It’s Not As Easy As It Looks
by Andy Fawthrop
The Devizes Arts Festival continued on a very wet Market Day this Thursday, and continues to throw up some real little gems. Here was another piece of interesting and imaginative programming from the committee…..
If you’ve ever watched a David Attenborough wildlife programme, or read about some of the campaigns of the RSPB, or the National Trust, or marvelled at the wildlife photography in the National Geographic, or even Wiltshire Life, there’s a reasonable chance that at some point Nick Upton was working behind the scenes on one of those projects. His work, which he showed us many examples of during his talk, and the well-stocked merch desk in the foyer, were great examples of the skill of this man.
Nick let us in on many of the difficulties and challenges in his line of work, and many of them were not related to mere simple technical stuff, such as which lens he might need to use, or about the quality of the light, but more about working in some extremely difficult physical and climactic conditions, extreme weather changes, being attacked by insects such as bees, wasps and hornets (and some bigger stuff too!), having to work with local indigenous people (and I don’t mean folks from TrowVegas or The Sham), but also having to cope with potential diseases, bites, droppings and things that could be considered seriously injurious to health.
We also got an insight into the many tools and techniques required – not just the amazing whizz-bang range of camera goodies, but all the associated non-camera items: drones, hides, tubes, camouflage, hard hats, periscopes, GPS tracking, motion and heat sensors, infra-red equipment and helicopters. And even that lot was never enough to secure great pictures – you still needed a lot of prior research (migration paths, animal behaviour patterns), a massive amount of patience and ability to soak up personal discomfort, and sometimes just a bit of luck.
On top of all that, some creatures apparently have the temerity to be vanishingly rare, or are very camera-shy, live nocturnally, move extremely fast, or are incredibly tiny. How very dare they? Clearly, this is not a job for the faint-hearted.
This talk was a great sweep across Nick’s career over 40 years, and covering over 30 countries, but it illustrated not only the man’s undoubted technical and related skills, but also his obvious passion for nature, especially those projects closer to home in the UK. These included working with hedgehogs, harvest mice, dormice and the re-introduction programmes of cranes, great bustards, otters and beavers.
It’s no wonder he’s won so many photography awards, and had so many pictures published and syndicated in many countries. Packing all that little lot (including hundreds of great photos) into just 55 minutes was no mean feat, so it was quite a fast canter. But Nick really came alive once he was off-script and responding to questions at the end of the session from the packed audience.
A really wonderful, and truly fascinating, topic for a Thursday lunchtime. Great stuff. Well done Nick, and well done DAF for booking him!
Meanwhile the rest of The Devizes Arts Festival continues until the night of Sunday 14th June at various venues around the town. Tickets can be booked at Devizes Books or online at www.devizesartsfestival.org.uk
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