BREATHING LONDON
CAPTURING THE DIVERSITY OF LONDON’S OPEN SPACES IN 2016
STAGS, BACON AND COFFEE WITH FRIENDS EARLY MORNING IN WAINWRIGHT ARPS
RICHMOND
PARK
BY
JULIA
CAPITAL INTEREST APRIL 2016 / VOLUME 2 / NUMBER 4 / WW.RPS.ORG
SHADOWLANDS
IMAGE © RICHARD PETERS
APRIL 2016
IN THIS ISSUE Page 3
The London Interview with Richard Peters
Page 8
Breathing London. Capturing the diversity of London’s open spaces in 2016
Page 11
The Story behind the image. Alan Larsen, Adrian McCarthy, Roger Taylor, Bob Johnson
Page 16
Woodberry Wetlands by Penny Dixie ARPS
Page 19
What’s in my bag
Page 20
London, Naturally Walks
Page 22
Stags, Bacon, Coffee with Friends by Julia Wainwright ARPS
Page 24
From Cambodia to the Cairngorms by Julia Wainwright ARPS
Page 26
Finding Urban Nature by Philip Braude
Welcome to April’s Capital Interest and apologies for the delay, but Easter and a few technical difficulties set us back a few days. This issue is the first of our special issues, in which we are inviting our micro-groups to edit an edition and this month we’re delighted to see such a fine variety of articles and stunning pictures from our London wildlife group - London, Naturally.
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LONDON INTERVIEW
RICHARD PETERS Winner of the Urban Category of Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015 GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015 3
IN BRIEF Richard Peters is just as happy photographing close to home in the UK, as he is visiting distant parts of the world with his camera. His passion has taken him to some beautiful places and seen his work, which favours light and composition over subject, awarded internationally, including a category win in the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year and being named the GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year, 2015. By the end of March 2016, he’ll have visited 4 countries (and Africa twice)! He says he can’t complain, but will look forward to not having to get on a plane for a while. AWARDS Thanks to a fox visiting his garden and a great deal of hard work, skill and dedication, Richard won the 2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year’s Urban category with ‘Shadow Walker’. The idea behind the image was to tell the story of how urban foxes are often caught as just the briefest of glimpses as they run from one shadow to the next, as we go about our lives, often unaware. Richard didn’t want to merely light the fox in a dark place, as that would lose the narrative of the story, and so he set out to capture the shadow of the animal itself. Further and extraordinary success came with the award as the GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year, 2015. Shadow Walker captured the jury’s imagination, and combined with his recent category win in the 2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year, helped him justify the inordinate amount of time and effort put in to his ‘Back Garden Safari’ project over the last year. Richard pays special tribute to his long-suffering wife, who has seen the kitchen transformed into a hide!
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GEAR Richard has always used Nikon gear, starting out with his first film camera (the F80) before jumping into digital. Although photography was very much just an occasional hobby for many years, Richard used this time to slowly improve his ability and upgrade his camera gear. He now shoots with two D810’s, which he loves for the incredible detail and image quality, a 400mm f2.8 FL prime lens, which replaced his 600mm when he decided to start lightening the equipment he had to carry,plus several other lenses including 70-200, 50mm and 18-35G. His recent project also required investing in a Camtraptions PIR motion sensor and several flashguns in the form of the old Nikon SB-28.
