Canon Ambassador Maxime Aliaga's photography celebrates the extraordinary beauty and diversity of the natural world, but it also highlights the importance of conservation work. "Photography, for me, is a way to talk about the fragility of nature and the need to take action to preserve it," he says. "That's my purpose."

Maxime took up photography at the age of 24, finding his first subjects in the abundant wildlife of the Mediterranean forests around his hometown of Montpellier, southern France. "The forests were my playground, a great place to start," he recalls.

In the years since, Maxime has worked in countries such as Costa Rica, Papua New Guinea and the Seychelles, photographing a wide range of species, from insects to primates. He has always used Canon kit, starting with a Canon EOS 350D and later moving on to other bodies (such as the Canon EOS 7D Mark II), while increasing his range of lenses. In 2019, his work was recognised with an associate fellowship from the International League of Conservation Photographers.

Orangutans have become Maxime's favourite animal to photograph. "It really changed my life when I first met these arboreal ancestors of ours – it created a very powerful emotion," he says. "Since then, I have done such a lot of work with them, and I really want to raise awareness about their conservation."

Maxime says the highlight of his career so far was having the results of this work exhibited at the 2019 International Wildlife and Nature Festival at Montier-en-Der in France. "It was a huge exhibition, and I was so glad to be able to present this work to the public and show orangutan conservation in action," he says. "It was also a significant recognition of my commitment to conservation photography."

In 2020, following the exhibition, Maxime published Pongo, a book designed not just to display his orangutan images, but also to educate readers about the species and the work that goes into protecting it.

At a time when nature has never been more under threat, Maxime aims to encourage optimism about what wildlife conservation can achieve. "We see many bad things happening, but I also want to show the good things – the species that have been saved and the conservation programmes that have been successful. I want my work to inspire people to have some hope for the future and to want to be part of a change."

You've worked in many countries – what is your favourite place to photograph wildlife?
"It's not a specific country but an ecosystem: my passion is the rainforest. I love it because there is so much diversity. I particularly love the jungles of Central and South America and also the Indonesian rainforests."

How has your work developed over the years?
"I have learned to always try to do things differently, to find another angle and to be original in my choice of subject. It's also important to tell a story. At first, I started out by trying to take beautiful pictures, but there was no link between them. Now I always look for a story before I start work on a project."

Which other nature photographers have inspired you?
"There are many photographers who inspire me, including Tim Laman, who specialises in photographing birds of paradise. I admire him because I know how challenging it is to take pictures of very rare birds. Another photographer I take inspiration from is Paul Hilton. I like this kind of warrior photographer – he is very involved in what he does, and the conservation aspect of his work is so strong."

What has been the most challenging subject to photograph?
"A new species of orangutan was discovered in 2017, the Tapanuli orangutan, and I was sent to a remote forest in Sumatra to take pictures of it. It was very difficult, because there are so few of them. Sometimes I could spend a whole week finding just one individual to photograph. But it was also very important, because my pictures were used to present this new species to the world."

"To be a professional wildlife photographer, I believe you need to be a naturalist first and a photographer second. You cannot take pictures of animals if you don't know a lot about them. Photography is all about observation and anticipation. Those are the most important things. Taking the photograph is just a click of your camera. All the work you do before that click is what makes the difference."

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Website: www.maxime-aliaga.com