Club Meeting, Impatient Wildlife Photography - Tuesday 20th September 2022.
On Tuesday 20th September Morpeth Camera Club welcomed Alan Judd, the Vice Chair of Ryton & District Camera
Club, with his talk entitled ‘Impatient Wildlife Photography.’ Ever since his first job in Zambia, he has found wildlife
exciting but it wasn’t until his retirement that Alan could invest in better equipment and had extra time to explore
this genre of photography.
Alan began with his definition of Wildlife; which was plants, birds, animals, fungi, fish and insects which are in an
unconfined habit. He went on to say that wild animals in zoos are not wildlife as they are confined; the Chillingham
Cattle are wild, but roam through their natural habitat. As a camera club member he asked himself what he wanted
from wildlife photography; it wasn’t his ambition to be wildlife photographer of the year, or to make a living out of
it, but for his personal satisfaction and to satisfy his competitiveness. He stressed that it is not so much where one
goes to capture wildlife, be it in exotic countries or on one’s own doorstep, it is taking advantage of opportunities
that comes ones way.
He showed the audience examples of birds taken both within their environment and close to; both having equal
importance, he said, adding that a bird photographed in its environment gives context, and close up shots show
its detail and beauty. How do you get wildlife to come to you, he asked. Feed and provide water for garden birds
to attract them, and on the shoreline, with patience, wait for the turning tide and shorebirds will eventually creep
closer to you.
On the other hand, one can go to them. From far and near we enjoyed seeing colourful wildlife photographed in
the Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary and Kukkarahali Lake, Mysore, in nature parks, wildlife reserves, with the use of
vehicles or by using a variety of boats. And closer to home, we saw Ailsa Craig’s gannets, the Shiant Island puffins,
as well as many local wetland and garden varieties.
Alan went on to explain his techniques and use of multi exposures, so that he can either choose the best shot or
create panels to capture unusual points of view. Cropping, he says can have its advantages and disadvantages.
It is good if you cannot get closer, but can result in graininess and noise but cropping can also make it possible to
create more dynamic images. A bird perched on a branch can be fine, he said, but one has to make it a bit more
interesting.
He gave us examples of birds reflected in water, taking off or bathing to create water spray, flying and hanging
in the breeze, hunting, feeding, courting, all of which make for a more interesting outcome. We enjoyed images
of swallows, pelicans and cormorants showcasing their contrasting nesting styles, and of stranded birds on ships,
meat market visitors, and raptors with their prey.
With the audience being camera club members who recall what judges say about their images in competition,
Alan concluded with humorous anecdotes of his own experiences of judges’ strange observations and comments
which were met with laughter and groans of recognition.
Co-Chair Roseanne Robinson thanked Alan for his interesting presentation which was followed by refreshments.
Steph.
Club, with his talk entitled ‘Impatient Wildlife Photography.’ Ever since his first job in Zambia, he has found wildlife
exciting but it wasn’t until his retirement that Alan could invest in better equipment and had extra time to explore
this genre of photography.
Alan began with his definition of Wildlife; which was plants, birds, animals, fungi, fish and insects which are in an
unconfined habit. He went on to say that wild animals in zoos are not wildlife as they are confined; the Chillingham
Cattle are wild, but roam through their natural habitat. As a camera club member he asked himself what he wanted
from wildlife photography; it wasn’t his ambition to be wildlife photographer of the year, or to make a living out of
it, but for his personal satisfaction and to satisfy his competitiveness. He stressed that it is not so much where one
goes to capture wildlife, be it in exotic countries or on one’s own doorstep, it is taking advantage of opportunities
that comes ones way.
He showed the audience examples of birds taken both within their environment and close to; both having equal
importance, he said, adding that a bird photographed in its environment gives context, and close up shots show
its detail and beauty. How do you get wildlife to come to you, he asked. Feed and provide water for garden birds
to attract them, and on the shoreline, with patience, wait for the turning tide and shorebirds will eventually creep
closer to you.
On the other hand, one can go to them. From far and near we enjoyed seeing colourful wildlife photographed in
the Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary and Kukkarahali Lake, Mysore, in nature parks, wildlife reserves, with the use of
vehicles or by using a variety of boats. And closer to home, we saw Ailsa Craig’s gannets, the Shiant Island puffins,
as well as many local wetland and garden varieties.
Alan went on to explain his techniques and use of multi exposures, so that he can either choose the best shot or
create panels to capture unusual points of view. Cropping, he says can have its advantages and disadvantages.
It is good if you cannot get closer, but can result in graininess and noise but cropping can also make it possible to
create more dynamic images. A bird perched on a branch can be fine, he said, but one has to make it a bit more
interesting.
He gave us examples of birds reflected in water, taking off or bathing to create water spray, flying and hanging
in the breeze, hunting, feeding, courting, all of which make for a more interesting outcome. We enjoyed images
of swallows, pelicans and cormorants showcasing their contrasting nesting styles, and of stranded birds on ships,
meat market visitors, and raptors with their prey.
With the audience being camera club members who recall what judges say about their images in competition,
Alan concluded with humorous anecdotes of his own experiences of judges’ strange observations and comments
which were met with laughter and groans of recognition.
Co-Chair Roseanne Robinson thanked Alan for his interesting presentation which was followed by refreshments.
Steph.