Wild eyes on the photography prize
Andrew Beck suggests to overexpose the shot by at least two stops. It is early morning on a river between Namibia and Botswana, and the perching bird is against the light sky.
He makes some more suggestions before the camera shutters click.
Andrew is a professional photographic guide with Wild Eye in Africa. I watch him over two days and join him and his clients on shoots - he's an excellent, knowledgeable coach who has the knack of explaining calmly and clearly; of simplifying the complex and gently guiding his students to new skill levels.
Wild Eye is based in Johannesburg - our first stop in Africa on South African Airlines' daily flights from Perth.
It specialises in African photo safaris, photographic coaching and training, and equipment hire. It's an interesting idea to hire, for example, a big lens there to take on safari.
It is an equally interesting idea for those keen either to improve their photographic skills, or specifically to get good pictures during their African travel, to spend the first few days on a photo safari with Wild Eye, before setting off for the wider horizons of Africa.
"I give people practical experience - the main focus is photographic safari," Andrew says.
Wild Eye has a dedicated photographic boat on the Chobe River, which forms the border between Botswana and Namibia. Clients stay with their photographic coach on a houseboat on the river and then venture out on their purpose- designed photographic boat, which is stable, fully shaded and has swinging seats, each with an aluminium camera stand which Wild Eye has designed and had made and installed.
Then there's an emphasis on putting the boat in the right place to give the best angle and best light, then perhaps just letting it drift in towards the subject in silence.
"Chobe has always been a great destination for photography," Andrew says. "Animals always approach the river head-on to drink. "Everything comes to the river to drink and there's the soft light from the north in winter."
The bank is often lined with big herds of elephants, buffalo and impala, and birdlife is many and varied.
Wild Eye suggests four-night packages at Chobe and all meals and drinks are included.
Photo safaris cater for all levels of photographic skill and there is a maximum of six guests to each photographic guide.
"We are trying to get people both to enjoy it and grow their photographic experience," Andrew explains.
Andrew and Deb Wedderburn- Maxwell, from Durban in South Africa, are with Andrew Beck on the river. Everyone is keen to be out early for dawn light, to focus on different skills on each foray, to concentrate and develop.
And the Wedderburn-Maxwells are clearly pleased with both the coaching and Andrew's amiable and professional company.
After shooting, Andrew Beck downloads images into his Apple Mac laptop and then carefully works images in Adobe Lightroom, explaining each step in managing and gently improving the pictures - "Ease up 'Recovery' in the Exposure setting and you see how you are getting detail in this bird's white feathers . . ." He has a good, clear manner, not complicating things. Colour channels, layers . . . all become clear.
But Andrew Wedderburn- Maxwell is shooting splendid images on this the 50th birthday gift that Deb has sourced and arranged for him.
And what better gift than developing and improving your point of view, in every sense.
FACT FILE
Andrew Beck is at Wild Eye in Johannesburg, South Africa. Email andrew@wild-eye.co.za, visit wild-eye.co.za or phone 010 591 0205 (Johannesburg is six hours behind WA).
As an example, a photographic safari at Chobe River with Andrew from July 9-14 is 21,950 rand ($2320) per person, sharing. It includes accommodation in a combination of a five-star lodge and houseboat, a dedicated photographic boat, small group, tuition and all meals. Booking at wild-eye.co.za.
As a second example, its four-night 2014 Kruger Photo Safari in South Africa is from July 2-6 and is 14,500 rand per person, on a single basis. That includes luxury accommodation (single basis), access to Kruger National Park, all meals, activities and targeting Africa's Big Five wildlife animals, hippos and crocodiles in the Crocodile River, Lebombo Mountains, and photographing game drinking from Mpanamana Dam. And, of course, it will be in a small group with travel photographer Kerry de Bruyn. Book at wild-eye.co.za.
