In this episode of the SheClicks Women in Photography Podcast, Angela Nicholson speaks with wildlife photographer and safari leader Ann Aveyard about her inspiring and unconventional journey into photography.
Ann didn’t begin her career behind the camera. Instead, she spent many years working as a nurse in the NHS. Photography had always been an interest, but it was not until later in life, when she planned a safari trip with a friend, that she decided to take it more seriously. Wanting to capture the experience properly, she enrolled on a college course and quickly became hooked.
What followed was an unexpected path into professional photography. After being asked to photograph a wedding at short notice, Ann found herself building a successful wedding photography business that lasted for ten years. However, her passion for wildlife and the natural world never faded. During the COVID pandemic, she took the opportunity to reassess her priorities and made the decision to step away from weddings to focus fully on wildlife photography.
Read About the SheClicks Photographic Wildlife Safari in Kenya
In this conversation, Ann shares her approach to photographing animals, explaining how patience and an understanding of behaviour are key to telling a story through images. Rather than chasing specific shots, she prefers to stay open to whatever moments arise, allowing her to capture authentic and often unexpected scenes.
Ann also talks about her deep connection to Kenya and the Masai Mara, a place she returns to time and time again. She describes the ever-changing nature of the landscape and wildlife, from quiet moments observing animals at rest to extraordinary events such as witnessing thousands of zebras crossing a river. For Ann, each visit offers something new to learn and experience.
A large part of Ann’s work now involves leading photographic safaris, and she shares the joy she finds in helping others discover wildlife photography. Seeing participants experience these environments for the first time, and supporting them as they grow in confidence, is one of the most rewarding aspects of what she does.
This episode also touches on practical advice, including how to find wildlife closer to home, how to approach ethical considerations in wildlife photography and how to work with different equipment in challenging conditions.
Packed with insight, honesty and encouragement, this episode illustrates that it is never too late to follow a passion and that photography can open the door to both personal growth and unforgettable experiences.
Ann (00:00)
Every trip, there’s something I haven’t seen before. The last trip I went on, there was just an amazing river crossing of zebras. Thousands of them, you know, it just happened unexpectedly they just…
arrived down on the river. We were down there looking for lions and we saw these zebras grouping together and more and more were arriving. And yeah, just to watch those cross the river was just astounding,
Angela (00:25)
Hello and welcome to the SheClicks Women in Photography Podcast. I’m Angela Nicholson and I’m the founder of SheClicks, which is a community for female photographers. In these podcasts, I speak to women in the photographic industry to hear about their experiences, what drives them and how they got to where they are now.
Angela Nicholson (00:41)
This episode is with Ann Aveyard, a wildlife photographer and photographic safari leader.
believes that a safari is about sharing knowledge, sparking curiosity, forming connections, creating images and embracing challenges.
Angela Nicholson (00:55)
Hi Ann, thank you so much for joining me today on the SheClicks Women in Photography Podcast.
Ann (01:00)
Thank you Angela, it’s great to be here.
Angela Nicholson (01:02)
Oh lovely. Thank you. So let’s start right at the beginning. Although you had a career as a nurse in the National Health Service, you also had a long term interest in photography. So what was it that first sparked that interest?
Ann (01:08)
Okay.
I think I’d always had an interest in photography, know, family holidays as a child growing up, looking at photographs, old family photographs. So, yes, I was always interested in recording events and recording moments and life events. So, I’ve just, yes, I’ve just had that interest really. I didn’t actually pick up a camera till quite late on.
I think it was when I got married, my husband had a a Pentax I think it was. I found it very difficult to use, manual focus, I wasn’t getting anything from it. So it was only when digital started really that I started photography and yeah that made it so much easier for me.
Angela Nicholson (01:50)
Mm.
Yeah, so ⁓ I’ve got my first digital SLR in 2010. So are we talking around that time? Okay, so more compacts.
