The Making of a Nature Photographer

Summary

The text recounts the author's journey to becoming a nature photographer, rooted in a childhood spent exploring the natural world around their home.

Abstract

The author reflects on their upbringing in an environmentally rich home, crediting their parents for instilling a deep appreciation for nature. Despite a lack of enthusiasm for formal education, the author found solace and inspiration in the wetlands and forests at the edge of their property. At the age of 13, driven by a desire to document the natural wonders they encountered, the author began using a toy camera and later graduated to a 35mm camera. The catalyst for this passion was the mysterious night-time call of the Whip-poor-will bird, which led to daily expeditions into the marsh. The author plans to share their experiences as a wildlife photographer through a series of Medium articles, inviting engagement and feedback from readers.

Opinions

The author expresses a strong belief in the importance of their childhood environment in shaping their career path.
They convey a sense of wonder and curiosity about the natural world, which was more captivating than formal schooling.
The author values the act of documentation and storytelling through photography as a means to share the hidden treasures of nature.
There is an underlying appreciation for the role of family, particularly the father's knowledge, in nurturing the author's interest in nature.
The author anticipates that their personal stories and field notes will resonate with and engage an audience on Medium.

The Making of a Nature Photographer

My childhood was blessed.

To begin with, I was fortunate to have been raised by the most wonderful parents in the world. My father made the conscious decision to raise my sister and myself immersed in a environmental haven. Isolated and somewhat shielded from disturbances that may have been happening in the world outside of our small sanctuary.

A place where I had the opportunity to embark on countless explorations to foster my curiosities. A place that served as the gateway to me becoming a nature/wildlife photographer.

Don’t get me wrong. This location brimmed with tales from bygone eras, and my insatiable curiosity drove me to constant research. But the thing that grabbed hold of me the most was Nature and all it’s exquisite details.

School, for me, was ‘just okay.’ It wasn’t particularly thrilling or memorable. Sitting in those rigid school chairs day in and day out, my mind often wandered far from the confines of the classroom.

All I could think about was the moment I would finally get home and sprint down to the wetland area at the base of our property, where I could explore all the mysteries of the hidden natural world. I had to tromp through the peat land bog first, sinking to my knees at times before I could step onto the lush mossy ground of the under-story. Then I would eagerly begin to lift moss-covered rocks and rotten tree stumps peering beneath the time weathered logs to discover the hidden treasures of life that thrived there.

In my mind at that early age of 13, I would think to myself I needed to document what I was seeing. I needed a camera. The only thing I had was a plastic toy camera that I would load with 120 film. It worked for the most part. But the light was limited trying to break through the towering old cypress trees.

So it wasn’t long before I held in my hands a 35mm camera to continue my studies and explore the life around me at every opportunity.

But actually, it wasn’t the idea of living with the wetlands surrounded by a bog on our property. It really all started with a sound I heard at night after going to bed. We left the windows open during the night in our newly built home and a sound would echo through the quiet. I asked my father one night what was that sound coming from the woods. He answered, “it’s the call of the Whip-poor-will bird.”

And so thus began my daily visits to the marsh to locate this intriguing bird with its night time call. A bird I never found.

and so it began…

Most of my articles here on Medium will be Field Notes from my life as a wildlife/bird/nature photographer. I have no idea if anyone will be interested but I will have fun writing about it. These stories are in no particular order. I hope you clap if you like them and comment if you have something to say. It is always nice to hear from readers.