Tell us the story behind your photo in the British Wildlife Photography Awards exhibition?
Toads use a pond close to my house to breed. I tend to work mainly as a project photographer, which means I work on one subject for a prolonged period of time. This, I find, increases my creativity. With this image I wanted to show what a toad would look like if viewed from the bottom of the pond, an angle few would have seen before.
How did you go about getting that shot?
I had to put the camera on the bottom of the pond and therefore had to make a waterproof glass box to house it. With ballast and old tripod legs glued to the side, and a lot of trial and error, I eventually managed it.
Did you use any particular equipment or software?
A canon 5D, wide angle lens, remote cable release. Processed the image in lightroom. I’m a bit old school, the idea is to get the image as close to what I envisaged in camera, so I shouldn’t be using lots of processing.
What would you like people to think about when they see your work?
Something unique, something beautiful, something that gets people thinking, and something that makes people consider wildlife more.
What makes you stop and decide that a scene is worth photographing?
Composition, balance, arty, uniqueness, it’s difficult to be precise. Sometimes I have pre-envisioned the image, and it’s about getting as close as possible to that. Often the image changes the longer I work on a project as my imagination starts to kick in.
How do you know when you’ve captured “the shot” and can stop shooting?
Hard to say, but every time, I just know. Saying that, I’ve taken quite a few images I love, that get rejected by competitions, and that makes me question. But, I stick to my beliefs and loves. It doesn’t make me change to fit others criteria. I also believe that I probably only take one exceptional image a year, and about 10 good ones.
What has wildlife taught you about paying attention?
Patience, and that the longer I stick to a project or session, the more I see and learn. Just being there is magical, but when something new happens, it’s amazing.
What projects are you working on now or have coming up?
I’ve just finished a project working with willow tits, Britain’s fastest declining bird species. They are not colourful or dramatic, but they have a charm of their own. I also work on a few conservation projects, and for the last two years have been working as a surveyor for willow tits with the RSPB. I love being able to tie my photography with conservation. In a previous life, I was an Environmental Science lecturer, so have a strong academic background in conservation.
Check out more of Paul’s photography:
www.instagram.com/paulhobsonwildlifephotography
www.facebook.com/paulhobsonwildlife