PUBLICATIONS BACK GARDEN SAFARI - WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY EBOOK With time and money often the limiting factors on where and when you can photograph wildlife, get away from the idea that you need to travel in order to capture striking images and instead, learn how to improve your photography, in your own time, from the comfort of your own home. Containing 205 highly informative pages, Back Garden Safari is a substantial resource for photographers of all levels, covering beginners’ topics then going right up to advanced techniques. Full of easy to understand advice, tips and beautiful images, everything is designed to quickly take your skills to the next level, helping you: - Improve your compositions - Get the best from your current camera gear - Make the most of natural and artificial light - Easily work with camera traps - See how images evolve over time - Find new inspiration In addition, a detailed behind the scenes look at how Richard’s own garden project developed, resulting in the Urban winner of Wildlife Photographer of the Year and being named the GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year, and will give you an insight into how to build on your own ideas and project. Priced at £13.99 + VAT, Back Garden Safari is a PDF download, from an emailed link. You can find out more about the year long project that led to this image, as well as find out more about how the photo was taken, his new eBook that can be found here www.richardpeters.co.uk/ebook
============== WE ASKED RICHARD A FEW QUESTIONS: How do you describe yourself? I am a photographer. My photography is born out of creativity first and foremost. I’ve always had an artistic streak that began when I was very young in the form of art and drawing. I think it’s because of that, I find myself inspired more by light than I do by the subject I am photographing. I’ll take a good photo of a common species over an average photo of a rare one, anyway of the week. 5
What does photography mean to you? For me, photography is the art of expressing my creative urges. Sure not every image I take is a work of art but it’s the fundamental desire to create something, that inspires me to pick up the camera time and time again. What do you want to say with your photographs? First and foremost, I shoot for me. I take photos because I want to, rather than to satisfy someone else. That being said, it’s important that at least some of my work is appreciated by others because I think photography is a very powerful tool for raising the awareness of animals and places that otherwise might go unnoticed by people. For example, I recently spent several days photographing the endangered Wild Dogs in Laikipia, Africa. I’m hoping to donate several prints from that trip to an upcoming event in London that is being held to raise funds for more conservation work with the dogs. How do you get what’s in your mind onto the photograph in just the way you want? (When you are shooting, how much of it is instinct vs. planned?) The truth is, I don’t always know what I want to achieve and I just wing it based on the scene as it presents itself. It’s often the unplanned images that turn out the best so this approach works well sometimes. That being said, I always have several types of image in my head, which are based around certain types of lighting scenarios. So for example, if I go somewhere and am presented with beautiful backlighting, I already have in my head where to position myself and what settings to use in order to make the most of it. What do you think makes a memorable photograph? Either something quirky or unusual. Examples are my (very old) Spring Lamb image, which although nearly 10 years old is still my most recognised, and stolen, image. Then there’s my Snow Pounce image of a red fox in Yellowstone, caught jumping almost out of the frame. Finally, Shadow Walker, whose uniqueness gained some incredible recognition in recent times. It’s no coincidence that these three images have all been awarded in various competitions but rather a testament to the notion of uniqueness being universal. How do you get yourself inspired for a photoshoot? Sometimes I look at what else has been photographed at the location or of the species, in part so I can try and take something different. Other times, I don’t look at all so that my mind isn’t clouded or subconsciously inspired by others. Of course, sometimes the circumstances don’t work in your favour and getting something new isn’t possible. What’s been your most challenging assignment? Anything to do with wildlife is tricky. Even jumping in a jeep and spending hours driving around the Maasai Mara doesn’t guarantee that a good photo opportunity will present itself. That aside, weather can be a deciding factor. My standard issue answer to this question usually goes back to my trip to Yellowstone, when on the coldest day it hit -40. Very tough conditions to be photographing in! What do you think the future looks like for photography and photographers? The industry is moving at an incredible pace. I think it’s becoming harder and harder for people to carve a career out of photography and for me, I think the important thing is none of us, amateur or professional, give away our work for free. 6
Is there life outside photography for you? For over 13 years I worked in the media industry, whilst I slowly built up my photography, so there was a time when I had a life outside of it. Now, not so much. It would be wrong if I didn’t mention that I’m always trying to balance it with my home life, as I don’t think it’s fair to spend huge amounts of time away from home and my wife. That being said, even if we go on ‘holiday’, the camera comes too. I’m never fully switched off (he says, writing this beside a swimming pool in a hotel in Sri Lanka). Do you have any unfulfilled photographic ambitions ? There are many. I’d love to photograph the bears in Alaska for example. A lot of photographers will argue what’s the point of photographing something that’s been done thousands of times already, but for me, it’s about being there almost as much as taking the photos. I want to experience the sights, sounds and smells, not just look at photo’s someone else has taken. Plus, there’s always the chance something unusual will happen when you’re there that nobody else has witnessed! Thank you for taking the time to talk to us Richard! We wish you gorgeous light, creative inspiration and photographic success in the future. ============== If you’d like to come and listen to Richard talk about his work and his projects, please let us know and we’ll fix a date and a central London venue.
