Rambling Reminiscences

I am often asked whether, at heart, I am a Wildlife Specialist with an interest in Photography or a Photographer with an interest in Wildlife? In truth I do not really know the answer but suspect that it is a blending of the two.

Certainly my involvement with Wildlife began many years before I picked up a camera with serious intent. Much of my life had been spent working with, and surrounded by, Wildlife in a myriad of forms and settings before ever I started to photograph it.

My father was an ardent photographer and bought me a small bellows camera, which I remember well from when I was but a boy just trying to keep up with Dad. I had no strong propensity to Photography in those days but it did, nevertheless, give me an early introduction to the mysteries of taking pictures. No doubt I also probably picked up some basic techniques tho’, at the time, I was not aware of having embarked on a career that would catch up with me later in my life.

We all come into this vocation for different reasons. Some drift in by accident and some come in by intent. Personally my entire life, both as boy and man, has been dominated, and its course dictated, by an almost obsessive interest in Wildlife. Whilst that interest has manifested itself in various ways over the years I must say that, for all its ups and downs, I find my current expression of that interest ie: Wildlife Photography, the most gratifying of them all.

I had the great good fortune to be a boy in the days when you could build dens in the woods, scrump apples with only the threat of a thick ear if you were caught, collect birds’ eggs and pin butterflies on a board. I make no apologies for this part of my growing up since, in those days, these were all normal activities for boys with an affinity for, and access to, the countryside. The long term benefits of these, and associated pastimes, was that it forced me to develop a sense of “Wildlife Awareness” without which most of the activities concerned would have been doomed to failure.

I progressed through a teenage period of “hunting, shooting and fishing” and finally found myself reading Dentistry in a South African University.

I parted company with my teens and gun hunting more or less simultaneously and my Wildlife interest continued on a Game Viewing and studying basis. University proved to be an inconvenience and I parted company with that as well. My sojourns through the ensuing years have been well documented elsewhere but, suffice to say, Wildlife reigned supreme along the way.

It is an undeniable fact that Homo Sapiens, in all his glory, was designed as a “Hunter Gatherer”. If you substitute “collector” for “gatherer” then as “Hunter Collectors” I think you may well have the two prime instigating factors that prompt us to follow this interest. However politically incorrect and antisocial it may appear to be in the modern sanitised world in which we live the concept of “Man the Hunter” is not a joke but an expression of our fundamental origins. I have “hunted” both with weapons in my youth and with cameras in my adulthood and, in my opinion, Wildlife Photography is merely a modern day exercising, albeit in what we have come to regard as a more “civilised” fashion, of that primeval hunting instinct that is present in many more of us than would care to admit it.

Most of us live in a structured society where our food is mainly grown, bred or gathered by someone else and supplied in a tin, packet or plastic bag without us, as individuals, having to contend with the messy, and often bloody, processes that are involved. In that kind of background and devoid of any intimate contact with, or true understanding of, nature, it is easy for some to form and express misconceived and highfalutin quasi-green or conservation ideals that can be sustained and promulgated only because of the society in which we live. Marooned on a desert island I suspect we would all adopt a somewhat different set of priorities!

There is no doubt that, as Wildlife Photographers, we are privileged to observe “wild living” as it really is and you will often find your consequently more informed outlook on the realities of life at odds with those “lesser mortals” who do not share your interests. Draw satisfaction from the fact that, due to your cocooned and cloistered background, your objective is to observe and record and you do not, yourself, have to kill. At the same time, however, do not deny your Wildlife subjects the right to do so or think any the less of them because of it.

There are those who maintain that our “higher intellect” sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. I would submit that is true only in that it has given us a degree of dominance and the power of reason. The idea that higher intellect and lofty ideals are peas from the same pod, however, is a somewhat misguided notion. The “lofty ideals” would be the first thing “out the window” in that desert island setting that I mentioned above and the “higher intellect” would only be used to help us win the game of “survival of the fittest” that would be forced upon us.