Ann (02:04)
Before that, before that,
it was a Canon 400D, I think. I think it was probably just before 2010. Yeah, but that was the first one, yes.
Angela Nicholson (02:13)
Okay. Yeah.
Mm hmm. Very nice.
OK, so how did you switch from being a nurse to becoming a professional photographer?
Ann (02:27)
It was by accident really, I think. I took early retirement and a friend who was also retiring at the same time said she fancied going on a safari. So I said, well, yeah, I’d like to do that as well. So we decided to go together. And I thought, well, while I’m there, I know I’ll want to take some photographs. I’ve got this 400D. I’ve got no idea what I’m doing with the thing. It’s stuck on A for automatic.
Angela Nicholson (02:47)
Mm-hmm.
Ann (02:52)
and I just pressed the button and I thought, I really want to take some half decent photos when we’re there. So I took myself off to college and yeah, that was it. I just got hooked on photography. I just found it absolutely fascinating and did loads of courses from then at the college and yeah, just fell in love with photography. So going on that first safari sparked my interest in photography.
Angela Nicholson (03:14)
Hey.
But you actually became a professional wedding photographer for a while, didn’t you?
Ann (03:23)
I did,
yes I did and again purely by accident. Nothing was planned, I was enjoying taking photographs of wildlife, putting them up on social media, friends saw them, a colleague at work, an ex-colleague saw my photographs and her niece was getting married and her photographer had let her down. So I was contacted and said would you take some photos and I said…
I’ve never photographed a wedding. All I’ve photographed is animals. No, I can’t do that. A bit of pressure was put on me and eventually I gave in and said, look, know, I’ll have a chat with the bride and groom. And I chatted with them and I said, look, I’ve never photographed a wedding before in my life. You’re taking a huge risk. And they said, well, if you don’t take photos, we won’t have any. So we’re happy with whatever you do.
Angela Nicholson (04:11)
Okay, emotional blackmail.
Yeah.
Ann (04:13)
It was, it was.
But I didn’t go in blind. I did a few workshops and things before the wedding. I had time to learn a bit about wedding photography, so I felt a bit more confident about doing it. And from that wedding, I got three bookings. So I thought, this is rather nice. I quite enjoyed this. It’s working quite well. I enjoy people. So I was able to work quite well with people.
Angela Nicholson (04:29)
yeah.
Ann (04:38)
So I set up a wedding photography business which I did for 10 years.
Angela Nicholson (04:42)
So it sounds like that first wedding shoot went quite well then because you weren’t too traumatized. Great. ⁓
Ann (04:45)
Yes. No. Incredibly nervous. And I
was always nervous on the day of a wedding, but I think having a little bit of nerves helps in some ways. It keeps your adrenaline going. It keeps you fresh, I think, rather than being complacent. But yes, it went well. And yes, I enjoyed it, surprisingly. yeah, they were very pleased with the results.
Yes, it was great fun.
Angela Nicholson (05:14)
So you did that as a profession for about 10 years and then you realised that wildlife photography was really your thing.
Ann (05:16)
Yes. Yes.
Yeah, was, I think it was in COVID. I think COVID made a lot of people think about things, think about life. And it was a time when we were all stuck indoors, we could only go out for an hour or so a day. And I was thinking of the amount of time I spent editing wedding photographs. After each wedding, was at least a week I would spend editing. Then there was the album to design.
Angela Nicholson (05:23)
Okay.
Ann (05:47)
don’t really want to be doing that much on the computer. I want to be out photographing. And I always photograph wildlife for myself anyway. I was always going out photographing anything, know, the hares in the field, birds in the forest. So that was my relaxation. So I thought I’d rather spend more time out with my camera in nature rather than doing the weddings. So…
I made that decision in COVID. All the weddings that have been canceled because of COVID, I honored those bookings but didn’t take any more.
Angela Nicholson (06:20)
Okay, so obviously your trip, your first trip to Kenya was really transformational for you in many ways.