RICHARD PETERS info@richardpeters.co.uk http://www.richardpeters.co.uk 7
BREATHING LONDON
CAPTURING THE DIVERSITY OF LONDON’S OPEN SPACES IN 2016 DIVERSITY What is the essence of the Breathing London Project? ‘ Capturing the diversity of London’s Open Spaces – the lungs of the Capital’ is the description we came up with. No doubt there is enormous diversity – parklands, woodlands, heathlands, wetlands, rivers, canals, city squares and more. And there are diverse ways we can photograph them. We are looking for everything from wide rolling landscapes to minute detail; trees, flowers, birds, animals, architecture, sculptures, miscellaneous objects and ….people! Green spaces are places where people play, picnic, exercise, relax… Some of the diversity we have already discovered can be seen from the images on the next page: they are just a few of the pictures our members have already posted to our Facebook Group and on Members Galleries. Some unexpected themes are also starting to suggest themselves. We can learn about history from the public sculpture in parks and gardens such as the statue of Ghandi in Tavistock Square. The gun salute in Green Park shows our Parks being used for ceremony and pageantry. We can discover places named after authors and other famous people, such as the park named after Edith Nesbit, author of The Railway Children, in SE12, the area where she lived for much of her life – and many, many more. The scope of this project is limited only by the imagination of its participants. Where will it take you? We hope you’ll join us and find out. Sign up here
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GREEN SPACE UNDER THREAT Many of London’s smaller green spaces are under threat from development. Spaces that we photograph in 2016 may not be here in the future. Here are some examples that we’ve come across already – no doubt there are others. Trees have been felled in Archway, North London, as part of the works to abolish the gyratory system. Hopefully new ones will be planted in the new pedestrianised area that’s set to replace it. The green space next to the Oxo Tower and trees along the South Bank will disappear if the proposed Garden Bridge gets built. St James’s Gardens, just beside Euston Station, a former C19 Burial ground, is set to be swallowed up by HS2 within the next 5 years. It contains around 30 mature plane trees and there are also tombs scattered around amid the grass - bodies that have lain there for 150 years or so will have to be exhumed.
Student Lunch, Torrington Sq ©Mike Longhurst
Marchmont Community Garden ©Mike Longhurst
Gordon Square©Paul Wells
Brent River Park ©Mike Chopra-Gant
Fulham Palace Road Cemetary London W6
Christchurch Greyfriars Garden (Holborn) ©Mo Grieg
©Del Barrett
Enfield, Broomfield Park ©Gareth Phillips
Marylebone Lane ©Jennette Russell
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Lincoln’s Inn Fields ©Barry Hoffman
RBG Kew ©Keith Houghton
©Janet Phillips
So let’s make sure that we record as many as possible of these spaces under threat in 2016 but let’s hope that we’ll also find some new spaces springing up to replace them.
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The Breathing London website where each participant will have a gallery to showcase their photos is set to launch this month. In the meantime you can join our Facebook Group (as mentioned above) and see more of the images already taken as part of the project. We are planning a major exhibition in 2017 and also hoping to hold smaller exhibitions throughout the year. Join us now and get snapping!
Images (where not credited individually): E Nesbit Park SE12 ©George Griffin Gun Salute St James’s Park ©Neil Ryment Ghandi Statue Tavistock Square©Mike Longhurst All other images ©Jen Pedler
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THE STORY BEHIND THE IMAGE
WILD IN THE CITY... PETER BRADLEY HEADS OUT ONTO THE STREETS OF LONDON WITH HIS CAMERA, ALONE AND AT NIGHT! Arrrrgggggghhhh. Take a deep breath, stay calm. My heart is racing. I’m shaking. Am I completely, completely bonkers? Do I REALLY want to do this? What AM I thinking? Wandering the streets of London. At night. Alone. Thousands of pounds worth of electrical equipment under my arm. With bin bags and dog food. It’s 3am. Shivering, I’m crouched behind a tree in a north London street. Watching a pile of rubbish fluttering next to a dustbin and hoping I’ve not been spotted. Night-time urban fox photography combines the thrill and excitement of an African Safari, the sensitivity and field-craft required of an aboriginal hunter and skill of a Vogue photo shoot for the ultimate prima-donna. A car drives past. Stops. Reverses. The car is next to my camera, which is ‘hidden’ under a pile of bin bags. Drug pushers? A drive-by shooting? My mind races, now faster than my heart. Skittish, I jump up, terrifying the two young guys in the car, grab my camera and leg it. My first night isn’t a great success. The next time I’ve done my research. A knife? Definitely not. Tear gas? Ridiculous. A stinky, blary, personal alarm that sprays my assailant with fluorescent, red dye? Perfect. I’ve tracked down a fox den, found a concealed hiding place (away from the road) and after hours of practice, I have my camera set up with a remote trigger. I’m ready to go – a coiled spring. Less bouncy after three more hours of being ready a fox appears. My first fox. Such a beauty. I check my breathing. It’s moving to my ‘designated spot’. The ‘X’ on the floor where I’ve pre-focused, in shadow so the flash balances the street lights, freezes the motion of the fox and takes the perfect shot. That’s the theory. The fox tenses. It’s heard the person that I’m nowaware of. He’s standing close to me. At 4:30 11
