NZPhotographer Issue 56, June 2022

Little Shags
Canon R5, Canon RF100-500 @ F10, 1/640s, ISO800, 500mm
I aim to draw the viewer into my photos so they feel
emotion when looking at them. Photography has
given me incredible insight into the lives of these
beautiful beings, and I have learned so much from
observing them.
I hope my images will inspire others to care. Things are
pretty grim for many species. I hope my photos may
encourage people to care about the environment
and become proactive in protecting the beautiful
wildlife we are so privileged to share this earth with.
WHAT WAS YOUR MOST SIGNIFICANT
PHOTOGRAPHY LEARNING CURVE, AND HOW
DID YOU OVERCOME THAT?
One of the most significant learning curves for me was
learning to keep calm and check my settings. Wildlife
is completely unpredictable; you never know when
the perfect scene will present itself and may only
have a split second to get the shot. It’s so easy to get
caught up in the moment and start shooting without
checking the settings or framing. So many times, in
the beginning, I would mess up the shot, my shutter
speed would be too slow, and the eyes would end up
out of focus. I’d spend the whole day photographing,
then rush home excited by what I had shot, only to be
bitterly disappointed when I uploaded my card.
To overcome this, I developed a simple mental
checklist to assess the scene; what’s the light like?
How fast is the movement? What sort of shutter speed
will I need with this lens?
Nowadays, I have my camera set up next to me in the
car when we are travelling. I have it set up for what
I’m hoping to see, and if an opportunity presents itself,
I’m ready to go. There is nothing worse than fumbling
around to assemble bodies, lenses and monopods just
in time to see the subject disappearing into the distance.
28 June 2022 NZPhotographer