As I sit at London Waterloo station, waiting for my train to take me back in the direction of home, I’m reflecting on the past two days spent at the Royal Geographical Society – host, once again to WildPhotos, a fantastic event which has become a yearly fixture in my calendar.
Along with a room packed full of wildlife enthusiasts and photographers who descended on the RGS this weekend, I was treated to breathtaking photography and words of wisdom delivered by some of the world’s best and most respected wildlife, environmental and conservation photographers. The likes of Andy Rouse, Garth Lenz and Steve Winter all featured on the bill.
Some of you may know that, many years ago (when I was just setting out on the long road to professional photography), I had a keen interest in wildlife photography – so much so, in fact, that for some time I considered making it my chosen path in the industry. However, I didn’t have what you might call the ‘bug’; as much as I liked animals and the natural world, I didn’t make it my personal mission to find out all about species’ latin names, habitats, mating and migration paths etc.
So I moved on. But I have always had a great admiration for those photographers who do make their living from channelling that much-needed obsession. I still enjoy looking at wildlife imagery, but I’m very happy to leave the experts to it, because each year that I attend WildPhotos, I come away completely inspired.
So, what triggered my little grey cells this year, then?
Well, if I’m honest, there were not any ‘stand-out’ speakers for me, as in 2012. However, I do walk away with a mix of inspiration thanks to several people in particular – all of which have given food for thought when considering the kind of work I undertake.
Jenny Nichols gave an interesting insight into the ways in which video footage, stills images and audio can be used to great effect when considering story-telling.
Garth Lenz presented a side of Canada which I never knew existed. His arial pictures documenting environmental degradation around the Tar Sands mining project were at the same time both staggering in their beauty and terrifying in the reality of what they depicted.
Niall Benvie spoke about his Meet Your Neighbours network of photographers. A great idea, some stunning pictures in the archive and an interesting take on capturing the natural world in immaculate detail. I now have a few ideas up my sleeve for taking the ‘white backdrop’ approach into the field; watch this space!
Pal Hermansen reminded us how important it is to have a keen observational eye when looking to create visually-striking images. He showed pictures taken at a kids’ kindergarten (reminding us how easy it is for them to explore nature by playing) as well as those captured at a ‘car graveyard’, where nature has taken over this man-made environment.
Bertie Gregory is a young and talented photographer making great strides in the wildlife arena. For someone of his years, he’s also a very good speaker. Having won awards (and, looking at his pictures, it’s hardly surprising), it’s clear he has a great passion for the natural world and photography. I caught up with him at the end of the second day; keep an eye out for a TAP article featuring him in the near future.
No doubt you will hear me make further reference to WildPhotos later in the year (I have a few related articles and podcasts in mind) – but for now, please do check out the links posted above. The imagery, passion and dedication on show is something which I’m sure you’ll agree is worth a few minutes out of your day; you never know, it just might inspire you to take a fresh look at your picture-making, too.
