Kyle Underwood has a few friends in the forest. Some are owls, some coyotes, and some are deer or insects. His talent for documenting the subtle glances and intricate behaviors of wild animals has turned into a storytelling business: Kyle Underwood Photography.
His photography is easily recognizable, his trademark darker tones a combination of editing and choosing to shoot on days where rain, fading daylight, or wintry weather prevail. Not only does this represent a part of his personality, but also reflects his desire for his photos to evoke emotion in their viewer and create a bond between the natural world and its observer. These moments capture fading light and shadows encroaching on their form, washing out the rest of the world and leaving just him and his subject. Whether his subject is a roving coyote trotting across scorched earth past a deer skeleton or a raccoon peeking out of a hole in a tree to see who called in the photoshoot, Kyle has gained the gift of being able to enter into the animal world and stay a while.
He first discovered the joy of surprise wildlife encounters as a natural outcome of a childhood growing up roaming the woods. While his interest in wildlife is not new, his photography journey started more recently. When he took a job on a pipeline, away from family and friends, he found himself a little lonely and homesick, and decided it was time to return to the woods on his days off.
Kyle purchased a cheap digital camera from Walmart and began carrying it with him on his walks. The rush of seeing various animals appear in his viewfinder caught hold and ignited a spark that continued to grow.
As his interest grew, he upgraded to a DSLR with a specialty lens. To complement his new equipment, he continued refining his skillset. Determined to teach himself, he went through a lot of trial and error and YouTube tutorials, but to this day has never taken a formal class. His current lens of choice is made by Tamron, and he credits their solid customer service with his ability to always be prepared to capture the moment.
As his photography skills gained attention, Kyle tried working as a photographer for senior portraits and weddings but found that they took the joy right out of photography for him. He needed the animals and the forest.
This realization was furthered by the insights he gained from asking others opinions and critiques of his work—there would always be fans and foes. In this dilemma, he realized he had to be true to himself and his own style and standard of what was “good” rather than relying on the ever changing opinion of others.
So today, his work is solely focused on the creatures of the woods. His family owns 400 acres about an hour outside of Sallisaw, Oklahoma, providing him with land to encounter all who call it home. Much of his work occurs on his family’s land, but he also enjoys photographing appearances in the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge and has captured rare moments such as a sighting of a leucistic bald eagle.
While there is no animal he isn’t excited to see, Kyle has developed a special connection with owls. “Sally” became one of the most popular subjects, a curious female owl who would let him get close and became the star of his photos. His picture of a female barred owl gained acclaim recently–you may remember it from when it graced the cover of Outdoor Oklahoma.
He has loved owls since he was a young boy, and finds them to have a mystical nature. Kyle jokes that people ask him how to find owls and he tells them that he never finds things like arrowheads but he finds owls all the time—the irony of what we are drawn to and the way that passion develops into connection. He keeps tabs on their behavior and thanks to the limited territory range of most owls is able to visit them regularly to photograph.
Kyle’s passion for his work is obvious, and his photos offer portals into the hidden world around us.
Through this isolation of his subject, both on the larger scale level of a deer in a field, and the macro level of a plant or insect with magnified details, Kyle reminds us all that we are never truly alone. There is always a curious creature lurking nearby.
His work can bring the outdoors into your living room, and also encourages viewers to explore more of the state and the vast array of wildlife that also call it home.
Check out his Facebook and Instagram page to see his portfolio and follow his daily adventures out in the field. You can also purchase prints by sending him a direct message.
