Wildlife and nature photography intro

Special Feature Wildlife and Nature Photography

By Mark Chamberlain LPSNZ

For this edition of CameraTalk, I made an open request through the PSNZ Facebook Group Page for members to share their Wildlife and Nature photographic projects, preferably in a photo essay form. For added interest, my preference was for photographs of animals “doing something” rather than just specimen type shots of, say, a stationary bird perched on a branch. Wildlife and Nature is a popular genre of photography amongst PSNZ members, and we received an overwhelming response.

We feature three articles from southern Africa, two featuring the Kruger National Park. Robyn Carter LPSNZ fulfils a lifelong ambition, travelling to Africa to photograph wildlife. She explains how a safari can be done on a shoestring budget while still taking great photos.

On the other hand, South African born Annemarie Clinton APSNZ shares her local expertise and a love of her native land whilst showcasing fantastic wildlife and nature photographs. Annemarie and her husband Paul can offer you a “Trip of a Lifetime on the Wild Side”, ensuring hassle-free travel and safari arrangements in South Africa with luxury accommodation, well-equipped vehicles and, importantly, local know-how and photographic expertise. Rob Vanderpoel LPSNZ contributes an exciting travelogue of a camping safari in Botswana, followed by Gorilla trekking in Uganda.

By Simone Jackson

Jayne Francis and her husband Michael Parker contribute two articles:

• A National Geographic wildlife safari to Malaysian Borneo where they stayed in pristine rainforest and met orangutans, Asian elephants, Sumatran rhinos, and other wildlife.

• Tigers and Temples: an Indian Safari – Jayne and Michael fulfil an ambition of seeing and spending time with Bengal tigers.

Hopefully, when COVID issues are finally behind us, we can once again dream of travelling to such destinations.

An additional point: you don’t have to travel to exotic places like Africa and India to photograph animals. Not everyone has the means or desire to travel to such locations.

Local nature reserves and zoos offer excellent opportunities to photograph animals. Lynn Hedges LPSNZ sent me some beautiful photos of spider monkeys feeding at the Auckland Zoo. “Don’t they count?” Lynn asked me, after I queried the location. Well, of course they count. It also made me think what great places zoos are for observing animals and practising animal photography before we head off on that costly trip of a lifetime to Africa. Spending significant dollars is one thing, but coming home without fantastic photos is heartbreaking. So, practise in local zoos and New Zealand nature reserves beforehand.

Ceadicia simplex, Katydid by Deborah Martin

At home in New Zealand, we have our own incredible native wildlife. NZIPP accredited, award-winning photographer Simone Jackson APSNZ showcases captivating coastal wildlife and nature photographs from her backyard on the Otago Peninsula.

Martin Sanders LPSNZ is a guide on Tiritiri Matangi Nature Reserve, an island near Auckland. He has published a guidebook featuring hundreds of his wildlife and nature photographs from the island. Amilie Bentley and Carol Molineux APSNZ give accounts of their native bird photographic experiences.

Finally, thanks to fantastic photographs from the following members: Anita Ruggle-Lussy, Derek Barrett LPSNZ, Deborah Martin LPSNZ, Paul Willyams APSNZ AFIAP MNZIPP, Chris Robinson and Basil Cuthbert LPSNZ. We received dozens of photographs and have tried to feature as many representative photos as space permits in gallery format.

Tuturiwhatu, Dotterel by Deborah Martin