Meet a new generation of wildlife photographer
Many wildlife photographers will tell you that much of what they do involves waiting around days or weeks for the right shot. Bertie Gregory adds peril to the equation in a nature/adventure series currently streaming on Disney+.
In “Epic Adventures With Bertie Gregory,” the 29-year-old National Geographic explorer takes viewers along as he ventures to remote locations around the world to immerse himself in animals’ lives and tell their stories.
Armed with cutting edge equipment, the photographer and cinematographer crosses the treacherous Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica to film the feeding habits of a pod of gigantic fin whales; braves the Pacific Ocean off Central America to shoot a superpod of several thousand spinner dolphins; and visits the African nation of Zambia to capture the rare moment
when a pride of lions takes a Cape buffalo.
In fact, it was in Zambia that Gregory had his most perilous wildlife encounter when he found a crocodile in his bed at camp and he and a guide attempted to extract and relocate it.
“The crocodile started death rolling, which is how they kill their prey ...,” Gregory explains. “And (the guide) actually managed to get a towel on this crocodile’s head. And together, we managed to sort of grab it, and Adrian picked it up and walked it out to the river.
“And as he was walking out my door, it started going (makes honking noise). And I was like, ‘Oh, Adrian, what does that mean?’ He’s like, ‘Oh, this is actually a juvenile. That’s the distress call. He’s just calling mum.’ So I was like, ‘Oh, great. Brilliant. Mum’s gonna come visit my room now.’ So yeah, I went
back to sleep and I can’t say I slept a huge amount that night.”