Why it works

A FEW years ago, I spent part of the winter photographing cormorants in one of the London parks. Despite not being the most glamorous location in which to photograph wildlife, one advantage is that birds are often more used to people here, so it is easier to get within photographic range. Fortunately, these cormorants were largely unconcerned by my presence, and I had a few very productive sessions with them. They spent a lot of time fishing up and down the water, at times very close to me. I had chosen my spot as it was underneath a bridge, so to expose the bird correctly, the water appeared almost jet-black in photos, and subjects stood out really well. One image I was very keen to capture was the moment a bird surfaced. Cormorants hunt for fish underwater, and when they come back up, the water runs off their face. It all happens pretty quickly though, so I had to be fast. Eventually I reacted well enough to capture this bird at the perfect moment; that it happened to be looking straight down the lens was a real bonus.