Everything is Permuted

The title of the blog is the name given to the Andy Rouse workshop I went to today. It was held at the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey, which meant an opportunity to practise a few techniques in the afternoon. Andy, for those who don't know, is the man behind some great wildlife photos (everything from gorillas to polar bears). The workshop gave an insight into how he gets his shots. And how easy it is to get it all wrong. And how easy it ought to be to get at least some of it right. It's certainly given me plenty to think about.

I'm always a little uneasy with captive animals, but in a learning context it makes sense. These are just a very few of the shots from the afternoon. First up is a wild cat.






The key to those shots was shooting from low down, something I was already familiar with from the garden foxes. We were also shown one of the badgers, though having to shoot down from above isn't ideal. The lesson is 'get down low'. But a badger is a badger so here's one shot with a half-way decent pose.


There are also a number of otters. We spent a fair bit of time encouraging them to clamber up the banks to get a good angle, but my favourite shots were when they were swimming.






Finally, we saw the foxes. There were a pair of adults and a number of cubs (about 4 months old). The foxes were by far the most cooperative, but then having youngsters rushing around (foxes, not people) always make for a lively scene. Inevitably I have loads of shots, so here's just a small selection. First some cubs playing. No technique in these two at all.




This next shot was taken towards the sun (something we did learn about).


And me being me, I took some portraits. Nothing I haven't done before, but fun to do.








So what did I learn? Some things I do right (shooting from a low position). Some things I do very wrong (shooting in the middle of the day). Why shooting low helps. Don't be afraid of difficult light (it's actually better than what seems to be 'good' light). And various ways of using settings. It all sounds so incredibly easy when Andy explains it, and in some ways it is (pressing the shutter is something I can manage). But what isn't easy is seeing the shot in the first place. That's what really makes the difference and that is what is likely to keep me taking way too many shots of indifferent quality at the wrong time of day. Still, it's a easier to get better at doing something when you know where you're going wrong. And I now know a lot! Seriously, it was a really good day, incredibly informative, and will (I am sure) result in some better photos. I couldn't really ask for more.

Camera note: wild cat and otter shots taken with the Canon 7D and EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L USM IS lens; foxes and badger were taken with the EF 100mm f/2.8L macro IS USM lens.