NZPhotographer Issue 53, March 2022

Behind The Shot
with Jamie Fraser
JAMIE, TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOU AND YOUR
BACKGROUND IN PHOTOGRAPHY...
I am grateful to be based down in Dunedin – NZ’s
wildlife capital! With its stunning scenic locations and
wildlife in every corner, it’s no surprise that it is here I
discovered my passion for wildlife photography.
My interest in photography initially started during
weekend jaunts with my wife to the English
countryside while we lived in London. I used my
smartphone to capture our adventures and shared
them on social media for family and friends. I then
received the best birthday present ever about three
years ago, my first DSLR camera (Nikon D3500). How
lucky was I?! My interest in photography kind of
exploded from then on.
Although I tried many photography genres at the
beginning of my journey, wildlife photography just blew
my mind. I knew nothing about wildlife beforehand
(dare I admit, I would confuse a fantail with a tui…),
and ever since I discovered the wonderment of our
natural world, I’ve been all in. Nature has introduced
me to species and locations in Dunedin that I never
knew existed. It’s never a dull day out there!
WHAT ARE YOU SHOOTING WITH?
I like to keep things pretty simple and I usually travel
light when I go out for a look. I always take the same
kit - a Nikon D500 with a Nikon 70-200mm 2.8 lens.
Although I do have a tripod and other lenses and
equipment etc., I generally only shoot wildlife and
always hand-held. I prefer to seek out a subject rather
than sit and wait for one with my tripod. I also have a
longer Tamron 150-600mm G2 which is great for the
extra reach; however, I feel it lacks a bit of sharpness
at the longer end, and don’t often use it these days.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PHOTO, ‘THE GOOD SIDE’...
The photo was taken at Cedar Farm Forest a few
weeks ago – just up the road from where I live in Port
Chalmers. It is so quiet and peaceful up there in the
forest. I really do enjoy it and of course, there is a
variety of birdlife to photograph. On this particular
occasion, I noticed a wee silvereye up ahead on the
track and it appeared to be walking along the ground
from one clover flower to another. This is not behaviour
I have witnessed before from these guys (never a dull
day!). As I got nearer, the bird seemed oblivious to my
presence and carried on. I noticed that one of its wings
was splayed out – I assume it had been damaged or
even broken which would explain why it was meddling
on the ground. As I inched my way closer I saw that
its right eye was all puffed up – it reminded me of a
cauliflower ear! It had evidently been in the wars at
some point, although it didn’t appear distressed and
eventually flew up into the trees (which put my mind at
ease). I carried on up the track and as I returned back
to head home, I noticed it was again nonchalantly
tickling the nectar of the ground dwelling flora. The
midday sun was casting a shadow across its face as it
poked itself up to the meaty parts. I got myself down
low and managed to grab this snap. I felt that for the
dignity of the wee fella, I had to show its ‘good’ side.
There was certainly another ‘side’ to its story.
WHAT WAS HAPPENING BEHIND THE CAMERA?
I had my then 7 month old daughter in my backpack
(child carrier not camera backpack!). She was passed
out asleep, with her head, arm, and a wee bit of
drool spilling out to one side. I consider her my wildlife
spotter; although, within 20 minutes of walking she
usually falls asleep on me. I’m still to establish if it is the
monotonous gentle rocking of my tentative steps that
puts her to sleep or just my Dad mutterings…
WHAT EDITING DID YOU DO TO THIS PHOTO?
My style involves relatively heavy-handed exposure
adjustments to the subject and background during
post processing. I developed this over time as I found
it quite handy to remove any distractions, while being
able to impress the subject on the viewer with the
exaggerated contrast between the background and
subject. My workflow involves masking the subject,
allowing me more control of the exposure. I make my
global editing adjustments and ‘dodge and burns’ to
the image, and from then a lot of my edits are trial and
error. I don’t use any presets or anything – I feel every
shot has to be edited on its own merits. Depending
on the intricacies of the image elements, I can spend
anywhere from an hour to several hours editing.
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD DO
DIFFERENTLY WITH THIS PHOTO IF GIVEN A
SECOND CHANCE?
I would have preferred to capture the shot while lying
down and shooting up towards the silvereye rather
than down. Unfortunately with my daughter on my
back, hanging out all manner of sides, it just wasn’t
possible. I had to do with a crouch followed by a half
hour attempt to stand back up again.
4 March 2022 NZPhotographer