Always take your camera?

Diving gannets and a spectacular sunrise

In travel and wildlife photography, there is no shortage of advice on how to get the best results but simply taking a camera is a good start!

That can include when you have no particular aim in mind and Tuesday last week provided a good example when, following a last minute change of plan, we stopped off in North Berwick; a traditional seaside town in southeast Scotland set against the backdrop of spectacular Berwick Law, a pyramid shaped hill visible for miles around.

Many people visit for the beaches, cafes and independent shops but the town is also known for the Scottish Seabird Centre and as a setting off point for trips to Bass Rock, a remarkable volcanic plug rising more than a hundred metres from the Firth of Forth. During summer this is home to the UK’s largest population of gannets, which are also our largest species of seabird with wingspans of up to two metres. Sir David Attenborough is said to have called Bass Rock ‘One of the 12 wildlife wonders of the world.’

It was too late for a boat trip so we decided to walk to a headland nearby, relieved to see that despite recent outbreaks of avian flu the rock was covered in the white dots of nesting gannets, with the tiny specks of soaring birds visible high overhead.

This was interesting to see but the distance and flat evening light didn’t make for great photography and when it started to rain we turned back. However, back near the harbour the clouds opened briefly, allowing the sun to shine like a spotlight directly onto Bass Rock, giving one of those snap-happy photographic moments you don’t expect.

Bass Rock in evening sunshine; the white dots are nesting gannets

Soon things got even better as several gannets started fishing directly offshore. GPS tracking has shown that they often travel a hundred kilometres or more in search of prey so to have such a grandstand view was a real privilege.

Gannets are plunge-divers with several adaptations to help them survive the 60mph or so impact, including bony tissues in the skull that act like a crash helmet and air sacs to help cushion the blow. After watching them gliding back and forth it soon became easy to spot those about to dive as they would climb slightly first, before making a steep turn into the descent.

Keeping wings outstretched for precision control they would then pull them in at seemingly the last possible moment, followed by a satisfyingly large splash on entering the water. I managed to photograph several dive sequences such as the montage below.

A montage of three shots of a diving gannet from the initial dive to just above the water surface; the bird below is flying off after its own fishing attempt

That was one fortuitous photographic excursion and last week’s summer solstice reminded me of another, when having watched a supermoon setting (as you do?) on a whim I took a short diversion to the local beach for the pleasingly symmetrical sight of seeing the sun rise on the opposite horizon. I obviously wasn’t the only person who thought it worth the early start and there were a couple of other photographers at the shore and a paddleboarder waiting far out in the bay.

Even before the sun appeared, the sky turned a spectacular orange and I took the photo below just as it appeared above the horizon. Valuing my eyesight, I’m really careful about not looking at the sun at any time of day so immediately looked away and framed the shot on the screen on the back of the camera.*

A paddleboarder admiring the rising sun at about 0545 one August morning

So that’s a few examples of photographing the unexpected, or of opportunistic photography as it is sometimes called. Having the right kit helps and a couple of years ago I bought a lightweight sling bag from Think Tank just big enough to carry a zoom lens, wider angle lens and camera, which has encouraged me to take them out more often. Smartphone and compact cameras also seem to get better at every iteration, providing another route into lightweight photography.

Nowadays I rarely take a tripod except for tricky subjects like meteors, but do sometime carry a lightweight GorillaPod – a strange-looking but effective camera support with flexible legs that you can set up on the roughest of surfaces or wrap around a convenient fence post or similar.

* Take care if doing this as advice seems to be that photographing the sun can potentially also damage your camera … look online for some interesting discussions of the risks

Further reading

From the author

Spectacular Britain: A spotter's guide to the UK’s most amazing natural phenomena, Bloomsbury, for more insights on places to see seabirds and their nesting and feeding behaviour

General

Scottish Seabird Centre: a great place to visit to learn more about seabirds, marine life and wildlife conservation and for boat trips to Bass Rock