in the morning. Next to the church. Staring in my direction. My finger is twitching on my personal alarm. The fox and I are ready to pounce – or run. He steps towards me. Slowly, carefully I’m taking out my alarm, ready to fire. An orange blur as he drops his cigarette to the floor and returns to the church. Damn, I very nearly just blinded a priest. My fox is back. Flash, flash, flash. Good grief, I’ve got a clear fox shot. That is amazing. I’m flustered, stumble backwards and fall on my hand. My brain buzzing in excitement, exhilarating. I can’t believe it’s worked! I can’t believe I got a shot. I start to calm down. The buzzing continues. A slight odour. My hand feels sticky. What IS that buzzing? The fox has long gone. Odd. That smell? My excitement? Bewildered I take the personal alarm out of my pocket and stare at it. Red spray going all over my hand, my jacket, my face. I think I’ll claim day two as a ‘partial’ success. It’s taken 5 long days and LOTS of scrubbing for the odour and red dye to go. Or maybe I’m now just used to the smell. For the past 3 nights I’ve got into a routine. Out of my house and crouched down by 9pm and back home, ‘ready’ for work by 6am… I’m absolutely exhausted. I’ve started up a few unusual friendships with local dog walkers. The first as I rushed towards his car at 2:30am because he’d inadvertently parked next to my camera – and after he calmed from this mild trauma – I variously explained that I was a council street-warden, then an animal activist and finally a muppet photographer. I’m not sure he believed any of my stories. Another as, oblivious, he walked directly towards me while I was hiding at the base of a tree, and I thought it best that I make myself known before he set his dog on me or had a heart attack. Each night we meet to share fox-spots, ‘dog hygiene’ tips and of course the weather. And as I get familiar with the night and the fox routes I’m getting better. My initial panic has turned to peace and tranquillity. What was once a terrifying trip through my own neighbourhood has become an exciting exploration of the wildlife and people that inhabit my streets when I used to sleep. Vermin to some, messy disruptive intruders to others, for me the fox is particularly beautiful when set under the orange glow of street lighting against striking buildings. While we march to ensure a ban on fox hunting in the countryside we should not forget about the daily poisoning and trapping of fox in our cities. And as with all wildlife photography I’ve found that patience, good light and lots of luck are key to a good photo. In this very unusual night-time world my own personal adventure and education continues.
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ALL IMAGES © PETER BRADLEY
ALAN LARSEN DIVES DEEP FOR OCEANIC WHITETIP SHARKS Oceanic whitetip sharks (Carcharhinus longimanus) are great subjects for an underwater photographer to shoot. They are accessible because they spend a lot of time cruising the top ten metres of the ocean in search of a meal; they are also very inquisitive and come up close – very close! This photo of an Oceanic whitetip was taken at Little Brother Island in the Red Sea. The previous afternoon we had spent eighty minutes in the water under the dive boat with half a dozen sharks milling around. But it was hard to get a shot that didn’t have another diver or their bubbles in it. On the second dive of the next day, I chanced upon this shark as I was making my way back to the boat from the reef. It was just past noon, the sun was high in the sky, and the shark was about five metres under the surface. As it drew close to check me out, the bright dappled light and the sun’s rays allowed me to capture the beauty, power and solitary nature of this apex predator in the open ocean. Nature photography also has its part to play in conservation messages. The shark in the second shot (taken the previous day) has a fishing hook and line attached to its jaw. Fortunately this will eventually work its way out; but it is likely to cause the shark discomfort - and is a reminder that we cause more damage to sharks than sharks cause to us. Nikon D7100 with a Tokina 10-17 lens (at 17mm) in a Subal housing, plus 2x Inon Z240 strobes. Alan Larsen www.flickr.com/alanlarsen
ALL IMAGES © ALAN LARSEN
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ADRIAN MCCARTHY HONES HIS ‘BIRDS IN FLIGHT’ PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS
Wildlife photography requires practice, lots of it to become good at it, nothing more so than birds in flight. Puffins in particular with their very fast flight take a lot of practice so it is a good idea to practice on some slower birds first. With this in mind while on holiday I visited a small Kittiwake colony near Seahouses on the Northumbria coast to practice on the Kittiwakes and the Black Backed Gulls that harass the colony. It wasn’t until I got home I discovered I had also captured about 5 shots of this nice Fulmar such was my concentration on the camera and technique.
