Wildlife photography is largely a luck-of-the-draw situation, especially when the behavior of any species is factored in. The trick is to be patient and ready when the action hits. And at this time, should the action be fast and furious, it would be important to have camera and lens equipment that is fast enough to capture the moment.
Unfortunately, I myself am not a particularly patient person by nature and struggle with this part of the deal. I actually prefer something that I can help create, like a snake or a frog in a beautiful setting, where I can maneuver around the animal and specifically plan my shots. This of course can also sometimes call for fast-action shooting, like when a snake is striking out or takes off at a fast slither, but at least I have some control and can shoot off as many pictures as I like from a variety of different angles. I cannot do this with a charging rhino or elephant, for example, because I have to consider my own vulnerability in getting the shot. So, while one does what one can to create a wild-animal photograph of some artistic value, it is not always possible and might depend entirely on where the animal is positioned or what it is doing at the time.
While filming my adventure series, I was faced with a mixture of these two scenarios. I would sometimes have a cobra standing for long periods of time with its hood expanded while I easily moved around the reptile, shooting off one lovely picture after another. Other times, I would be fearing for my life as a wild animal, such as an enraged black rhino, charged down on me, forcing me to run for the nearest tree. Needless to say, the latter produced very little in the way of beautiful photography.
I believe that each wildlife photographer will settle into his or her own style of photography. Some, like myself, will be content to get what is possible within the bounds of practicality. I have never expected to make a living from wildlife photography alone, but rather from what surrounds it, such as writing, or making documentaries. More important has been my appreciation and experience of being in wild places and doing a documentary, rather than delivering the finished product. My preferred style of photography is to get as close to the subject as possible with as wide a lens as possible, so as to encompass as much of the surrounding background. This style of photography in the face of wild animals can prove to be dangerous and should not be attempted by anyone unfamiliar with the behavior of wild animals.
At the same time, however, when working with smaller animals, like snakes, lizards, or scorpions, for example, there is little to beat a good 105 mm macro lens for up-close clarity—shooting at F22 (which increases the depth of focus) with a hand-held flash—for great pictures in the field. Ultimately, to each his own. There are some great wildlife photographers out there who put a tremendous amount of time and effort into bringing these wildlife images into our homes through books, magazines, and television, and I hope only that I have played some small part in this.
I myself do not have a large collection of cameras and lenses, preferring to keep my kit compact and light. To the contrary, when filming on location, my personal camera kit is dwarfed by the loads of equipment needed for the production of the film series. The latter is a different matter all together, sometimes amounting to as many as fifty-heavy packed metal cases.
While it is true that I do sometimes find myself in potentially dangerous situations, this is only by definition of who is judging. Having lived a large portion of my life somewhat isolated in the Namib Desert and other wilderness regions, I now find myself more terrified when faced with big-city traffic than when confronted by any wild animal. Put me in front of a venomous snake any day rather than on a congested city road. A venomous snake I understand, and have experience with, and know the rules, and consider myself in control. Not so in the rush-hour madness that kills hundreds of people around the world every day. It is simply a matter of knowledge and how you use it. Working with potentially dangerous animals might look more dangerous to those who don’t have the knowledge or experience and understanding.
Having said all this, it remains a fact that I might place myself within the potential realm of danger on some occasions, but this is not out of ignorance, but rather out of calculated necessity, usually to get a photograph. And again, it is possible that something on occasion might go wrong or I may make a miscalculation and find myself in trouble. But what is life if nothing is ventured and we miss the true purpose of the expedition? The odds still remain more against that everyday pedestrian crossing the street in a traffic filled city.
I am often asked if the scenes in my films are real. When I am seen confronting a highly venomous snake or being charged by a desert elephant or struggling with a twenty foot python, what you are seeing is real. The introductory buildup or ending to the scene may sometimes be dramatized, as we do not always know what is going to happen, and the cameras cannot be rolling continuously throughout the expedition. So, should I, for example, suddenly come across a snake and run forward and manage to catch it, I then demonstrate the snake on camera. Should the cameraman not have caught the initial approach to my actual catching of the snake, once I have finished my segment, I can release the snake in question and reenact the scenario with the camera now focused and running. In so doing, we provide the introduction to the scene that the audience would otherwise have missed. Of course, music and well-placed close-up cuts would later be employed strategically to make it all as exciting as possible.
The length of time it takes to film a one-hour episode of my series often depends on how difficult the working terrain might be, how elusive or available the animals we are searching for might be, or both. But generally speaking, in terms of camera hours, we would shoot between sixty and eighty hours of tape to complete a one-hour episode, with one particular episode shot in Asia reaching the 140-tape mark. Once shot, this footage then takes about eight to ten weeks to edit and again as many weeks to prepare for final production. It is a lengthy, time- and budget-consuming business, of which the general public is not usually aware.
