About the Art: Luke Wilkinson

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

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

After finding an active fox den, I spent most of my free time at the den trying to get some nice images of the cubs. This image taken within a few weeks of finding the den. I was spending up to 10 hours a day, waiting for the cubs to appear, this individual suddenly popped his head out for a quick to look to check if it was safe to venture out.

How did you go about getting that shot?

Just being patient and lucky, and putting in the time. Spending as much time outside the den as possible to hopefully get ‘that’ shot.

How long did you have to wait for this shot?

I was spending up to 10 hours a day at the den, and spent around 5 months focusing on this one project. It was a huge privilege to watch the cubs grow from just a few weeks old to sub adult foxes.

Did you use any particular equipment or software?

I used a Nikon d4 with a 500mm lens plus a 1.4 teleconverter. I used lightroom to process the image.

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

obviously I love photographing foxes, they are so entertaining to watch. I also like spending my time with grey seals on my local beach. Heading to the beach in the dark and watching the sunrise with just myself and the seals is magical. I like to try and create more unique images of my subjects, so they stand out of the crowd more. They take more time to get and plenty of failed attempts but the end results make it worth it.

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

Just trying to stand out from the crowd. Photography is very popular, so it’s best to try and be that little bit different from everybody.

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

To hopefully inspire people to get outside and to see wildlife for themselves. If people stop and look for a few moments there is Wildlife all around us.

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

I’ve been into photography for about 5/6 years. Only bought a DSLR for a holiday to get some nice ‘snaps’ However always been interested in Wildlife from a young age, so in the end decided to take that route as I found it the most rewarding form of photography for myself.

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

Get out and use the camera as much as possible. Don’t be afraid to try different things. The more you use the camera the more you learn. Try and get low and at eye level to your subject to make a more personal image.

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

over the next few months I will be spending most of my time down the beach working on grey seal pups. Have been working with them for many years now, so will be aiming to add a few different images into my portfolio. I’ve also got a few weeks up Scotland focusing entirely on mountain hare. Love being up north, just hoping for a decent amount of snow this year.

Facebook – https://m.facebook.com/lukewilkinsonphoto/

Instagram – @Lukewilkinson_photography