About the Art: Lucien Harris

We spoke to Lucien Harris as part of our ongoing interview series with nature and wildlife photographers.

Can you tell us the story behind your photo in this exhibition?

I was walking through a field in Cornwall and I spotted a dead tree. I noticed there were tiny bore holes all over it and wondered what had made them. After a while I noticed a tiny wasp land and crawl inside. Lucky I had my camera with me and I thought Id wait for it to re-emerge so I could get a clear photo of its face. After a while it did and it just sat looking at me for just enough time to get the shot.

How did you go about getting that shot?

I didn’t have a tripod so I used twin flashes with diffusers I made in order to light up the scene. I wait around 20 minutes to achieve this photo.

Did you use any particular equipment or software?

I used a 105mm macro lens with a 1.4 teleconverter and two twin flashes with homemade light diffusers.

What are your favourite scenes, species or motivations behind your photographs?

I love capturing the unseen so macro is perfect as there are so many mini beasts that no many people get the chance to see.

What are the difficulties of wildlife and nature photography that you face?

Timing, weather ,especially the wind. With macro a slight breeze can turn a good shot into a blurry mess very quickly.

What would you like people to think about when they see your work?

About the diversity of British wildlife and how we can keep it all safe for future generations.

How long have you been a photographer and how did you get started?

I’ve been a photographer for 10 years. I started off shooting photos of skateboarding but when I went travelling I noticed all the amazing wildlife and really wanted to capture it for memories when I got home.

What would you advise someone wanting to start taking photos of wildlife or nature in their local environment?

It doesn’t matter about equipment. Just be patient and concentrate on the composure of the photograph.

What projects are you working on now or have coming up?

I’m working on a calendar of British bugs which involves local illustrators as well.

Twitter – illumophot

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IllumoPhotography/

Instagram – illumo_wildlife