Concerning the question of the conservation of the planet as a whole, I find myself unable to respond with moderation, or as it were, political correctness. One of the awesome enigmas of today is how to slow the destruction of the last remaining ecosystems on Earth. I could bring up the usual assortment of ideas about saving what is left, but you will have heard it all before. My views on conservation of the planet and all its natural resources and wilderness cuts right down to the heart of the problem, the “white elephant in the room,” which is seldom brought to the forefront. I am referring to human overpopulation. Each and every problem facing the world today is either directly or indirectly connected to human overpopulation of the planet.
At this time our lagging space-program technology does not enable us to migrate to other habitable planets (should they eventually be located), so when the last tree is cut down and the last slab of concrete poured, where do we go? Already, most of our rivers are polluted, the ground poisoned, our seas raped and now used as dumping grounds, while our air becomes less breathable by the day, and the ozone layer has been destroyed to the point it is dangerous to go outside unprotected. Where wilderness and wild animals are concerned, barely a species can be mentioned without the word “endangered” being present. We are exploiting this planet as if we already have another to relocate to!
In simple terms, human overpopulation occurs if the number of people exceeds a region’s environmental carrying capacity. The human population globally has ballooned from 2.5 billion to more than 7 billion people since World War II. This has led to protracted confrontations between nations over ecological resources, with overpopulation now becoming a leading cause of conflict. Human overpopulation of the planet persists at a fearsome, unchecked rate, bringing with it habitat destruction, pollution, global warming, extinction, human poverty, and overall misery. Even apart from the deterioration of the quality of human and animal life, the planet simply cannot cope with the consumption and waste produced by more than seven billion people. Without drastic legislation and immediate implementation
of strict measures, humanity as we know it has set itself on a downward spiraling course of self-destruction . . . a suicide mission of unimaginable proportions. A harsh reality . . . but a reality nonetheless. I believe no conservation philosophy is complete without the recognition that there can be no sustainability in the long term if the human population of our planet continues to increase.
Every few seconds of every minute of every hour of every day, somewhere in the world, a woman is giving birth. As my mother used to comment, “Somebody please find that woman and stop her!”
Through my Facebook communications (facebook.com/AustinStevensAdventurer), I am constantly approached with questions about my life that cannot be wholly answered in so short a space as is usually provided. It is my hope that, by reading this book, those interested will experience some greater insight into the man behind the scenes. It has been suggested that I have experienced an interesting life, and though this may to some extent be true, I am very conscious of time wasted and the many mistakes I have made. For it not to have all been in vain, I have, in my later years at least, attempted to correct these mistakes by learning from them and never repeating them (in essence: attempting to become a better person).
No amount of money can buy back time. This becomes increasingly evident as one gets older. I am constantly in a semistate of panic because I am acutely aware that every minute passed can never be recaptured and so am driven to try and make the most of the time made available to me. I have always felt that it is important, as far as is humanly possible, to spend as much of your life indulging in that which interests you. If you can achieve this, then the term “work” disappears from your vocabulary, rendering you free to experience the time you have been afforded on Earth to a fuller and more prosperous extent.
In my writings, photography, and wildlife-adventure documentary filmmaking, I wish only that I have in some small way contributed to the greater aim, that of promoting the beauty and overall magnificence of the wilderness and wildlife that has been afforded us, and generating a greater worldwide awareness for the need to protect it.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Remembering back across the years of my life spent in reptile parks, in South Africa and in Germany, I wish to offer special thanks to Jack Seale (Hartebeespoort Dam Snake and Animal Park) and Jurgen Hergert (Nordharzer Schlangenfarm) for inviting me to share in their dreams. Without those times, much of this book would not have come about.
Concerning the later advent of my adventures on film, I wish to thank Tigress Productions (UK), Cineflix Productions (Canada), and Animal Planet (USA) for offering me the opportunity to experience a new world of adventures beyond my wildest dreams.
I wish to extend my warmest thanks to the many teams, film crews, editing staffs, researchers, and the multitude of other behind the scenes operators involved in the production of my TV series, all who helped make each episode into a spectacular cinematic experience.
My thanks to Amy, my beautiful wife, for her patience and advice offered during the writing of this book.
Also a great thanks to all my die-hard fans and Facebook followers (facebook.com/AustinStevensAdventurer) for their continuous encouragement and support. I really appreciate it.
And finally, my thanks to Jason Katzman, my editor at Skyhorse Publishing, for tolerating my persistence in having it my way, and in spite of this still making my work presentable for publishing.
PHOTO CREDITS
The author would like to thank the following people, whose assistance was helpful in putting together the photograph insert for this book:
Tigress Productions
Scubazoo Films
Romulus Whitaker
Chitral Jayatilake
Amy Stevens
Brendan McGinty
Warwick Sloss
All other scenic photographs that do not personally include Austin Stevens were taken from the author’s private collection.
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