PracticalPhotograPhy.com 33
T
henurseryrhymeTheNorThWiNd
doth Bl owbegins:‘thenorthWinddothblow,
and we shall have snow, and what will poor robin
do then, poor thing?’ Poor thing, indeed, but the
robin’s misfortune is the outdoor photographer’s
gain. our photography is dependent on the
weather and the light it brings. Knowing what subjects and
locations work in specific conditions is an important part
of what we do. stormy weather brings drama, passion and
intrigue to images of wildlife and
the landscapes they inhabit.
over the past few winters,
i’ve spent several weeks in the
cairngorms national Park, staying
in the small village of Kincraig
a few miles from the town of
aviemore. During the winter
months, the gamekeeper on the
nearby alvie estate has for manyyearsprovidedsupplementary
fo od to the red deer in a small pinewood.these deeraretruly
wild, but they’ve become accustomedto receivingthishelping
hand and will come close to the gamekeeper in winter.
For the rest of the year, the deer behave as you would expect
of wild animals, avoiding contact with people. this seasonal
tolerance of humans has led to the estate offering trips with the
gamekeeper, where the deer can be fed and photographed at
close quarters in the setting of the winter pines. the pine wood
is a great place to photograph in any conditions. even in bright
sun you can catch the deer as they pass through pools of light
between the trees. however, the best conditions by far are
when there’s snow in the air and a good covering on the
ground. at such times, the pine wood takes on an altogether
di fferent character.
on myfirstvisitto photographthedeerin thepine wood,
i foundovercastconditionsto capturethedeeramong the trees.
afterwards, the gamekeeper took me in his 4x4 into the more
remote parts of the estate to a bothy on the far side of a river,
which we forded with the bottom of the vehicle grinding on the
rocks in the river and water coming over the bonnet. as a bonus,
i saw and photographed several mountain hares on this trip.
While i was content with the images i’d made, i hankered
for snowy conditions, which continued to elude me over the
next few winters. the pine wood
is fairly low-lying, with snow
preferring to cling to the higher
hills. Persistence paid off, though,
and eventually i had a forecast of
heavy snow at low levels. i watched
the weather and judged it just right,
arriving to find fresh, deep snow in
the pine wood.
as luck wouldhaveit, i was the only photographer with the
gamekeeperandhadthedeer all to myself. although i was only
a fe wfeetfromthecomfort of a vehicle, these were some of the
toughest conditions i’ve encountered. i struggled to lock focus
through the falling snow and, in the freezing temperatures, the
snow melted and then froze on my camera, coating it in a thin
veneer of ice. in my e xcitement i’d forgotten to put on my hat
and gloves. But i was lost in the moment as the north Wind
blew through the pine wood and i had the snow i’d longed for.
Knowing what
subjects worK in
specific conditions
is very important
andrew mason
AdvenTures of A wildlife phoTogrApher when The norTh wind blows
Andrew Mason is a lawyer turned wildlife and landscape
photographer based in Staffordshire. He has been
published worldwide and his clients include theRSPB
and The Wildlife Trusts. andrewmasonphoto.com
