RAIN, RAIN, AND MORE RAIN!

Hi First name / everyone I am sure you are all tired of me going on about the green season by now, but with lots of rain and overcast weather, the rainy season seems to have only just set in. With the grass growing quickly and the trees filling out, it is beginning to get challenging to spot predators. That being said, the cats you miss, are easily made up for by the beautiful environment. There is no point fighting the seasons, but rather, capturing the ways in which they are different!

- William

With the beautiful environment at the moment I have been shooting a lot more wider angle shots. I love shooting with a 50mm lens. In fact, I am very seldomly without it. Recently a guest at Pangolin asked me if it is worth bringing a lens wider than 200mm on safari. So I thought I would share a little inspiration as to why I always carry a wider angle lens with me! Here are my top three reasons for why I think it is a must;

 

I do rattle on about shooting the environment a lot with guests. The reason being the scene and landscape often makes for a much more compelling image. By using a 50mm, it makes you think about the bigger picture. A portrait of a subject could be shot anywhere in the world, but the environment is always unique to where you are!

 

 

By using a wider angled lens you are forced to get closer to the subject. Often when shooting with a large telephoto or prime lens you take the safety shot from much further a way. While it is important not to disturb your subject, the closer you are often the more impactful the image can be!

 

 

A wide angle lens forces you to try new compositions. I find myself getting lazy at times, shooting with just a 500mm prime my images always end up looking very similar. By changing the lens you can often change your creative mindset.

 

 

While by no means am I suggesting that a 50mm is the best lens for wildlife photography. In fact, much like a fixed 500mm prime it can be incredibly limiting. I just personally love the lens, and I use it to try and push myself to look at things differently. For some inspiration here are a few of my favourite images taken with my 50mm this last month;

I have had a 50mm in my bag for years, and it is surprising how often I use it. Here are some of my favourite images that you may not know I took with a 50mm lens!

I recently watched a truly inspiring film about Platon. Even if you don't know his name, I bet you know at least one of his photographs. Platon has had an illustrious career photographing the most powerful and influential figures throughout modern history.

 

While studio portraiture is the furthest thing from my style of photography, I couldn't help but be absorbed into the recurring idea of connection that spanned the 45 minutes of the documentary. The overriding focus throughout was on the importance of simplicity and connection with the subject. Paying as much attention as possible in breaking the barrier between subject and photographer.

 

Platon's clear and defined vision makes his work stand out, but the style of his shots are drastically overshadowed by his incredible ability to tell their story. While most of his work is black and white, with a clean white or black background, he still manages to capture so much power and emotion from the subject.

 

While I hardly ever point my camera at people, I couldn’t help but be inspired by the clear direction and connection to his work. In fact mid way through the documentary I grabbed my camera and aimed it at the closest thing around me; my dog!

 

You can tell a much more compelling story if you can capture the true essence of a subject. The best way to capture that, is to be deeply connect with it. As I picked up my camera I wanted to try and capture the immense role that Basil plays in our day to day lives. As someone who has always favoured the company of animals, my intense love for my pets, throughout my life, has always been something I hold close. Basil not only exemplifies this unconditional love I cherish, he also has this same special connection to Storm. He has an incredible influence on us, and he doesn't even know it. This is my attempt at capturing that in Platon's iconic style;

While this photograph may not be technically perfect, the point behind it is what really matters; Be constantly inspired by others, and be intensely connected to what you do. By watching Platon at work I was truly awakened to the importance of building relationships with a subject. While this is harder to do in wildlife photography, it does remind me to be absorbed into the moments rather than being overly critical of the outcome. Isn't that true of everything in life.

Some images just don't work... or do they? I am going to try and share an image from the month that I like, even though in theory it doesn't really work. The idea behind this is that I often take images that I simply just like, regardless of whether or not they break all the rules or have major issues. These are images that if I was honest with myself I really should delete them, but they end up staying in the maybe pile. Whether it is because we are attached to the moment that was so close to working, "if only"!

This months "if only" is less of photography error, and more of a missed opportunity! As I was shooting the Elephant image from the beginning of the newsletter, this little guy was sneaking up behind me. When I eventually turned around, with the honey badger only 3m away, we both got the fright of our lives. Sadly this is the best shot I could get as it scurried away. It is not everyday you get to see a honey badger, and even more unusual at 4pm! What a missed opportunity that was, if only I had turned around sooner!

My sequence of images "Giddy up!", taken last month, made it into the news. It is always great to see my images in print, even if they call me a 31 year old snapper. This time in the Daily Star, Daily Express and The Times online.

COMING SOON

I have just returned from a rather challenging four night trip to Savuti. Even with car troubles we still managed to have some incredible sightings. Stay tuned for a full trip report with photos in next months newsletter!

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