How did your interest in wildlife arise?
My love for wildlife came before my love for photography. I felt a natural connection to animals from a very young age – I think I get this from my mother. This continued to develop and deepen as I got the opportunity to travel and see wildlife in their natural environment. I do have a slight obsession with paws and whiskers
How do you describe your journey as a photographer and a person?
I bought my first DLSR camera as a gift to myself after I qualified as an actuary a few years ago. At first, I took photos of everything and anything! But my passions soon collided and photographing the incredible natural world we live in is now my obsession.
My day job doesn’t allow me to be out in the field every day (although that is where my heart is!) so I still have a lot to learn. I try to do three or four photography focused trips a year as there is no better way to learn than hands on in the field. I’m very grateful that my profession and my employer allows me to indulge in my passion.
What is your view on Wildlife Conservation? How can we, as wildlife photographers, help to protect Mother Nature?
Humans are by nature very visual and photography is one of the best ways to connect people to our planet, especially in a world where social media has become part of our daily lives.
I honestly believe that photography can inspire love for wildlife and our planet and create the desire and awareness to protect it. It is important for photographers to share both the beauty and fragility of our planet. As we fight to protect our oceans, forests and wildlife – every single conservation voice is vital.
Can you give our readers the best wildlife photography tips?
1. Practice, practice, practice – there is no substitute for this!
2. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Once I have my ‘safe and sharp shot’ in the field, I try to remember to play around with my settings and composition – and every now and then, I create a picture I love.
3. I’ve come to realise how important it is to understand your subject and to be really observant in the field. Being able to predict animal behaviour can be the difference between capturing a truly unique moment and watching it pass by in agony.
4. Put down your camera and take it all in. The feeling you get when you are one with nature (without any camera clicks!) is priceless and are some of my best memories.
What plans do you have in the future related to Wildlife Photography?
There are so many places I still need to explore! A few of my upcoming trips include Greenland, South Luangwa, India and Uganda.
Tell us something about the gears you use and how it helped in your photographic journey?
I’m a Canon girl! I use a 5D Mark III and 7D Mark II as my main camera bodies and I have 17-40mm, 24-105mm and 100-400mm lenses. I also tend to hire different lenses when I travel as it gives me the opportunity to experiment with kit that I wouldn’t be able to purchase.
I have a few different tripods, but I am still in search for the perfect one. A good camera rain cover is also essential for certain locations.
