Books

It’s about a quarter of a century since engineer Heinrich van den Berg used his retrenchment package to launch his career as a photographer. Since then, he has become a byword for thoughtful wildlife photography compiled into spectacular books with incisive text. His latest, Moods

Of Nature ( HPH, R790), will be on many wish lists this festive season.

1. Being inspired by parents

My parents were enthusiastic photographers, so as a child, I was keen to take part in the family hobby: photographing wildlife on our holidays.

2. Learning from an expert

In 1998, I was fortunate enough to win the opportunity to shadow a professional photographer. That helped me add news and sports photography techniques to broaden the appeal of my wildlife work.

3. Having malaria

I had a very close call with cerebral malaria early in my career and I still get recurrent fevers. I never risk travelling without anti-malarials.

4. Perfecting the image

Only about 30% of my working time is spent actually taking photographs; the bulk of the rest is working on the computer screen, selecting the pictures I think are worth working on and always hoping to find the perfect crop for an image.

5. Passing it on

My children are curious about how we make photographs. We’ve already started them on point-and-shoot cameras so they feel part of the creative adventure.

‘A book is a gift you can open again and again’ – Garrison Keillor ( 1942-)

Farmer’s Weekly’s book reviewer, Patricia McCracken, is a features and investigative journalist.

Heinrich van den Berg