As Wildlife Photographers you will be confronted by, and have to come to terms with, a more realistic view of life and death than is afforded the man in the street. Most of your subjects will live in environments where “kill or be killed” is the order of the day. Whatever direction your interest takes you, be it either the plant or the animal kingdom, the struggles in the hunt for food, to eliminate competition or to win a mate, are often to the death. From an observer’s point of view the animal kingdom usually provides the messier and more gory spectacles but the struggles in the plant world are no less intense. It is, of course, difficult to become emotionally overwrought from watching one plant shading out all its neighbours or a strangler fig gradually killing off its supporting victim. However, watching a Big Cat killing some other animal’s newborn offspring or seeing Wolves or Wild Dogs start eating often still living prey can mount a heck of an assault on your own sentiments and sensitivities. It is often very difficult to adopt a dispassionate view of the whole spectrum of wild life and death but it is really just a question of degree. Most people could happily watch a Spider catch and kill a Fly, or see a Thrush battering a Slug or Snail to death, and not bat an eyelid, and that is the kind of attitude to which you will often find you need to aspire to avoid continual heartache.

Try not to be selective in your sentiments. Easier said than done, it is true, but necessary nevertheless. Generally speaking the non-photographing public take against the “bloodletter” in favour of the “victim” without stopping to think that the Big Cat, in killing the “Fawn” is only, after all, being a Big Cat and no doubt trying to feed its own young. Very few wild animals kill just for the hell of it. Most anyone will agree that Big Cat cubs are cute, cuddly and loveable and then promptly put blinkers on when it comes to the feeding of them.

I well remember an instance, when I had my Zoo, involving the Otters. These were diurnal by nature and so had to be fed during daylight. In summer this was normally done after closing time since there were often some hours of daylight left, especially in high summer. In winter, however, it was necessary to feed during opening hours. The Otters needed a varied diet and I was, one day, confronted by an irate parent absolutely incensed that dead chicks formed part of that diet and shouldn’t be allowed to be seen. That those chicks were the humanely killed male by product of a hatchery producing laying hens to provide his family’s breakfast eggs and that, on prompting, he admitted to often stopping off at a Kentucky Fried Chicken with his family on the way home didn’t seem to enter the equation. You would think (or future generations will) that chickens hatch out “oven ready” and wearing the plastic bags they are normally sold in rather than feathers!

There could probably be a never ending debate on the degree of sanitising that should be carried out in showing the Wildlife World to the general public. Many T.V. programmes edit out the “gooey” bits before screening. I agree that there should be no need for gratuitous gore but I often feel a more realistic presentation could only be but educational.

Many Zoo animals, particularly Reptiles, have to be specially trained to eat dead food. This is not always easy and can lead to the death of the animal concerned. Again it seems to be a question of degree. It would appear to be O.K. to feed a pet Gecko with live crickets but not so O.K. to feed a Python with a live rat or mouse. I well remember several years ago visiting a Reptile House in a Zoo in the days when live feeding was not only the norm but was announced on a notice board of feeding times. A crowd had gathered in front of a Boa Constrictor’s pen where it was being presented with a rat. In front of me were a couple and I can hear his words to this day – “Ugh, that’s disgusting, shouldn’t be allowed. For Pete’s sake dear move your head out of the way, I can’t see!” I am neither condoning nor advocating a return to the practices of those days, since time and perceptions have moved on, but on the hypocrisy front – I rest my case! Well not quite - because a picture of live crabs and lobsters on a fishmonger’s slab, with their claws elastic band bound and awaiting their “higher intellect” purchasers, comes to mind. Still I expect they’ll be bought for release out to sea don’t you?

For myself my initial forays into the world of serious photography were based around Flowering Plants and Invertebrates. This diversification of my previous Wildlife interests was primarily instigated by a move to Spain after a particularly troublesome and wearying period in life’s rich tapestry. I thought that I was retiring to the sun – something I have done on more than one occasion, each time completely overlooking potential increases in the Cost of Living, and ignoring my innate ability and propensity to lose that which I have periodically gained, on whims and flights of fancy! (My article entitled “Castell de Castells” gives a little insight into this period)

Initially my photography was just an extension to my existing interest and was intended to provide photographic records for myself and material to facilitate my gradual switch from straight lecturing to the giving of illustrated talks and slideshows.