ROGER TAYLOR ON RETURNING TO LONDON IN THE SPRINGTIME
After spending the winter months in South Africa it is always a pleasure to come back to England in the spring and be welcomed by the spring flowers and birds in the garden. There are two places I always head for after unpacking and the first is Kelsey Park, Bromley where you are bound to find many birds to photograph particularly swans, herons and one of my favourites, the mandarin duck. One of the joys of Kelsey is that the park is that it is used by many people and the wildlife is used to them so you can get quite close. The other place I enjoy is the Wetlands Trust Centre at Barnes. Similar wildlife to Kelsey but they do have the otters which are an added attraction. Different to Africa but just as enjoyable. 14
ALL IMAGES TOP © ADRIAN MCCARTHY - ALL IMAGES BOTTOM © ROGER TAYLOR
BOB JOHNSON IS DOWN ON THE FARM As a wildlife photographer I am very fortunate to have access to two thousand acres of farmland that sits either side of the M25 in Essex. I am also fortunate to have at least five pairs of little owls living on this farmland. I tend to concentrate on European owls and raptors, with the little owl being at the very top of a list that includes ospreys and golden eagles. They are so intelligent and inquisitive and very tolerant of the respectful photographer. They are also extremely cute. The little owl in the picture was a young fledgling that was just starting to explore its surroundings. I began putting out a few mealworms out for it each morning and it soon came down for a free meal. After a couple of days I could put the worms in various photogenic spots and it would find them and pose for its picture. I was very careful to just put a few worms out each day, as I did not want it to start relying on them. For the picture I sat a Canon 5DMk III on the back of an old trailer and used live view to compose the image and pre focus on some worms about half a meter in front of the lens. I used an EF 24-70 f2.8 lens and manually set it at 24mm with an aperture of f9 and a shutter speed of 1/500th. To operate the shutter I had a Hahnel Giga T Pro remote release that I operated from my Landrover about twenty meters away. The final ingredient was of course ‘lady luck’ as once the owl had finished the worms it spotted its reflection in the front lens element and came over to investigate. Bob Johnson ARPS www.bobswildimages.com Bob also chairs The Lee Valley Nature Photographers. The club meet on the second Thursday of each month in Waltham Abbey. It is a none competitive club that aims to encourage and improve its members work at all levels. A full programme of talks and practical evenings can viewed on the clubs website at www.lvnp.org and photographers of all abilities are welcome to join or visit. For more information please contact Bob Johnson ARPS by email at laptop@magdrill.co.uk.
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WOODBERRY WETLANDS Penny Dixie ARPS tells about a fabulous new urban wetland reserve in East London In the run up to the launch of London Naturally spaces in London are important and worth on 8th January 2015, I contacted London Wildlife preserving, then they are more likely to want Trust (LWT). I had been an inactive member for to protect them from development by the next years but was a great supporter of their aims and aspirations. We explored the possibility of recruiting some London RPS photographers to work alongside the London Wildlife Trust ecologists, volunteers and conservationists in their local London Wildlife Trust reserves. In doing this, I put myself forward to work with the LWT team on the Woodberry Wetlands development. Having lived and worked in education in Hackney for over 35 years, I’ve been familiar with Stoke Newington Reservoirs. West Reservoir, now a watersports centre and East Reservoir, closed to the public since it was built in 1880, and in the process of being re-wilded and opened to the supermarket or building scheme. And that’s public as a wetlands nature reserve. the short version of how I unexpectedly found myself decked out in a hi-vis waist-coat and For me, the idea of being able to use my images hard hat, armed with my camera, climbing out to interest local children and families in the work of a 31st floor window on the Berkley Homes of London Wildlife Trust was directly in keeping development that overlooks the reservoirs! I with my 35 year investment in education in managed to teeter nervously to the edge and Hackney. It seems to me that if we can use take a series of hand-held images that I later photography to get young people involved in stitched together. I think it was looking down being ‘a bit wild’ and believing that local green towards the city, (working out where my house
