I’ve been interested in nature and especially birdwatching for a while now. About 15 years ago I was walking Bute Park in Cardiff when I saw a green woodpecker. I had no idea what I saw, nor that it was quite special. At college a friend of mine, who was a birdwatcher, was saying that he was trying to find a green woodpecker which he heard was flying around Bute Park. I told him I think I saw that the other day. He was amazed. We went looking for it together and there was born a life-long love of ornithology.
As my interests have grown, so has my interest in photography. I love nature. It helps me prayerfully, and therefore everything else falls into place. For me, nature is a place I feel close to God. As I understand more about nature and science of nature, the more I understand about God’s creation and our vocation to be stewards of the earth.
But why photography? There have been so many times I’ve wanted to capture a beautiful moment caught in nature. Like a musician taking to manuscript, or a poet picking up a pen, or an artist picking up a brush, so is a nature lover with a camera. I thought I’d be fine with my phone camera. Phone cameras are so advance these days, but fiddly. The amount of times there’s been a perfect shot with some great crested grebes or a woodpecker at a feeder in my garden and I’ve gone for my phone, only to have to enter my password, open my camera app, cancel my push notifications and then find the bird has moved or flown off.
I’ve never taken photography seriously before, and have no idea what I’m doing. So I’ve gone with a Canon DSLR 2000D. I bet there are loads who have told me I’ve made the wrong choice, but money and availability wise, I feel this is a good entry level camera. I’ve ordered a 75-300mm lens, which I’ve been told is also a good beginner lens for nature and wildlife photography.
I’ve had a go with it so far, taking pictures of family and trying with some wildlife. I wish wildlife would stay still!