Tell us the story behind your photo in the British Wildlife Photography Awards exhibition?
Shetland is renowned for its otters. They’re everywhere, and there’s a good chance no matter what you’re doing, whether it’s shopping in town, driving home from work, or photographing killer whales along the shoreline, you’ll see one. I took this image as I was driving home from an unsuccessful morning trying to find otters. I just so happened to notice this dog otter in the corner of my eye as I drove along a narrow cove. As I hopped out of my car, gathered my camera, and made my way down to the rocky shoreline, concealing myself against a stone wall, he came ashore just a few metres in front of me. So close in fact that with my 600mm lens coupled with a crop sensor camera body, I couldn’t fit him in my frame. As he rolled, stretched, and groomed himself, he then began to scratch an itch and immediately, this image, of his paw and spiralling textures, jumped out at me.
How did you go about getting that shot?
It is important with otters to go unseen and to cause no disturbance whilst they fish and sleep along the shoreline. By getting downwind, to avoid the otter detecting my scent, as well as concealing myself against a stone wall so that I blend in with my surroundings, I became somewhat invisible. At the time this image was taken, I was using a DSLR camera with a loud shutter, so to minimise the otter hearing my camera, I switched to shooting in Quiet Shutter – ‘Q’ on the camera’s top dial. As well as this, and because the otter was only a metre or two away, I only took a photograph when it was worth doing so instead of holding my finger down on the shutter button and taking thousands of photos. All these cautions allowed me to have a magical moment with this otter, and after some time, it slipped back into the water without a care in the world.
Did you use any particular equipment or software?
To take this image, I used a Nikon D500 coupled with a Nikon 600mm f4 VR lens. To process and to convert it to black and white, I used Adobe Lightroom.
What would you like people to think about when they see your work?
Shetland is a wild and rugged place. The light is beautiful, and the conditions can be harsh. With my images, particularly those taken with a wide-angle lens, which includes the stunning environment, I would like people to feel a sense of awe and grandeur.
What makes you stop and decide that a scene is worth photographing?
The main contributor to me wanting to photograph a scene is whether it excites me or not. However, I’m guilty of photographing specific scenes over and over again, and by doing this, it allows me to try new compositions, different techniques, and also gives me time to work in different weather conditions and lighting.
What has wildlife taught you about paying attention?
To be focused 100% on what’s in front of you and to prepare for the unexpected. For example, otters can be sneaky; you can be doing everything right and have worked for hours to get into the right place however, just one slip in concentration and the otter can easily slip away and be not seen again. It’s vital that you give the animal(s) you’re photographing your full attention, and by doing this, you allow yourself to gain a better understanding of certain types of behaviours, where the favour is to be, and what they’re likely to do next.
What projects are you working on now or having coming up?
At the moment, I am busy working with the seabirds that can be found in Shetland— puffins, gannets, fulmars, and skuas. Gannets are taking up the majority of my time, though, as I have a list of images I’m slowly but surely ticking off. As for the near future, I’ll be looking forward to working in Iceland, photographing Killer Whales with dramatic backgrounds, as well as the birdlife under the midnight sun.
Check out more of Ben’s photography: