New Frontiers.

August 14 2010

I'll be delivering the first of a series of AV shows, entitled NEW FRONTIERS on September 3, which I've just realised is the evening before The Scottish Nature Photography Fair in Perth. So if you're travelling north to SNPF, why not drop by?

The host is the Renfrewshire RSPB Group (a very friendly bunch) and the venue is The MacMasters Centre, Donaldson Drive, Renfrew (just off J26 of M8). Start time 7.30pm.

Just drop us an e-mail if you need any more details.

Still no flash?

July 14 2010

As the pressure to deliver 'different' is cranked up, it's inevitable we all creep closer to the line of non-conformance. This means that appreciation for individual work becomes more subjective, with opinion increasingly polarised as a consequence.

This is another image - this time of a sea eagle - where purists might question what was wrong with the flash.

Saving the world.

July 11 2010

It's a tough job saving the world but it seems that photographers everywhere are on a mission to do exactly that. You have to be careful when you proclaim a cause of course - there are plenty in the wings waiting to point out inconsistencies in your stance; those that are only too happy to undermine the bedrock of your passion.

I's very easy to call yourself a 'conservation photographer' but what does it mean? Does it mean taking animals from the wild, putting them in a fridge and then photographing them against a perfect background? Does it mean renting a wildlife model and then selling prints of that model to 'heighten awareness'? Does it mean travelling the world clocking up a hefty carbon footprint to 'bring back the story'?

I know a fair few 'conservation photographers' who do all of those things on a regular basis. But it's OK because they are 'conservation photographers'. Let's face it, conservation photography is the latest convenient way to justify doing what we want, when we want. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of photographers doing some fantastic communication work, but for the majority it's a convenient term entitling them to a green halo.

This can be a petty, political business laced with jealousies and self-serving agendas, more often than not born from deep-seated insecurities. For peat sake, it's nature photography! Within the wider scheme of things, we're insignificant, self-indulgent chancers.

And me? I'm not perfect, nowhere near. But I do try to do what I do as responsibly and as fairly as I can. I want to do my bit, I want to make my living and I want to avoid getting dragged into a worthiness competition. I take the odd flight, I wear leather shoes and it has been known for me to eat battery chicken. There, I admit it!

There are some good photographers out there who seem pre-occupied with looking over their shoulder at what the competition is doing. I don't care if they brand themselves as 'conservation photographers' and neither should they lose any sleep wondering if I buy Fairtrade coffee.

It's been a while since my last rant, but sometimes, just sometimes...

Wildphotos now open.

June 26 2010

The Veolia Wildlife Photographer of the Year has now been judged and there's the usual round of frantic phone calls to find out who has won what and who hasn't. Of course the official results are not announced until October when the awards ceremony will precede Britain's foremost nature photography symposium, WILDPHOTOS.

This unique two-day event at The Royal Geographical Society is well worth a pricey weekend in London and along with a viewing of the WPOY exhibition at the Natural History Museum just around the corner, provides all the inspiration you need for another 12 months of photography. Just look at it as photographic cocaine but cheaper.

Book at: http://www.wildphotos.org.uk/programme

Is there any point?

June 11 2010

No puffins, no puffins, no puffins. I kept saying it over and over to myself. Travelling to Shetland recently, I was determined to avoid shooting puffins. Not because I don't like them, but because they've been photographed to death and beyond, so what's the point?

Perhaps the point is that we (or more accurately, I) can become over-obsessive about being different. There's a clear logic in not repeating what others have done, but that ignores a crucial element of nature photography: sheer bloody enjoyment!

So did I shoot puffins? Yes, and what's more, it was great fun. This is a fulmar by the way - not a puffin!

The BIG new photography project!

April 12 2010

Fanfare...I'm delighted to announce the launch of a fresh, dynamic, exciting...and collaborative new photo-project. 2020VISION has had an elephantine gestation but is now soiling nappies. The project takes inevitable influence from Wild Wonders of Europe and it is only with the blessing of my WWE colleagues, that 2020VISION has come into being.

Behind the scenes, our small team has been working away with branding, legal stuff, photographer correspondence, partner sourcing, location research, web site building and generally bickering about just about everything! Seriously, the team have worked really hard to date and I think that solid groundwork will pay dividends in the long-run.


The christening takes place at a major IUCN conference in Edinburgh on 19th - I'll post some pix from the event.

So do get involved. Visit the web site, join our mailing list, join us on all the usual social media sites...and tell everyone you know! Communication is the word!!

MacDonalds photography.

April 3 2010

I've reached the conclusion that I do too much thinking: it's not always a good thing.
Take this mountain hare. For years - on and off - I've tried for shots not dissimilar to this one, and then I get a chance to nail a few and am I happy? For a short while perhaps.

See the problem is that without a reason, without an end-product (and I'm not talking about a reproduction cheque here), without a context, the appeal of the image is short-lived, a bit empty - a bit like a MacDonalds meal - attractive from a distance but short on substance.

I think it's me not being a particularly keen photographer. I don't mean I don't enjoy the creative process - I do, very much; but it is just a means to an end, a tool, a conduit. So I'm shunning MacDonalds photography and I'm going organic, Fairtrade. Substance and meaning above Easter egg packaging!

Does photography make a difference?

February 17 2010

It's a question I ask myself much of the time. The answer? Yes, but how? Sharper minds than me can articulate this so over to Cristina Mittermeier of the International League of Conservation Photographers (www.ilcp.com)

"Are we all about pretty pictures? This is a question that has been asked many times and in many forums to define the work that conservation photographers do. The real question however, is, do we want to focus on inspiring people, or do we aim to shock them?

There is a constant tension in finding the right balance between images that seduce and move and those that horrify. I believe that finding the right mix means the difference between entertaining people and moving them to action.

A carefully edited mix of images, weaved into a compelling story, can show both the beauty of what we stand to lose as well as the devastation that our planet's ecosystems are enduring all around the world. Most importantly, if we do our jobs right, photography can help us connect the dots to show the impacts that this loss has on human societies, and especially on the most vulnerable among us.

Our most valuable currency continues to be credibility; the perception by the public that what we are showing is a true reflection of reality".

Sometimes you've just got to do it.

February 12 2010

Some photographers - and I'm one of them - get so wrapped up in projects, outputs, submissions, features, books, tours, blog updating...the list goes on, they forget to do what set them on fire originally - engineering close encounters with wild places and wild creatures.

Today was a day I just had to get out of the office - and what a day! Not a breath of wind on the mountain, light to die for and fresh snow. Thanks to Sam, Chris and an obliging group of ptarmigan for good company.

Too many deer?

January 27 2010

Here we go again on the 'too many' trail. Too many of this, not enough of that. Are there too many red deer in Scotland? Rarely a week passes when I don't receive someone's view on that. The question is inextricably linked with tradition, employment, culture, social values, animal welfare, ecology, forest restoration, even the return of wolves. It's less than straightforward.

This image is a small piece in the jigsaw, a jigsaw that is a multi-agency initiative to manage Scotland's deer in a more sustainable way - maintaining traditional employment whilst ensuring deer numbers are kept in line with the carrying capacity of the land. It was taken on Alvie Estate near Kincraig in the Cairngorms where the estate management are venturing into deer tourism as not only a revenue stream, but as an opportunity to educate visitors about the complex issues surrounding Scotland's deer.

Photographic sessions are available December through March, weather permitting. Contact: David Kinnear (01540 651255) www.alvie-estate.co.uk