The luck of the draw

The alarm goes off - you get in the shower, pick up the camera and head out to get your dream shot… or at least that’s how it’s supposed to work.

Those of us who have been doing this for a while know that’s rarely the case. There will often be some kind of spanner in the works that we have to overcome for our vision to come to fruition. This is something we all face from time to time, but the unpredictability of mother nature can make wildlife photography particularly challenging.

Although we cannot control certain elements, we can make the most of them when opportunities come our way. Some call it luck, but I like to think of luck being a combination of preparation and opportunity coming together.

I have included the image below as an example of when things unexpectedly come together. For some time I had been watching the kingfishers and studying them as they flew up and down the river. I arrived to one of the spots that I had noticed them stopping as they passed through, and was not expecting to see one straight away. I sat my bag down and immediately heard the high pitched call. He was sat so close, and just within the minimum focus distance of the 600mm lens. Had he been any closer, I would have struggled to get the shot.

In short, you have to get out there. On those days where you aren’t sure whether you want to venture out - do it! If things don’t go to plan, you’ll adapt and overcome - and may even learn some techniques along the way. If things go right, you may just get a moment of magic.