If success in that field can be judged merely by volume of bookings then these proved to be highly successful. Over a period of some years the numbers increased to the extent that I was giving 6/7 talks a week – often 2 in a day. This phase in my photographic development really gave me a sense of purpose and great satisfaction but, inevitably, it became a victim of its own success – or rather I did!

At the time my commercial claim to fame was the breeding and management of captive species of birds, animals and reptiles. Apart from the Consultancy aspect of this I had a business manufacturing a wide range of high spec animal housing, breeding boxes and units, and specialised transport crates. Unfortunately the time being demanded by both the preparation and the giving of the talks took over my life and left little or no time to earn a living.

Because my Wildlife interest was so diverse I was able to offer a range of some 30 or so different talks. The effect of this was that, amongst such a list, there was probably at least one topic that would be of interest to virtually any one of a whole range of Clubs and Societies – and the bookings poured in. Unfortunately many of these groups are grossly under funded and, with the best will in the world, are not able to pay a realistic fee to speakers. Consequently most of these are drawn from the ranks of their own more extrovert members or “friends of friends” who are pleased to offer their services on a voluntary basis. Were I more businesslike in my approach this would not have been a problem since I could always have said “No”. Unfortunately I could never bring myself to do so! I think my own interest was so intense, and many of the slides I took so lovely, that I just wanted to share it all with the world at large and shout my battle cry of “Wildlife Awareness” in as many ears as possible. I cannot remember ever declining an engagement, even when there could be no fee, and the outcome was inevitable. Not only did I make no money which, for its own sake was not really the object anyway, but it often cost me money to give a talk. With the number I was giving this could amount to serious lucre over the course of a week.

In addition the old metabolism was taking a caning. Many of my bookings were from distances up to, and sometimes over, 100 miles away. (Here I would ask Talk Organisers to please note!) In order to be at a venue for a 7-30 to 9-30/10-00 pm session could, therefore, mean leaving home at about 5-00 pm and not getting back till midnight. I am an animal whose body, by choice, hunts for its main daily protein intake in the evening and when the opportunity for that is denied it often complains vociferously. (One becomes expert at masking this with either a cough or a loud “soft shoe shuffle.”) When do these guys think that you eat? The mandatory cup of weak tea and a digestive in the interval is scant compensation. I often feel, in these days of ready meals and microwaves, that many Talk Organisers could arrange sustenance for Speakers who may have had to travel some distance.

Another problem associated with the giving of talks reared its head. Most Club Social Secretaries book their programmes at least one year, sometimes two, in advance. This leaves you having to commit to being in a certain place at a certain time some 12/24 months in advance. For those of us fortunate enough (or not as the case may be) to enjoy a sedentary lifestyle this may not be too much of a problem but for the rest of us it can certainly pose some degree of difficulty.

A crisis was both looming and imminent!

Fortunately the need to avert it was taken out of my hands by an offer to go to Africa to become involved in the restocking, rebuilding and subsequent livestock management of a large Game Reserve. Whilst the “head” part of me said “You must be crazy” it was an opportunity that the “derring-do” part of me could not resist and I accordingly left the U.K.’s shores Africa bound.

In the fullness of time this escapade came to its natural conclusion and I returned briefly to the U.K.

I had severed virtually all my ties, both commercial and domestic, prior to the Africa session and quickly realised that there was a significant disparity between the rate of increase of U.K. Cost of Living and my income. Fortunately for the previous 20 yrs or so I had maintained a home in Spain, and to this I duly retreated. Over the next few years this home became more a base of operations than a permanent residence and those years have been very rewarding both in terms of “Wild Places” visited and images gathered.

During the course of them the commercial emphasis of my photography has switched to the marketing of Wildlife Prints through various media and I have resumed the giving of talks. I am leaving for another sojourn in Africa shortly and, should my body and bones survive unscathed, plan to relocate to the U.K. thereafter. The talks will then become a bigger item on the menu tho’, this time, on a slightly different basis in order to circumvent the problems of yore. A full list of available talks will be posted ASAP but this time I would seek to protect both my wallet and my health. I still nurture the desire to share my images with all and sundry regardless. This time round, however, though making little or no charge for the talk itself I do insist on full recompense for all expenses incurred. Apart from the demands of my pocket I am afraid that the encroaching years also demand that I be fed if far from home and for venues more than 2 hours drive away I expect to be stabled as well. In this latter respect someone’s spare room will do quite well.

