Photo Stories
How inclement weather on a wildlife shoot turned from a curse to a blessing
Your latest and greatest photos and the stories behind them, including life on India’s railways and Greece’s Dalmatian pelicans
Irecently went on a photography trip to Lake Kerkini, Greece, to photograph Dalmatian pelicans. set out to create a varied collection of shots, while showcasing the amazing personality of these majesticyet-comical birds.
However, three days before I was due to set off on the trip I received an email saying that the lake had frozen over for the first time in 16 years, and that the pelicans had moved away. My heart sank, however I packed for the trip and hoped that I would find pelicans somewhere else, as our local guide and wildlife expert was busily scouting out alternative opportunities. On the day I set off the lake had begun to thaw and small numbers of pelicans were returning. To my great delight they continued to return, and instead of a disaster we ended up with a unique opportunity to photograph pelicans on ice.
Dalmatian are the largest pelican species – having a wingspan of just over three
metres – so it’s a challenge to keep everything sharp and in frame at close quarters. I used the Canon EF 8-15mm f/4l Fisheye USM to capture the birds at close range. I also took several shots at a low angle, with my camera practically on the floor, to gain an interesting perspective. To do this I used an Angle Finder, which made the job a lot more comfortable and framing the shots easier.
Our weather conditions had been varied throughout the trip, with many hazy skies, but I was keen to capture some images of the pelicans with the snow-capped mountains in the background. Luckily the weather changed and the cloud cover disappeared from the mountains one afternoon, making this a possibility.
Photography has really opened my eyes again to the beauty that surrounds me, and I was so fortunate to witness these particular moments. I studied Zoology at Oxford University, but then went on to a career in banking and advertising. My love for wildlife has been rekindled by my passion for photography and I now spend many hours photographing the wildlife on our farm, and travelling across the world trying to capture the beauty of the natural world.
I was keen to capture images of the pelicans with the snow-capped mountains in the background