The Pro Interview
The Scottish wildlife specialist talks to David Clark about inspiration, equipment and why taking pictures is the easiest part of wildlife photography
Walk on the wild side with Neil Mcintyre and his love of Scottish subjects
Some wildlife photographers travel far and wide in pursuit of exotic species, but Neil Mcintyre prefers to focus on animals in his home area. Admittedly, Neil does have the benefit of living on the doorstep of one of Britain’s most beautiful regions, the Cairngorms National Park in the Scottish Highlands, with its wide range of wildlife. Having lived there for 40 years, he knows it like the back of his hand, and if he wants to photograph different species and less familiar terrain, the joys of other parts of Scotland, particularly the islands, are not far away.
“My aim is simple,” Neil says, “to enjoy, appreciate and be inspired by the wildlife and landscape of Scotland and beyond. By doing this, I then hope that when others see my images, it will have a similar effect on them.”
As he explains in this exclusive interview, Scottish wildlife has always been a part of his life, but a chance meeting with a photographer inspired him to create images of his own, and share his love of nature with others.
Has nature been a passion of yours since childhood?
Yes, definitely. I think it’s probably not uncommon with wildlife photographers to have an interest in wildlife first. My father was a gamekeeper, so I was out
and about, seeing mountain hares and deer and all sorts of other animals, from early on. I always enjoyed seeing them.
What was your first experience of photography?
When I was about 11, a wildlife filmmaker, Hugh Miles, came to make a film on ospreys on the estate where my father worked. Hugh’s assistant, Ken James, was doing some still photography and one day took me out to photograph dippers on the river in front of the house. The very first picture I ever shot was taken on Ken’s camera. When Hugh’s documentary film Osprey was released, it reinforced in me the idea that you could film or photograph animals, then convey what you saw to other people. That triggered something in me.
When did you get your first ever camera?
It was probably two or three years later. I saved up my money and bought a Pentax SLR. I stuck with it for a couple of years and then changed to a Canon T90 with a Tamron telephoto lens. I had many good years with that equipment and have stayed with Canon ever since.
Were there any wildlife photographers who inspired you when you were starting out?
Jim Brandenburg was a notable inspiration. I remember seeing his pictures in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition in the 1980s. His pictures had such a feel to them. I particularly loved his photograph
Brother Wolf, and still have Jim Brandenburg’s book of the same name on show in my office. For me, he captures everything you would want to capture in a wildlife picture.
Did you take any formal photography courses?
No, I’ve never done any of that. I just learned by trial and error. I think with wildlife photography, sometimes actually taking the pictures is the easier bit. Getting to know animals’ behaviour, when best to photograph them and getting into the right position to take the shot is the most difficult part. It’s a cliché but it’s true.
Was there a moment when you realized you could make a living from photography?
It was probably when I won the Eric Hosking Award in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, two years running – back in 1991 and 1992. It is such a prestigious competition and it gave me a little bit of a profile at that point in time. Winning the award gave me a boost and a kick-start. I just went on from there and gradually built up the business.
Did you have a full-time job outside photography before starting to shoot professionally?
Yes, I was a joiner to begin with for a number of years, but I knocked days off as I went along. Each year, I would knock more days off for photography, then I became a part-time photographer. I just wheedled it down until I was able to go full-time. It was a good way to do it, rather than jumping in at the deep end. By then I’d built up a lot of experience, contacts and my own stock of pictures, so everything was in place when I needed it.
Which camera bodies do you currently use?
The three bodies I use are the EOS-1D X Mark II, a 5D Mark III and my old 1D X,
Jim Brandenburg captures everything you would want to capture in a wildlife picture
which I use as a back-up. The 1D X Mark II is my main wildlife camera without a doubt and I’m very comfortable using it. I especially like it for its speed in shooting wildlife action. It’s got good autofocus, and the high ISO is brilliant, which is important in Scotland, where’s the light’s not always favourable. The 5D Mark III is very much my landscape camera – the frame rate is a lot slower than the 1D X Mark II, so I’ve not often used it for wildlife, but it’s great for landscapes.
What are the main Canon lenses in your kit bag?
My go-to wildlife lens is the Canon EF 500mm f/4 IS II. I’ve used 500mm lenses for a long time now. I know exactly what they can do and I can envisage what the picture is going to look like before I take it. It’s a fantastic lens, it gives a nice depth of field and the focusing is great. My other main wildlife lens is the Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 IS II, and I love it as well. It’s very versatile and ideal for a different type of picture, when you have to pull back a bit and have a little bit more of the environment in the frame. I also have shorter zooms like the EF 17-40mm f/4 and the EF 24-105mm f/4. I mainly use them for landscapes, and occasionally shoot wide-angle wildlife shots too.
Do you ever use camera traps?
No, I’ve not got into that at all. I’m a bit old-fashioned like that. I like to see what’s going on. I know a lot of people use them and take very good stuff as well, it’s just a different type of photography and a different technique. I like to have that connection of taking the picture and seeing what you’re getting.
