Exotic Wildlife Photography
Sheila Davies DPAGB gave a fascinating evening about Wildlife Photography on Tuesday 26 January. She went into considerable detail about the initial preparation. which, she felt, was the secret of a successful trip. This preparation included techniques for keeping your camera dry (Suitable see-through plastic bags – and Silica Gel sachets), a lightweight polystyrene (home-made) bean bag (Tripods are rarely an advantage when they have to be carried along with other gear in difficult terrain), a mini laptop for storing and viewing images, and several 2Gb cards. She also carried a xenon torch and a head torch for nightwork. In some places dirty money could transmit diseases and so Wet Wipes were useful. A self-supporting mosquito net was also very handy; and she noted that clothing should be dark and capable of covering the whole body. Booking the right trip was an obvious starter. She preferred small groups with a properly trained leader, and the use of two trekking poles assisted moving about in rough country
In a series of AV’s she took us to Uganda to see Hippos and great Apes. On an Island it was the people who stayed in the cages with Chimps posing outside to have their pictures taken. Although one should keep at least twenty yards from the Mountain Gorilla in order not to pass our germs onto them, on occasion they came closer out of curiosity. After refreshments, we were shown a green Africa; Zambia in the wet season, visiting the South Luonga National Park. Then South America (A Long Way Up) up to 16,000 feet in Argentina, where there were huge grasshoppers along with cattle and their drivers. A 12 minute AV of Alaska North, was followed by a 321 entitled Out Of the Blue. The 321 referred to 3mins 21 secs maximum length and was entered into an international competition where it did well. Since it was to be passed around an international panel of judges there was no spoken commentary; just Bears fishing, Whales, and the crunching sounds (and sight) of Icebergs
A 15 minute AV about Madagascar was entitled “A World of their Own". Sheila enthused about this Island, with its unique fauna and flora and noted that it should be the first on the list for anyone seeking an exotic holiday. Her final AV had won many awards and was entitled “Arthur’s Secret” In 1942 Arthur had married Barbara quickly before leaving for overseas during the War. He became a Prisoner of War. In the prison camp, although it was forbidden, a fellow prisoner made sketches of the life there, and distributed the results (on scraps of paper) to several of the prisoners, to hide from the Japanese. Arthur returned home (though one in three died in the camps) and lived to be 75 years before dying in 1990. leaving his wife and a son. Twelve years after his death Barbara discovered his Log and some of the drawings. These were the basis of this final AV. Sheila had married the Son!
Joyce Street proposed the Vote of Thanks. It had been a marvelous evening, and Joyce felt quite envious of Sheila’s travels and of the resulting images. There were so many images of creature we had never seen before. Spontaneous applause from the audience echoed these sentiments.