This week, in a joint Zoom talk hosted by Beeslack Penicuik Camera Club, wildlife photographer Tesni Ward told us about her experiences in wildlife photography. Tesni is based in Sheffield. She first took up photography in her childhood as a way of encouraging her father to spend less time setting up photographs in a theme park and more time taking her on the rides! Her interest in wildlife photography began with a photographic holiday to Alaska, where she had the opportunity to see bears in their natural habitat. Her trip was spoiled when her main telephoto lens was damaged in flight. She saw other photographers taking superb clear shots while she ended up deleting hundreds of blurred attempts, and vowed never to be caught out by substandard equipment again. She learned from her experience with a damaged lens not to rely solely on long-distance telephoto shots. Tensi now takes shots at all focal lengths, with her wide angle shots taken after days of patiently getting to know her subjects and winning their trust. Tesni became a professional wildlife photographer when she was made redundant from her job, coincidentally just after buying new equipment and booking an African wildlife safari. A conversation with another photography on the trip convinced her to take the opportunity to change career and make a living from what she loves doing.

Tesni treated us to a breathtaking slide show of her photographs; ranging from her early shots of bears in Alaska, her photographs of big cats on her African safari, her shots of pelicans and coypu on a trip to Greece, and mountain hares, pelicans and seabirds closer to home. Each image came with a story of how Tensi had waited for hours for the light to improve, or how she had crawled over frozen mud to get to the correct spot. Other photographers sometimes laughed at her tenacity, but she eventually achieved the shot she wanted. A selection of these images can be seen in Tesni’s gallery (below).

During the tea break we had the opportunity to find a bird hiding amongst a photograph of jumbled rocks. Although several members could identify something strange in one part of the frame, it was Mike Clark who managed to home in on the exact spot. Well done Mike.

Tensi encouraged us all to try wildlife photography. You can check her web site to find out more about her workshops. She encouraged us not to be snobbish about the subjects. Shots of geese, ducks and pigeons are just as important as shots of pelicans and swans, as these creatures are just as important to their environment and might one day become rarer. All in all it was a very enjoyable and entertaining talk. Tensi showed us all just what can be achieved with a little determination and tenacity.

Next Thursday, 6th October 2022, Doug Bernt will be judging our Digital Projected Images competition. George Todd will also be collecting prints for the Colour Print competition. Please bring along your 3 mounted prints, if you haven’t already given them to George.

See you there,

Steven