What post-processing software do you use?
I use the Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP) software just to convert from Raw to TIFFS, then I import it into Photoshop and do the rest with that software. I only do basic things to my images: a bit of shadows/highlights, levels, that sort of stuff. I don’t do much more than that. I like to have the camera set up to capture a good representation of the subject and aim to get the image in-camera as much as possible.
Do you have a favourite species to photograph?
If you’ve seen my book on red squirrels, you might think the answer’s going to be them, and it is, but otters come a very close second. They’re very similar in many ways – they’re busy little animals, always doing something, and it’s really
I haven’t got into camera traps at all. I’m a bit old-fashioned like that. I like to see what’s going on
noticeable that individuals have their own characters. There’s always so much going on with them. I love photographing red deer, but the bigger mammals don’t do so much. They just stand and look pretty.
Your red squirrel book was published last year. Was crowdfunding the book a good experience?
It was a long, anxious month of waiting, but it was very successful. The target we wanted to raise was £25,000 and I think we reached the target around 10 days before it closed and ended up with just over £30,000. We had around 500 backers. You just don’t know what’s going to happen when you launch one of these campaigns, but it worked out very well.
Would you recommend publishing via Kickstarter?
If you have the right project, and the right people behind it, yes. I think we were lucky with the red squirrel because it’s such a popular little animal. We were also lucky to have the support of Scotland: The Big Picture, which published the book. People in the organization were willing to promote it solidly for the month, which you have to do, through social media and emails. I don’t particularly like that sort of thing, but it had to be done at that stage, and I think that’s a large part of the reason why we hit the target.
Do you prefer shooting wildlife to landscapes?
I’ve always seen the two as going together. Some people just like landscapes or they like wildlife, but I’ve always liked to do a little bit of both. I think you need pictures of landscapes and natural habitats to complement the wildlife pictures. So I always have some landscapes in my portfolio.
What’s your favourite location for photography?
My local area in the Cairngorms takes a bit of beating, but my next favourite places are Scottish islands, because they’re all very different. They’ve all got different habitats and looks to them. Some get certain species and other ones offer different types of landscapes. Mull and Shetland are great for wildlife, especially sea birds, and Harris has fantastic beaches. I like Jura for the red deer and Islay for the geese.
What’s the best thing about being a wildlife photographer?
The best thing is obviously being out and taking pictures of wildlife. You can’t beat having those experiences and encounters. It’s very special. If animals get the better of me and things don’t go my way, I’m quite happy to accept that. You get used to that over the years. There’s always another day.
And the worst?
One of the worst things for me is other wildlife photographers who don’t respect the wildlife. It seems to be becoming more prevalent, purely with the numbers of people who are doing it. Most folk are very respectful towards animals, but there’s always an element that’s just geared towards getting the picture at all costs. That’s a wee bit upsetting, because it puts everybody in a bad light and the reputation of all wildlife photographers suffers.
When you’re running photo tours, what are the most common mistakes people make?
Lack of experience is the main thing and sometimes a lack of anticipation. In wildlife photography, you have to anticipate what the subject is going to do, where it’s going to go and how it’s going to react. In some of the best pictures, the animal is only there for literally a couple of frames, then they’re gone. Also, sometimes people bring too much equipment, which is a problem when climbing mountains. The other thing is folk not being familiar with the basics of how to operate a camera. However, I fully understand that people have jobs and
If animals get the better of me and things don’t go my way, I’m quite happy to accept that
families and probably get limited opportunities to take pictures. I find a lot of the problems can be ironed out with practical experience.
With lots of people shooting wildlife pictures, is it difficult to create something different?
Yes, it does get harder to take pictures that stand out, because there are many more people doing it now than when I started out. I’ve always stayed with Scottish wildlife – I like to concentrate on specific species and it has always worked for me. I’m always seeing new possibilities. It’s more of a challenge to come up with something different, but I still believe they’re possible to do and that’s what keeps me going.
What’s the best advice you can offer someone who wants to photograph wildlife?
It goes back to understanding your subject. You have to start by getting to know your local wildlife. There is always going to be something local to you that is going to be good to photograph. Try to find what that is, and make the best of that subject. Increase
It gets harder to take pictures that stand out, as there are more people doing it now than when I started out
There is always going to be something local to you that is good to photograph
your understanding of it and that will then help you understand the other species that you’ll photograph further afield. And going back to the equipment side of things, get to know your camera, even just the basic functions, so it becomes second nature to you. Little things like how to change exposure compensation are very useful. Once you’ve mastered them it will help you capture the quicker pictures that you sometimes need to get.
What aspect of your career has given you the most satisfaction?
When you get certain pictures, it’s very satisfying. Also, publishing the red squirrel book was an achievement – it was a project that was on the go for probably 10 years or more. Getting something in a good magazine is always very nice. Winning competitions has been a highlight, but competitions are a bit of a lottery. You have to treat them as a nice bonus when they happen – enjoy them and make the most of them.