I often wonder what quirk of genetic inheritance pointed me in the direction the paths of my life have taken and wonder what has prompted others to follow a similar route. For many the “thrill of the hunt will be in the chase” but I suspect that, whilst this may be an integral and necessary part of it, the real thrill will be in the “capture” when you finally press your shutter release. Often the hunt will demand the same tracking skills and research that our more primitive forbears would have had to employ. Normally the longer and harder the hunt then the greater will be the satisfaction when you finally get your shot.

Some people become actively involved as a furtherance of a specific interest but many others almost “drift” into it as an extension of a more generalised interest in Wildlife. This latter group often start by taking pictures during Nature Walks or Rambles that can often be rather aimless. This is fine up to a point and often equates, ultimately, to a limbering up process. I can well remember the time when I often spent the whole day without getting further that the lay-by I had pulled into. In those days I would photograph anything and everything that wasn’t bolted down. Whilst this doesn’t necessarily begin to pall, nevertheless, after a while you normally begin to feel the need for a little more purpose in your photographic aspirations.

This is where the second of those factors that I mentioned earlier on in the context of the “gatherers” or “collectors” comes into play. Most people these days have a built-in “Collector” instinct in them that manifests itself in many, often strange and varied, ways. One of the more appealing aspects of collecting whatever it is that takes your fancy is if you can build up to “a full set”. For those of us whose Collectors’ Instinct takes the form of acquiring photographic images this “full set” appeal is no less inspirational.

In the U.K., as opposed to mainland Europe where the diversity of species is often much greater, there are a number of Wildlife Groups with a more limited and achievable distribution. In this we are very fortunate insofar as there is no greater prompt to learning than the need to thoroughly research a subject in order to be able to find and photograph it. The distribution of many living things in the U.K. can be so sparse and fragmented that the chance of simply “bumping into” them on a random wander is remote.

Some of the groups which I refer to are:- Dragon and Damselflies, Grasshoppers and Bush Crickets, Butterflies and possibly day flying Moths, Reptiles and Amphibians, and, in the plant kingdom, either Bulbous Plants in general or Orchids in particular. There are many other groups that could no doubt be included but I have tried to highlight those that seem to attract the widest, initially non-specialist, appeal. It may seem strange that I have not included Birds or Mammals in the list but these groups, more often than not, seem to appeal to those with an inclination to specialise. I am more interested here in offering help and advice to those with a more casual and non-specialist approach but a by no means diminished enthusiasm. Though more generalised in its scope this enthusiasm, by its very nature, often covers a far broader sphere of interest than that expressed by “specialists”.

The advantage of becoming involved with the above groups is that they all consist of a finite number of species that, with some effort and research can all be located and photographed. The Bulbous Plants are a mixed group of Genera and so pose possibly a greater challenge by virtue of the extent of the range involved but, specifically, both Orchids and Butterflies contain only between 50 and 60 species each in the U.K. and the other groups even less. You will appreciate, therefore, that with these limited numbers obtaining a “full set” is a not unattainable aspiration.

In practice you will probably find that you can locate, identify and photograph the bulk of the species in any one group without too much trouble. The last few, however, can demand more effort, research and, often, travel than the rest put together. It is in conducting the necessary research into the rarer species that you will learn the most. This research can be quite involved and will no doubt mean poring through various tomes on the subject. You will find that although you are maybe focussing on just one species you will, nevertheless, “bump into” a myriad other facts, figures and species as you flick through the pages. Some of these will catch your eye and, with luck, some may even impress themselves onto your memory banks to some extent or other.

You will find that seeking out those elusive rarities will probably take you to places that you would not normally have visited. Along the way you will inevitably “bump into” people and species that you would not otherwise have encountered and so the spin-off from your searching can, in effect, be almost without limit.

Looking forward to “bumping into” you along the way,

Good hunting (You primeval person, you !! )

Brian Pettit.