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was!), that I realised that the reservoirs look just like a pair of lungs. That’s what Woodberry Wetlands feels like to me. I go there, the sky feels bigger and I feel as if can breathe. I can escape domestic drudgery, the hustle and bustle of Hackney and quite simply, I can breathe. I love it. I’ve done my fair share of dashing out of London to develop a portfolio of nature and wildlife photography but to me it’s been more satisfying to develop my photography on my own patch. 12 minute walk from home, I have no guilt about my carbon footprint and I’m doing original work. I can come and go as I please and I’ve learnt such a lot. I’ve watched and photographed as the sun has appeared over the horizon at silly o’clock in the morning, and I’ve been there when it has set at night. Just me and the animals and birds that live at Woodberry Wetlands. It’s quite simply, magical. I’ve photographed the development of the roadbeds and the scrapes. I’ve photographed the construction of the board walk and taken portraits of the cheery workforce. I’ve got a photographic story about the restoration of the historic buildings. I’ve climbed ladders 17
and scaffolding, I’ve ridden in a cherry picker to photograph from roof-tops. I’ve ridden in the back of a horse-drawn cart. I’ve seen my images turned into postcards, publicity leaflets, banners and an 8m x 2m hoarding. I’ve photographed the amazing volunteers who come each Saturday and I’ve listened to the stories of what inspires them to turn up each week come rain or shine. I’ve documented the first visitors and been out on bat walks. I’ve worked alongside the BBC One Show camera team and Mike Dilger for 2 days creating footage of Woodberry Wetlands. I’ve photographed Obi the Suffolk Punch, who comes to do the heavy lifting when the reed beds are scythed or logs are moved, and of course, I’ve photographed the wildlife. I know where the foxes live and the birds nest. I’ve learnt from the local birders. I’ve been in boats on the water, I’ve lurked in bushes and I’ve hidden in reed-beds. I am developing photography projects and plans for next year and I’ve just bought my first trail-cam. I can’t wait to hear the dawn chorus again. Walthamstow Wetlands is the big-sister development ‘just up the road’. The London Wildlife Trust is working in partnership with Thames Water, Waltham Forest and the Heritage Lottery Fund to manage and develop the 9 Walthamstow Reservoirs so that the habitat is improved for wildlife and will open to the public in 2017. It’s been great to work with the London Wildlife Trust team at Walthamstow too, but my heart belongs to Woodberry Wetlands. If you are reading this and can get to Tottenham Hale, there’s an enormous photographic project in the development of Walthamstow Wetlands if you’re interested. So, I’ve been there. I’ve seen it. I’ve done it. I’m definitely going to carry on. I’m a proud wearer of a London Wildlife Trust t-shirt! The grand opening of Woodberry Wetlands will be on Saturday 30th April. Watch out for further information. We are hoping that an inspirational special guest will come and say a few words on the day, and I’ll be there with my camera! FOR MORE INFORMATION: The London Wildlife Trust http://www.wildlondon.org.uk Woodberry Wetlands http://www.woodberrywetlands.org.uk Walthamstow Wetlands http://www.walthamstow-wetlands.org.uk Penny Dixie ARPS http://www.pennydixie.co.uk 18
ALL IMAGES © PENNY DIXIE ARPS
WHAT’S IN MY BAG? We asked some of our London RPS Members to tell us about their favourite, must have accessories – those items they frequently take with them when they go off on a photography trip. Here is what they said:
Yaktrax Pro – Penny Dixie
The older I get, the more nervous I become in icy conditions but I always pack these cheap spikeless, coiled ‘winter traction devices’ into my camera bag in winter. They fasten over the top of my walking boots and have allowed me to climb some really snowy and icy paths with confidence and without any slipping and sliding. I bought Yaktrax ‘Pro’ (rather than the basic Walker) because I liked the toe strap which certainly makes them feel secure.
Soft Lens Cap – Julia Wainwright
AquaTech make alternative lens caps for long lenses. They are rubber caps that push into place without actually touching the glass. I find them invaluable when travelling as they cushion the lens glass against knocks and save much needed space in my camera bag compared to the standard, bulky long lens caps supplied by Canon. They are are only available only for larger Canon & Nikon lenses - 300mm f2.8 upwards.
Hoodman Eyecup – Penny Dixie
I have to wear specs. They’re the bane of my life but I can’t see a thing without them. If it’s not bad enough struggling with bi-focals, I have real issues with light pouring over the top of my specs. I have a Hoodman’s eyecup and it fixes over the eye-piece mounting rails and blocks out nearly all of the ambient light. It’s very flexible and squashes up in the camera bag and if I need to orient my camera from landscape to portrait, I just grab the eye-cup and yank it round. It works a treat.
Air blower – Alan Larsen
Even freshly cleaned lenses pick up dust in my camera bag, or from a lens cap that has been kept in my pocket while shooting. I find that a Giottos Rocket Air Blower (aka ‘the bomb’) is the most effective way to remove a stray speck of dust from either end of the lens. Don’t take it in hand luggage on an American airline though – it’s likely to be confiscated by security. Seriously… I’ve known that to happen!
