News
Wildlife Photographer - a course in creative photography
July 2011
With a mighty sense of relief, I recently delivered
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the manuscript for my next book to my publisher Frances Lincoln. It’s been a long time coming. I have long felt that there is a gap in the market for a book about the ideas and creative aspects of wildlife photography, rather than yet another manual of numbers and formulae. But it’s taken a lot of research and hard work, so not as quick to publication as I would have liked. Anyway, we now have a scheduled publication date of 26 January 2012 (yes, I know – too bad you can’t put it on your Christmas list), at a retail price of £25.
The book includes sections on fieldcraft, lighting and composition, creative development, story-telling, shooting for conservation, and ethics. All of this is backed up with a series of sixteen case studies from my own portfolio, 140 (stunning!) photographs, and some suggested practical exercises. Most definitely not a “techy” book, though where necessary I’ve included breakout sections with appropriate reference material. More left brain than right. For the discerning nature photographer, like yourself. I hope it hits the spot.
2020VISION: Follow the blog
May 2011
The 2020VISION project is now well under way, with our team of 20 photographers actively working on their personal commissions and iWitness assignments all over the UK. To follow the latest inside news and see some of the work being produced, keep up with the dedicated blog. Although I've been reluctant to start my own blog so far, I am very happy to contribute to this one. Some fascinating behind-the-scenes accounts from the 2020 photographers.
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Yellow wagtail in a cloud of dung flies ©Chris Gomersall/2020VISION
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2020VISION: The Big New Photography Project!
April 2010
April sees the launch of 2020VISION, Britain’s most ambitious photography-based conservation initiative ever! 20 of the country’s top wildlife and nature photographers have, for the first time, come together with leading conservation partners to document the value of restoring Britain’s battered ecosystems. Over the course of 20 months, the 2020 Phototeam will carry out 20 flagship assignments, which demonstrate the link between healthy ecosystems and healthy people.
Peter Cairns, 2020VISION’s coordinator and one of its photographers said: “Ecosystem thinking is something that is now prevalent in the scientific community, but the value of a wilder Britain, where ecosystems function as they should, has not yet been imaginatively communicated to a mainstream audience. This project bridges that gap using the motivational language of great photography, a language in which everyone can find relevance. Our aim is to take ecosystem thinking to a new level and a new audience. It’s about making nature cool.”
The Phototeam, which includes top shooters Chris Packham, Joe Cornish and Andy Rouse, will be joined by videographers and sound recordists, and will visit key locations throughout Britain, from the ancient Scottish pine forests to the suburban garden pond. The assignments focus on habitats that are being restored or re-connected, not only for the benefit of the wildlife species that live there, but for people too. The thousands of images generated from these assignments will then be woven into compelling narratives and presented in innovative ways that will reach far beyond ‘the conservation converted’.
Chris Gomersall, one of the project’s management team, said: “2020VISION will answer the question often asked about nature: What’s in it for me? Our photographers are not only amongst the most talented and creative in the country, they are committed to working together to show that a healthy natural world is something we all depend upon – we just don’t always realise it!”
2020VISION is backed by IUCN-UK and will be launched officially at a landmark conference in Edinburgh on April 19, attended by many of Europe’s top conservationists and policy makers.
Read more, and follow the progress of this ambitious project through the dedicated website.
Wildlife Photography Masterclass DVD
August 2009
Check out this new educational video production "A Beginner's Guide to Wildlife Photography" featuring David Tipling and myself as co-presenters.
Does what it says on the tin. Available now for only £19.95 from Go Wild TV.
Wow! Before you take another single nature photograph, watch Wildlife Photography Master Class! Chris Gomersall and David Tipling are photographic masters who share their decades of experience in this incredible new DVD. I only wish I'd had this DVD and all its excellent content, tips, and techniques years ago, before I started taking wildlife photographs. Imagine all the needless frustration I could have avoided! This DVD will set you on the path to taking the wildlife photos you've always dreamt of taking!
Bill Thompson III
Editor, Bird Watcher's Digest
Go Wild with your Camera
November 2007
This month sees the release of a fantastic new educational DVD "Go Wild with your Camera" in which I appear as a co-presenter together with fellow professional wildlife photographers Peter Cairns and Mark Hamblin. With more than two and a half hours of video content, and dealing with subjects as diverse as birds, mammals, amphibians, invertebrates and landscapes, this makes a very comprehensive tutorial for the aspiring wildlife photographer. All of the case studies feature native British species photographed in the wild, and there are additional special features such as a Jargon Buster and a Pixel to Print section to help you through the basics of digital photography. This two DVD set is filmed and produced by Andy Langley of Go Wild TV, and retails at £19.95 plus P&P. You can learn more, view a trailer, and order your copy now from Go Wild TV.
Top awards!
October 2007
I am thrilled to have been selected as the overall winner in the GDT's European Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition for 2007. My photograph titled "Fluidity" of a knot roost at RSPB's Snettisham reserve in Norfolk was chosen from nearly 9000 photographs by 573 photographers from 26 European countries. Results were announced at the International Nature Photography Festival in Lünen, Germany, on Saturday 27th October and I was very happy to attend to collect this prestigious award in person. More information and a gallery of all the winning photographs can be found here.
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"Fluidity"
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"Chinstrap slide" |
In addition, I also had another photograph of a chinstrap penguin "highly commended" in the "Animal Behaviour: Birds" category of the Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2007, representing my sixth award in this contest since 1989.
Further details here.
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October 2005
I am proud to have acted as art editor and photographer-in-chief on this exciting new book by Mark Cocker. Published by Chatto & Windus of London in September 2005, this comprehensive publication is a long-awaited, worthy stablemate to Richard Mabey’s “Flora Britannica.” The book explores how birds have penetrated British culture, with examples from literature and the arts, folklore, traditions and our everyday lives. A staggering 27,000 copies were sold in the first month of publication! Available now, for £35 or less.
A sample of new photographs shot specially for this project can be seen here.
The book's photographs are amazing - the picture of an eider resting in a bubbling surf is worth the cover price alone. (Daily Express)
The great delight of my year; the book that made me feel I'd waiting for it all my life, is the magnificently produced and completely enthralling Birds Britannica. (Andrew Motion, in The Guardian)
“Photographing Wild Birds”
October 2005
Photographing Wild Birds continues to sell well at home and abroad, drawing favourable comments and enquiries from as far afield as India, Sri Lanka and South Africa. A Spanish language edition was published recently by Náyade Producciones SL. A paperback edition was released in the UK in May 2005, at £14.99.