FROM THE FIELD
September–October 2015 129HEIDI WILLIS; ANTONY CREAN
WITH THE INTENT to capture footage of the best
diving sites in Timor-Leste, Dean Miller (below,
at left) and fi lmmaker Clark Carter ventured to
Atauro Island, 27km north of Dili. “Here we were
fi lming under water, along a rock ledge that
dropped down 160m,” says Clark, part of the
team behind our new travel documentary
(and feature story) on the tropical nation.
“A little further out, it drops down much
deeper, so I had my fi ngers crossed that we’d
see some creatures of the deep. We didn’t
run into any large mammals, but we did see
hundreds of fi shes and corals.” The team
used GoPro cameras under water, and on
land their kit comprised a mix of gear,
including a Canon C300 and a drone for
aerial shots. “One of the biggest chal-
lenges of fi lming under water is lack of
sound and not having as much stability
or control,” Clark says. But the fact that
the water was warm enough for them to
go diving in board shorts made up for
any diffi culties.The life aquatic
A NATION OF NEW BEGINNINGSNature-lover
SPR IGS OF HOPEAWARD-WINNING natural history artist
Heidi Willis (above) has an eye for detail,
which is evident in this illustration of black
cockatoos. Heidi created the paintings for our
Nature Watch on Australian wattles, and says
that gathering reference material and doing
research are the fi rst steps before she begins any
job. “It is a time-consuming element...that is
often overlooked when considering the fi nal
product,” she says. “But this is an essential stage
of observation, familiarisation and education.”
It can take many days to work and re-work
even the smallest illustrations, and the wattles
commission took Heidi weeks to complete. She
uses all points of reference that she’s able to
source, but prefers live specimens and photo-
graphs. Specialising in illustrations of plants
and birds, Heidi fi nds Australia’s natural beauty
to be a never-ending source of inspiration. “Its
rich tapestries of colour and texture, of pure
light and endless intricate worlds to discover,
fi ll me with enthusiasm and the constant,
overwhelming urge to explore it further.”22 94