Waterproof Overtrousers – Penny Dixie
There’s nothing worse than sitting or lying in the mud and feeling freezing cold water seep through. Many years ago I bought a huge pair of incredibly cheap Peter Storm men’s waterproof over-trousers years. They’re always in my camera bag. I use them like a wearable ground-sheet! They’re not elegant and they’ve even got gaffa tape patches. When it’s rainy or there are muddy puddles to sit in or a bog or a dirty surface, I put on my trusty old trousers and click away! 19
LONDON NATURALLY WALKS Arranged 10 times a year, usually on the last Sunday of the month (excluding August & December) the London Naturally walks are fun strolls around open spaces in London with a bunch of friendly like minded photographers who want to exercise their cameras or phones.
The walks generally have a set route, but no set agenda leaving people to discover and explore the environment along the way to create their own individual images. We do attempt to introduce people to some of the hidden gems inhabited by wild life amongst London’s open spaces in the hope that they will discover places to revisit and photograph year round.
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Have are a small selection of the images people have taken on the walks and shared on the RPS London Region Meetup group © Jen Pedlar © Jennette Russell LRPS © Michelle Gosney © Rahul Walawalkar © Adrian McCarthy © Michelle Gosney © Jennette Russell LRPS © Diana Valk © Jennette Russell LRPS © Nazmul Islam © Nazmul Islam © Jen Pedlar
Information on the walks are published on the RPS Events http://www.rps.org/events the RPS London Region Meetup Group http://www.meetup.com/RPSLondon/ as well in the Journal. 21
STAGS, BACON AND COFFEE WITH FRIENDS Early Morning in Richmond Park by Julia Wainwright ARPS It’s 5am on a cold October morning, the alarm rudely awakens me from my slumbers. The heating hasn’t come on yet so the house feels cold. I get ready quickly and head downstairs to where my heavy kit bag awaits me. A final check: Camera body, lenses, memory cards, batteries, tripod, waterproof boots, jacket, gloves, scarf, hat. Yes, everything is there. I hear Anne’s car pull onto the drive so we load up and head off to Richmond Park. The sky is clear so every time we pass an open area of grassland we peer hopefully through the darkness – will there be any mist today? It’s only about 15 miles but the journey is slow, roads clogged with commuters heading into London. After an hour we pull up outside the gates of the park and flash our lights in the direction of the car parked in front of us. Sue waves back in acknowledgement. We stand in the road, talking quietly, looking eagerly towards the locked gates beyond which the mist hangs eerily over the park. After a short while we spot vehicle headlights and the groundsmen arrive to open up. We drive slowly round to Pembroke Lodge car park, pleased to see we’re the first photographers there. We quickly unpack our gear, put on our weatherproof outer layers and head off across the fields. The mist is so thick, it’s hard to see more than a few feet in front of you. A loud bellow penetrates the wall of fog. It gets our pulses racing, reminding us that even in a Royal Park these deer are still wild animals capable of inflicting damage on unwary photographers. Eventually the mist lifts but, on this occasion, too late for those glorious, backlit, sunrise shots. Nevertheless a couple of hours later we have a good selection of shots in the bag. By 9.30am the light is getting too harsh so it’s time to head back to the lodge cafe for breakfast, where the bacon rolls are to be recommended. Prompted by the sound of deer calling, an unplanned detour provides the hoped for 22
ALL IMAGES © JULIA
WAINWRIGHT ARPS
opportunity to photograph a Stag dressed to impress in a fine display of headgear. Photography session over for the day we sit on one of the benches chatting, enjoying the sunshine and watching the park begin to fill with people going about their everyday lives, walking dogs, exercising or just enjoying the sun. It feels like a very different world to the one we joined a few hours ago. ‘Fancy another coffee?’, asks Sue. ‘Sounds a good idea to me’. Stags, bacon and coffee with friends – what a way to start the day.
