Igor Shpilenok

Shpilenok was married to Laura Lynne Williams until her untimely death in 2018. From Williams, he has two sons. His sons from the first marriage Tikhon Shpilenok [ru] and Peter Shpilenok followed his steps and both became environmentalists. Tikhon was appointed director of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, after his death in 2006 his brother Peter took his place. Impressed by his son's passion, Shpilenok's father ceased hunting and joined the ranks of Bryansk forest inspectors fighting illegal poaching.

In Kamchatka, Igor Shpilenok started his own blog on LiveJournal where he posted stories about animals and photographs. He wanted to use the blog as a tool to attract wide attention to Russia's unique wild nature and the threats it has due to human intrusion. Gradually, his audience grew to 2-3 mln visitors per month, sometimes even to 6 mln. n 2012, his blog was awarded with the first prize in ‘Best Picture’ nomination.

After 10 years of working in Bryansk forest, Shpilenok left the director post and decided to pursue his other childhood dream — discovering Kamchatka. His eldest son Tikhon Shpilenok [ru] was assigned to work at Kurils Nature Reserve and in 2009 appointed director of Kronotsky Nature Reserve. He led the fight with massive poaching that was ruining the local ecosystem. At that time on lakes Kurile and Kronotskoye poacher gangs extracted more than 500 kg each every day during the spawning season. Bears were killed for bile, fat, and claws. Tikhon Shpilenok managed to assemble a team of state inspectors that included his uncle Dmitry, father Igor and best specialists from different nature reserves of Russia. According to Dmitry Shpilenok's recollections, the poachers were protected by criminal gangs and some law enforcement officers, and the Shpilenoks were constantly threatened. His step-mother Laura Lynne Williams was forced to leave Kamchatka because due to her American citizenship she was the easiest target for the threats. Only wide media coverage of the case helped them to avoid revenge from poachers and their patrons. 13 years later the story of struggle to eliminate poaching was shown in Dmitry Shpilenok's film Sockeye. The red fish [ru]. The movie was shown at 192 international film festivals and collected 61 awards.

In Summer 2007, Shpilenok left the Valley of Geysers one day before the huge landslide that destroyed several geysers and blocked the valley. He was one of the first scientists to return there and describe the event. In 2013, he published two books: ‘My Kamchatka neighbors. 370 days in Kronotsky nature reserve’ and ‘Kamchatka that I love. Stories in and outside the lens’.

Shpilenok photographs were published in Smithsonian, National Wildlife, BBC Wildlife, and many other international publications. In 2006 and 2009 he was titled the Wildlife Photographer of the Year by BBC, he also won first prizes at the ‘Golden Turtle’ photo contest in 2006 and 2007.

In the early 1990s, when almost no governmental financial support was given to the Bryansk forest, Shpilenok managed to attract international donors through WWF and promote conservation ideas among the locals. His team successfully reintroduced European bisons and bears to the forest.

Shpilenok graduated from the Bryansk State University as a teacher of Russian language and literature. After graduation, he volunteered to work as a teacher in the most distant school in Novenkoye village. To be as close to Bryansk forest as possible, he settled in a lodge at Staroye Yamnoye (‘The Old Pit’) and every day ventured into the forest to observe its fauna and flora. He wrote essays about the forest and its fragile beauty and sent with own photos to the local newspaper ‘Bryanskiy Rabochiy‘ (‘Bryansk Worker’). Eventually, his works won a state contest on covering conservation issues. After this, the local government paid attention and approved his initiative of creating a nature reserve. The nature reserve ’Bryansky Les’ was officially established in 1987, Shpilenok was appointed its director.

Igor Shpilenok (born 28 February 1960) is a Russian wildlife photographer, founder and first director of the Bryansky Les Nature Reserve, author of several books, environmental inspector. Shpilenok is a two times winner of the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year award, in 2006 and 2007 he received the first prize at ‘Golden Turtle’ international photo festival.