What is the point?
There are often times when I hear a little voice in my head that says ‘What is the point to photographing wildlife?’.
I have always been fascinated by nature and animals — I went through the stage of absolutely loving dinosaurs during primary school too! Over time, I grew an interest in the arts and delved into the world of photography after secondary school and into college. My love of nature and photography have since then merged, and at this point in time I don’t see my life not involving wildlife photography in some way. But as I mentioned earlier, there are moments where I am asking myself…
‘Why do I do this?’
‘How am I benefitting from it?’
‘Do I see this going somewhere?’
‘Is this worth it?’
These do sound negative, but I believe it is natural to have them for any situation and by answering these questions, it affirms just why I do it and renews my passion for it.
- Connecting to nature
The first reason that comes to mind is that I simply like to be outdoors and seeing the nature that is around me. I become immersed in the smells, sights and sounds and I love the seemingly small moments where a bird lands nearby or I see a deer moving through the trees ahead of me, or even spotting mushrooms growing on the forest floor. It grounds me in that moment, getting me out of my head and into what is happening around me. Sometimes I would not lift the camera when I am watching something that I want to witness just with my eyes, as I want to make the most of the experience over trying to get an image. It reminds me of the scene in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty where the photographer Sean O’Connell (played by Sean Penn) doesn’t take a picture of the snow leopard on the side of the mountain, and says ‘I don’t like to have the distraction of the camera. I just want to stay in it. Right there…right here.’
2. Lighting my creative spirit
The second reason is that photography is a creative medium that I have enjoyed doing since my years in education. I have always been a creative person and love painting and drawing in my spare time, as well as working with clay, crocheting and making candles! For my Final Major Projects, that were part of my photography degree, there was a lot more theory and planning involved to achieve a photographic series that tells a story or gives meaning to the viewer. Although I included animals in my photography series as part of my final grade, it didn’t involve wildlife. The main reason being that I was working to a deadline and working with wildlife is ever unpredictable! Since I am now making my own projects of my own accord, there is more freedom as to when and how I want to photograph wildlife, and as my creativity and motivation can ebb and flow I can work to my own schedule without putting pressure on myself to get a picture by a certain time.
3. Practising key skills
Although there are potential issues that arise when doing wildlife photography (the weather conditions not being favourable and whether the species will even show up) I always remind myself that I can return as many times as I want to until the conditions are just right, and I come away with something that I am happy with. This gives me the chance to practice patience and commitment, which are some of the key traits to have when photographing and filming wildlife. My editing skills have certainly improved since college too, as I am now more aware of things like colour correction, cropping that can help create better composition, and there are also my videoing skills that are steadily improving since being on YouTube. As much as I enjoy trying new things, I sometimes think that taking the time to improve on things that I am already interested and invested in, means that my images and video recordings can improve quicker as a result.
4. Inspiration from others
When I look at images taken by other photographers on social media, within photography magazines, or winners of international and national photography competitions, I am amazed by the fact that the photographer witnessed something truly magical or rarely seen by people and were able to record it in a captivating way. It is an insight into the natural world that, done respectfully, allows other people to see the beauty or harshness of nature. It is documenting something that a lot of people have forgotten that we are a part of. Those images are a big inspiration to me and I’m sure to many other people practising wildlife photography, and while I am aware that my own style is still developing and not yet up to the high standard and quality of images seen in publications, I don’t see why I can’t reach that level in the not too distant future, so seeing works of other male and female photographers inspires me to continue finding my own wildlife subjects and to keep developing my style.
5. Sharing my own work
I really enjoy sharing my wildlife experiences with others and I am often proud of the images I do share. They might not be the most impressive images in terms of technical skill, or it’s an image of an animal or bird that might seem mundane/boring to some people, but I just love the idea of capturing something, sharing it to others and to be able to say ‘I took that photo’.
6. The chance to be surprised!
Nature and wildlife are one of the most unpredictable subjects to work with, and while it can be frustrating to not have something that works with you all of the time, there are also the moments where you are completely taken by surprise. I can think of more than one occasion in this past year alone when something I didn’t expect to happen before me, happened! It certainly keeps me on my toes that literally anything can occur and to be prepared as much as I can. Even if I fail to get the ‘perfect’ picture in that moment, I still have the memory of the experience which is sometimes even more precious than taking the image.
The main reason that encompasses all of the above is that I truly love doing it. It’s a heartfelt desire of mine to be in nature whenever I am able to, and to capture the birds and animals going about their lives as they have done for thousands of years. It pushes me to think of the images I want to take, and it gives me the willingness to be dedicated to achieving my personal goals in wildlife photography.
If you are having similar thoughts about your own passions or desires, it is worth answering those questions to remind yourself why you started doing something in the first place. I often do this when I don’t have much motivation, or a project just isn’t working out the way I hoped it would. When I remember the ‘why’, it sparks my creativity once again and I can easily list out species I want to find and plan future images and videos. It makes me eager to get out with my camera once again.
