Perfect day

Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata), Norway
Canon EOS-1D Mark III, 500mm f/4, 1/2000sek @ f/4, ISO 200

The weather is excellent at the moment and I’ve been extremely busy spending time in the field. Sometimes I spend a day without getting a descent picture, but every now and then I succeed. One late afternoon I decided to spend the last hours of daylight at a rivers edge hoping to get some duck action. It was windy, but I found a calm spot to locate my hide. After just 15 minutes after erecting the hide a Northern Shoveler showed up. Then ducks started coming in from all over. Within a couple of hours I had nice portrait images of five different species including the elusive Garganey and the splendid Shelduck. If all days could be like this…

Garganey (Anas querquedula), Norway
Canon EOS-1D Mark III, 500mm f/4, 1/250sek @ f/4, ISO 320

Shelduck (Tadora tadora), Norway
Canon EOS-1D Mark III, 500mm f/4, 1/640sek @ f/4, ISO 200

Guest - Peter Cairns / Northshots

© Peter Cairns / www.northshots.com

Polar bear: 9,000. Tiger: 15,000. Elephant: 28,000. These are not statistics relating to how many of these threatened species are left in the wild. No, these are the number of images that come up when you search Alamy’s web site. 28,000 elephants! And that’s just one site. This begs an obvious question: What’s the point in shooting yet another big tusker against a pristine, snow-capped Kilimanjaro???

If ever there was a time for nature photographers to reconsider their approach, now is that time. With more and more photographers armed with the latest heavy-duty gadgetry producing millions of new images each year, can we really all fish from the same pond? For me, the answer is no. Nor should we try to.

I'm very fortunate to live in Britain's wildest national park so I'm able to tap into iconic species and landscapes but that's not the point. There are successful images just waiting to be made everywhere and every nature photographer will tell you that their best work is produced close to home. But even that's not the point.

The point I want to make relates to context. I see many superbly executed images in beautiful light with to-die-for backgrounds but where is the context? What is the story? Polar bears, tigers and elephants along with the habitats they depend on are being destroyed but in the main, photographers are failing to tell these stories. We all have the opportunity - perhaps even the obligation - to inspire an otherwise indifferent audience to care about what we care about. We can bring those stories to life.

So for me the future of my photography lies with context. How can I use my images? What stories can they tell and what differences can they make? Many photographers I meet don't ask themselves these questions. Their photographic ambitions as well as the survival prospects for many species, may yet rest on them doing so.

By Peter Cairns

© Peter Cairns / www.northshots.com

Spring is short

Pink Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa), Forsand, Rogaland, Norway
Canon EOS 1D Mark III, Sigma 150mm makro f/2,8, 1/15sek @ f/4, ISO 100

After months of rain, wind and sleet, spring finally arrived a couple of weeks ago in my part of Norway. Birds started pouring in from the south and trees turned green overnight. Of course I had planned a trip to photograph Wood Anemones in May at a brilliant location. Somehow spring had already passed through the valley and the blossoms were starting to fade away. I therefore had to chance my scope of work, and started focusing on the late spring and the details of the “in between days”.

Guest at WildPhoto!

I will shortly start posting blogs from known international photographers I’ve met. First out is Scottish photographer Peter Cairns (www.northshots.com), so come back soon.