About Richmond Park Richmond Park is the largest Royal Park in London covering an area of 2,500 acres. In 1625 Charles I brought his court to Richmond Palace to escape the plague in London and turned the area into a park for red and fallow deer. It is now a National Nature Reserve, London’s largest Site of Special Scientific Interest and a European Special Area of Conservation where herds of wild deer roam freely. During the autumn the deer ‘rut’ (breeding season) takes place. The Red stags and Fallow bucks compete for females (known as hinds and does respectively). At this time, the large males roar, bark and clash antlers in a spectacular way in an attempt to fight off rivals and attract as many females as possible. www.facebook.com/juliasimagesuk ALL IMAGES © JULIA
WAINWRIGHT ARPS
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FROM CAMBODIA TO THE CAIRNGORMS Prize Trip to the Cairngorms by Julia Wainwright ARPS We were on holiday in the Far East and I was sitting in a hotel room in Cambodia when the message came through – you’ve won a photography trip to the Cairngorms. A flurry of messages went back and forth, followed by some diary rearrangements and my attendance was confirmed on the trip. What a fantastic opportunity! The weather forecast for the week of my trip was typical for the Highlands in early December, extremely variable! My drive from the airport was slow, cautious and scary at times as a blizzard swept through the Highlands. We stayed in a converted hotel in the traditional village of Newtonmore and travelled out to various locations in the Cairngorms to photograph birds of prey, animals at the Highland Wildlife Park, Red Squirrels, Mountain Hares, Red Grouse and the delightful Crested Tits. We had a great week of photography with lots of opportunity and variety, even squeezing in a little night photography and the occasional landscape. The cold, damp weather meant that outdoor gear was put to the test as much of the photography was out in the open - no warm, cosy hides on this trip. The regular cake and coffee stops did help warm us up again though. The red squirrels and crested tits provided hours of entertainment and the coats of the mountain hares were well advanced through their transition from brown to white. Unfortunately the snow only stayed around for a couple of days, so that ‘red squirrel in the snow’ shot still eludes me. We did manage to get some great shots of captive birds of prey at a stunning, snow-covered location near the Cairngorms Mountain Railway as well as some amazingly natural shots of Japanese macaques looking very cold in the snow. Who needs to go to Japan? 24
ALL IMAGES © JULIA
WAINWRIGHT ARPS
This was a very enjoyable few days and my thanks go to RPS London for giving me the opportunity to go on this trip, to the sponsors to Canon and CameraWorld and to the trip organisers, Wild Arena Ltd and Cairngorms-based photographer Neil McIntyre. www.facebook.com/juliasimagesuk
ALL IMAGES Š JULIA
WAINWRIGHT ARPS
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FINDING URBAN NATURE Philip Braude is an amateur photographer who has been portraying urban nature for many years. Here he describes how he developed a passion for city wildlife. gems of nature in the city, hopefully providing people with a better understanding and appreciation of the natural world around them. All the photographs published here are taken in London, and, except for St Paul’s, within a tenminute walk of my front door. SMOKE GREY HERON The heron had been trying to spear ornamental fish in a garden pond. When disturbed by the owners of the pond, it flew to the top of the chimney stack, out of harms way, and to watch for the pond to be unguarded again.
Growing up in London with a love for nature meant seeking out tiny patches of wilderness between the concrete and brickwork. When I started photographing nature, I went further afield to find subjects in rural areas; I sought out reservoirs, fringe fields and took special trips away. As I started looking for new subjects, I began to realise that there was a wealth of material growing, hiding and coexisting in my local residential patch. My early city-based photographs all showed animals in isolation from their urban context, pretending they resided in pristine countryside. Now my images have changed again to show flora and fauna connected with their urban habitat. My motivation is now to reveal the 26
SUPERMARKET STARLING My local supermarket car park has a chattering of starling living off shoppers’ debris. They wait on the trolleys for morsels to be dropped. This image is part of a series that can be found on my website. RED AND GREEN TELEPHONE BOX This telephone box has been left to ruin at the end of my street. The image shows nature taking over our ordered world with a juxtaposition of colours, wires, tendrils and textures. It lets us wonder on our changing interactions with each other, and nature, will unfold. PEEKING FOX A neighbour found this fox injured. He decided to leave food out daily to help it recover. I was lucky enough to capture this shy face waiting for the next tub of leftovers. Sadly the fox was not seen again after the winter despite food being put out daily. THE GREAT NORTH WOOD The historic Great North Wood stretched across South London. Now it is fragmented across over 200 city sites. Some of the oaks that stood tall can still be seen. You can find our more by following the London Wildlife Trust twitter account https:// twitter.com/GreatNorthWood URBAN TREES I created this image of London’s Southbank to show wilderness at the heart of the city. I chose a well known cityscape to make the image familiar, while using two flashes to highlight the natural landscape. The image has many temporal relationships: the brief moment of people in coats frozen in the scene, and the leaves of late Autumn; the slowly grown whiteness of the silver birches and stone of St Paul’s; all of which is set at night to bring out the brightness of the city’s lights and reflections.
His website is http://www.philipbraude.co.uk ...and he tweets at @Philip_Braude
ALL IMAGES © PHILIP
BRAUDE
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