About the Photographer
Xiaoping Lin is a bird photographer from Xiamen, China. Since teaching himself photography in 1992, he has been fascinated by the art’s power to freeze eternal moments and reveal hidden beauty in everyday life. For Lin, photography is not just about capturing images—it’s a way to express emotion and deepen understanding of the world from a fresh perspective. Alongside bird photography, he is also passionate about movies, classical music, literature, and nature exploration.
Interestingly, bird photography wasn’t his initial focus. It wasn’t until 2012 that he was captivated by birds—their vibrant plumage like nature’s “color palette,” their dramatic behavior, and their instinctive wisdom for survival. From that moment, Lin shifted his lens—literally—to telephoto, a crucial tool to capture fleeting moments of avian life. Bird photography became more than documentation; it became a cross-species dialogue about life itself.
Xiamen, known as “Egret Island,” is both Lin’s hometown and an inspiration. The city’s ecological efforts, including the innovative reintroduction of seawater into Yundang Lake, have created extraordinary natural phenomena—like the spectacular scene of egrets and big fish competing for small fish. Witnessing this dynamic struggle, Xiaoping Lin finds meaning in both the raw laws of nature and the resilience of biodiversity.
Every summer, during the rising tides, he returns to the West Sluice in hopes of capturing that perfect moment: a white egret, a big fish, and a small fish in vivid interaction. Though the challenge often ends in missed shots, his passion never fades. His long-term commitment to photographing egrets stems from a deeper purpose—to awaken environmental awareness through visual storytelling.
While Xiaoping Lin has earned international recognition, including the 2022 XPOSURE First Place, 2023 BigPicture Winner, 2023 HIPA Merit Medal, and 2024 NBP Winner, accolades were never his goal. His true hope is that these images resonate with others and inspire a greater appreciation for the natural world.
