Tell us the story behind your photo in the British Wildlife Photography Awards exhibition?
This image was taken during the first 2020 lockdown on my daily walk. I was lucky enough to live close to a disused quarry which had been reclaimed by wildlife. The cliffs were occupied by peregrine falcons, the rocky ground filled with wildflowers and butterflies, and the nearby gorse bushes buzzing with yellowhammers! The sight of those bright yellow birds in the amber-yellow flowers of the blooming gorse bushes was more than enough inspiration to try and get the shot.
I got very lucky on maybe my third or fourth visit, setting up behind the gorse bushes with the sun shining through. I set up to take a test shot and a yellowhammer landed right in that spot!
Sometimes (but not often) wildlife photography is easy.
Did you use any particular equipment or software?
I used my Nikon DSLR and a Nikon 200-500mm lens, handheld. There wasn’t too much post-processing required on this shot but, as always, I processed it through Adobe Lightroom, recovering some shadows and bringing out some more of the yellows and oranges.
What makes you stop and decide that a scene is worth photographing?
Sometimes it’s time and experience, getting to know a place and the rhythms and habits of the creatures that inhabit it… But on this occasion, the appeal of a yellow bird in yellow flowers was a very obvious photo op!
How do you know when you’ve captured “the shot” and can stop shooting?
Generally I always keep shooting for as long as I can! It sometimes takes me months of looking back and re-editing until I work out which photo from the day is “the shot”. Sometimes I have to concede that I simply didn’t get it on that occasion. With this yellowhammer image I knew instantly that I had it though. This is maybe one of only three occasions where that’s happened.
What has wildlife taught you about paying attention?
It has taught me to be incredibly patient and accept that understanding behaviours, details and patterns in nature takes so much time. Time is your biggest ally in wildlife photography (although this does make it a rather time-consuming pastime).
Check out more of Jamie’s photography:
www.instagram.com/jamiewildlifephoto