DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Photographing wildlife can be a lot closer to home than you thought

Nov 2, 2016 by John Aldred 3 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

rutting_deer

In my home town, there’s a pair of sparrowhawks that regularly nest in one of the churches in the town centre. Foxes were a regular visitor to the back garden when I was a kid. Just yesterday, I almost stepped on a hedgehog in a friend’s garden. Wildlife is all around us. Sure, we might not be seeing creatures like lions and wildebeest, but there’s still plenty for us to see.

Wildlife cameraman Bertie Gregory got his lucky break at the age of 17. After being selected as one of 20 young photographers to participate in the 2020 Vision Project, their job was to go around the UK and “prove that British wildlife is not sh*t”. He thought he’d drawn the short straw when he was assigned the “Urban Wildlife” category.

In this video from National Geographic Live, Bertie explains just how wrong he was.

Wildlife truly is all around us. As man has encroached upon natural habitats, the animals have adapted to live in our world. Peregrines are nesting in our cities, wild deer are rutting for breeding rights only 3 miles from England’s capital.

It’s the same all around the world. The species may be a little different, but wildlife is everywhere. In the middle of Bangkok, Thailand is Lumphini Park, filled with 6ft+ Water Monitors. Across many American states, alligators, snakes, lizards and mammals of all shapes and sizes litter the towns and cities. As do countless species of birds.

So, don’t think that just because you don’t live near wilderness doesn’t mean you can’t shoot wildlife photography. Some of those species that live closest to us can be the most fascinating when seen in a different light. Observing how they have adapted to live in a man-made world can be an amazing thing to see.

I saw this chap one morning on the roof of the local Aldi supermarket during DIYP’s recent trip to Photokina.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by John Aldred (@kaouthia)

When you see the same animals regularly, you can even start to see personalities come out. They get used to you being there, they allow you to get a little closer and take the occasional liberty. Around me, swans are my most regular wildlife interactions. They’re not the subject I usually head out to shoot, but I pass them on my way to other places.

It can get to a point, though, where they become less curious about you, and are so comfortable that they just get on with their lives while you watch. This particular swan has lived near me for a few years. If he sees me coming down the path, he gets defensive. Then when I get closer and he recognises me, just carries on about his day.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by John Aldred (@kaouthia)

What wildlife is in your town or city? Have you been out to photograph them? Has living in a town or city put you off even thinking about shooting wildlife? Having heard Bertie’s story, are you going to start? Let us know and show of some of your own urban wildlife in the comments.

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Don’t miss photographing Jupiter and Saturn as they appear closer together since the Middle Ages Photographing wildlife with 4×5 large format camera and expired film This is why shooting in RAW is closer to what we see with our eyes Leica publishes thought-provoking winning photos of 2021 Women Foto Project Award

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: Bertie Gregory, nat geo, Nat Geo Live, National Geographic, Urban Wildlife, wildlife photography

John Aldred: from diyphotography.net

About John Aldred

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

« Adobe focus on productivity and workflow efficiency with Photoshop CC 2017
I won something in this years British Army Photographic competition 2016 »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Here’s a bullet time video booth you can build yourself
  • Ricoh has discontinued the HD PENTAX-DA 21mm F3.2AL Limited silver lens
  • This “stellar flower” unravels the twilight’s evolution in 360 degrees
  • Strobes vs Continuous LEDs – Which is right for you?
  • Wave goodbye to Apple’s My Photo Stream next month

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy