My hobby, or should I say passion for wildlife photography started around sixteen years ago when my wife Pauline and I decided to do something completely different to celebrate our Silver Wedding Anniversary. Both being keen birdwatchers we booked a trip to The Gambia and, along with my binoculars, I packed my Canon EOS 3 together with an ample supply of Fuji film, My Wild Life had begun!
I was amazed at just how close I could get to a dazzling array of beautiful birds and returned with, what I thought were some pretty good images – I wanted more! So I booked myself onto a wildlife photographic week in Scotland where I saw and photographed tiny Red Squirrels, Pine Martens and a beautiful Golden Eagle. That was it, I was now totally hooked.
I showed a few of my images to a friend and he asked if I would be interested in putting together a slide show on The Gambia and presenting it to a local group that he was a member of. The evening went really well and I enjoyed it, but more to the point, so did the audience. It gave me a tremendous feeling of satisfaction, sharing my images and My Wild Life experiences with other people. Since that day our holidays have transported us to many different corners of the world in search of wildlife.
Together we have marvelled at Wildebeest and Zebras on their migration through the Serngeti; Grizzly Bears feeding on the salmon in Alaska; Golden Eagles soaring in the mountains of Norway; Royal Bengal Tigers hunting in the jungles of India; Polar Bears feeding on a floating Finn Whale carcass in the Arctic, and many other wildlife wonders.
I have come to love the thrill of the hunt and that special feeling I get when the animal or bird I am stalking allows me to settle within ‘shooting range’. Then the adrenaline rush as my subject appears in the viewfinder and I compose my picture, slowly squeezing the shutter – YES!
But as great as that feeling is, I am always conscious of what a great privilege it is being in the presence of wildlife. I hope I am never disappointed when I don’t come away with a certain image. The most important thing to me is being there and seeing – the picture will always be a bonus.
I am pleased to say, as long as I remain fit and healthy, I fully intend My Wild Life to continue, there are still many places and wildlife subjects on my list to see and to photograph, in fact the list just seems to keep on growing – and long may it continue to do so!
Some of the images I have taken during My Wild Life are on view in my Gallery, please take a look, I hope you enjoy them.
Chris Wallace
Wildlife Photographer
