13/02/2025
I can’t remember a time in my life that I did not own a camera, my first camera was a Kodak Six-20, my father would buy me film from the local Pharmacy, was normally ASA100 Kodak film. At that time there were not many publications around on photography and what there was in the public library did not make much sense to me at that age.
Many years have passed, life has changed and technology has become science fiction compared to what we once knew, I remember clearly thinking the days of digital photography would not last and soon we would be back to film, now I wonder if I could even load a roll on my trusty Pentax MZ50.
Although my photography disciplines cover almost all aspects of the art, my passion is nature and wild life, I think that is because of my up-bringing in a rather rural and remote part of South Africa where I would spend much of my leisure time in the wild.
The time spent observing nature, studying animal habits and eventually formal training gave me insight that is invaluable in achieving the ultimate nature photography goal, yet I have not achieved this. It is elusive and the goal posts change constantly. One thing for sure, I have never stopped learning, and have learnt how to learn.
Besides understanding the technical aspects of your camera and knowing how to compose the shot in the wild, there is one fundamental requirement for a good shot, and this has nothing to do with your knowledge or technical ability, it is rather simple concept. You need to be there!
Paul Luff