want to help open their eyes to the beauty, intelligence and curiosity that I get to experience while photographing these animals.