Wildlife Photography across the Water: Times they are a changing

Sunday 1 November 2009

Times they are a changing

In the last few years photographic agencies have changed, Micro stock agencies have entered the market and are selling images at 50 cents looking at the bulk market, Like any business the big boys have had to look at the competition and reevaluate the current market and conditions, The recession hits just about anybody and some agencies work hand in hand with others to help each other out, How does this effect the stock photographer-well it could actually mean more sales as your work is shown on other agencies sites however the downturn is that an image maybe sold through more than one site and by the time every agency takes their 50% the end result on the statement could see many sales but at a small profit, So what to do, Well in the last year i have been shooting more and more stock images-not just wildlife but general photography to try and cover different markets, I wish i had done this years ago when travelling through India,Africa etc when all i had was wildlife on my mind, I missed out on a million scenic and portrait type images,

Images that may well sell better than a picture of a Rhino-Now my love is wildlife-always has and always will be but now i will try to see the world through slight more open eyes and take opportunities that i would normally turn away from, One morning i was in the Smokey Mountains shooting White Tailed deer through the early morning mist, The light was very special indeed and i had it coming over my shoulder-perfect, I kept my eye on the deer but also on the scenery about me and when the light look good i would swing around and take some scenics and then go back to the deer which were calm with my presence, On the way back to my accommodation i stopped at a small waterfall and took some shots and then noticed a guy downstream casting a fly so i moved down and took some images of him-trying to get the line in just the right place, Fast frames per second helped here, So a good morning with perfect light and a bag full of different subjects for the agencies, Keep your eyes open and shoot a variety of subjects that are around you, I hope that this approach will make me a more rounded photographer and not a jack of all trades and master of none-time will tell

Dave

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Bio's

David Courtenay, a self taught wildlife and nature photographer, has been capturing images for over 30 years. He has had a passion for wildlife since early childhood and remembers being glued to the television whenever Survival, Wildlife on One and other natural history documentaries were shown. In the 2006 he swapped his established career for the life of a wildlife photographer, such a move demands a measure of uncompromising passion and commitment.

David has travelled extensively throughout Europe as well as spending more than 7 months in India working with local guides and trackers in search of Bengal Tiger, Asian One horned Rhino and Asian Elephant. He has also photographed Wildlife in Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra, Africa, Canada and America. Working closely with Conservation companies he tries to raise funds to help Wildlife that has been put on the endangered list by poaching and habitation loss

Martin Dyer has had a passion for avian wildlife since childhood, particularly raptors. Photography was also another keen interest and it was with the specific availability and control of the whole process that digital offers that Martin was then able to combine the two in 2003. Based in the UK, Martin is a regular visitor to Scotland, specifically the Isle of Mull to watch the Eagles resident there. Other trips to Europe and around the UK are usually part of Martin’s agenda in a typical year.

However, as a firm believer on making the most of the local patch, Martin has spent a lot of time and hard work creating a wildlife garden which is reaping the rewards with many new species and varieties of wildlife. A keen member of a number of wildlife photographic groups, Martin is keen to expand his portfolio into other areas of wildlife, and has already established a wide portfolio of images of fungi.