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I’m probably not the only one that comes up against this problem but how do you get a wildlife photography project up and running? I find I have a few ideas going through my head, from the subject and types of images I’d like to take. Often they don’t get beyond the preliminary planning stage (I find I have difficulty in finding who to ask or asking them if I could access private areas) and are often over before they really start because they don’t work out as planned.
Take an idea I had before Christmas whilst sitting in a coffee shop (Xmas shopping break). I was looking out of the window watching a bird look around the outside seating area for food scraps. It came to me that it would make a great image especially with out of focus Christmas lights in the background. I went back a few times over Christmas but just found it didn’t work out because either too many people or a lack of birds! I’ve since seen someone else have the same idea and seen the photos they got which are excellent, it now feels like something not to do as it’s already been done and would look like I was plagiarising their idea.
I found I’m not used to photographing in such public locations either, getting a camera out was quite a difficult thing to do. There’s only so much time you can spend hanging around in a public place or with a camera before people start getting suspicious of you. Some places like London parks a much easier place to do that than a park in my local area.
I’ve had an idea for a species project for a few years now but I don’t know where to start with it because accessibility and finding good locations for the species is the biggest stumbling block. How do you go about finding out more about exactly where a species is located in an area or is it just a case of scoping area after area hoping to get lucky?
I think I’d like to do more urban wildlife, if I could get over taking a camera out safely in a public place, as it feels like it should be more accessible. The problem is I don’t have the first idea how to start or should that be where to go safely with expensive camera gear. I guess the biggest stumbling block is me. The fear of failing whilst wasting a lot of time getting nothing or putting myself at risk trying to get a photo. I previously loved spending time on a project as I don’t want to visit paid for hires or me rushing from one honeypot to another. I find projects are quite personal and I can get something that feels more mine and something I’ve worked for.
I’m guessing others have felt the same previously, I was just wondering how others have got over their problems?
Take an idea I had before Christmas whilst sitting in a coffee shop (Xmas shopping break). I was looking out of the window watching a bird look around the outside seating area for food scraps. It came to me that it would make a great image especially with out of focus Christmas lights in the background. I went back a few times over Christmas but just found it didn’t work out because either too many people or a lack of birds! I’ve since seen someone else have the same idea and seen the photos they got which are excellent, it now feels like something not to do as it’s already been done and would look like I was plagiarising their idea.
I found I’m not used to photographing in such public locations either, getting a camera out was quite a difficult thing to do. There’s only so much time you can spend hanging around in a public place or with a camera before people start getting suspicious of you. Some places like London parks a much easier place to do that than a park in my local area.
I’ve had an idea for a species project for a few years now but I don’t know where to start with it because accessibility and finding good locations for the species is the biggest stumbling block. How do you go about finding out more about exactly where a species is located in an area or is it just a case of scoping area after area hoping to get lucky?
I think I’d like to do more urban wildlife, if I could get over taking a camera out safely in a public place, as it feels like it should be more accessible. The problem is I don’t have the first idea how to start or should that be where to go safely with expensive camera gear. I guess the biggest stumbling block is me. The fear of failing whilst wasting a lot of time getting nothing or putting myself at risk trying to get a photo. I previously loved spending time on a project as I don’t want to visit paid for hires or me rushing from one honeypot to another. I find projects are quite personal and I can get something that feels more mine and something I’ve worked for.
I’m guessing others have felt the same previously, I was just wondering how others have got over their problems?