Ann (06:27)
Yes,
yes it was. Yes, was something I’d never experienced anything like that before. It was just, you know, just the wildness, just being there with nature and enjoying photographing it and documenting it. Yeah, I just loved it.
Angela Nicholson (06:42)
You often talk about telling a story through your images. What are you looking for when you’re composing a shoot, you’re shot, you’re not just getting a
Ann (06:46)
Hmm.
Angela Nicholson (06:53)
of an animal, you’re getting the story?
Ann (06:54)
It’s waiting, it’s understanding animal behavior and just waiting for some of that behavior to happen. If you spend time with an animal, you realise
they might do next, nothing is guaranteed because they do their own thing. But it’s spending time with the animal, so understanding their behavior. For example, lions are very, very social animals.
and they might spend a lot of time sleeping, but if one starts to wake up and get up, you know that it’ll go to another lion and they’ll rub heads and greet each other. So it’s knowing that when something is likely to happen and to just follow it through and capture it.
Angela Nicholson (07:35)
Yeah, I suppose it’s a bit like, I don’t know if you have any pets, but when you have a pet, you know their habits, don’t you? When you spend time watching wildlife, you start to get an idea of what they’re going to do when, habits and their personalities.
Ann (07:41)
Hmm.
Mm.
Yes,
yes, yeah, it’s right. We haven’t got any pets, unfortunately. Our daughter was, well, is asthmatic and as a child growing up, we couldn’t have pets. yes, but it’s understanding the behaviour and getting to know the animals.
Angela Nicholson (08:01)
Yeah.
Now you mentioned waiting with wildlife photography and it is known for requiring lots of patience. How do you maintain your motivation when there’s no real action? Say, you know, maybe you’ve arrived and the lions have just gone to sleep, so it’s going to be a while before they actually get up and do anything interesting.
Ann (08:05)
Okay.
It’s plenty of other things going on around, know, there are birds in the trees, you know, there are other things happening that you can keep your eyes open for. It’s not just out on safari. When Here in England, I spent six hours once waiting for a kingfisher. You know, the kingfishers had been seen and occasionally we’d seen them flying past, but I spent six hours waiting for them to arrive on a particular branch.
where he quite often used to sit. But when you’re sitting waiting, there are other birds in the trees, there are things happening around you. So it’s just being aware of your environment and just taking it all in really and just enjoying it.
Angela Nicholson (09:00)
Yes, I suppose just relaxing and kind of focusing on what you’re actually doing rather than champing at the bit.
Ann (09:02)
Yeah, yes. Yeah, yeah.
And you don’t think about the time. You know, you just, yeah, you don’t think about it. It’s just, just enjoy being there in the moment.
Angela Nicholson (09:09)
Uh-huh.
Mm-hum So over the last 15 years or so, you’ve been to Kenya many, many times. I mean, it astounds me how many times I see you post that you’re off to Kenya. Does it still surprise you what keeps pulling you back?
Ann (09:25)
Yes.
It’s different every time. It’s different every time. You might see the same animal, but they’ll be in a different place. They’ll be doing different things. There’s new animal behavior to learn, Every trip, there’s something I haven’t seen before. The last trip I went on, there was just an amazing river crossing of zebras. Thousands of them, you know, it just happened unexpectedly they just…
Angela Nicholson (09:33)
Mm-hmm.
Ann (09:53)
arrived down on the river. We were down there looking for lions and we saw these zebras grouping together and more and more were arriving. And yeah, just to watch those cross the river was just astounding, you know, how they were risking their lives to get across to the other side because, you know, they wanted the grass on the other side, you know, and it’s nature is incredible, you know, why they all did that at that time and how they communicate.
Right, we’re going to go. It’s fascinating.
Angela Nicholson (10:23)
⁓ Yeah, it’s astonishing.
Now you regularly lead photographic safaris rather than just going out by yourself. What do you most enjoy about leading a group of other photographers?
Ann (10:35)
I just love sharing the place with them, sharing my knowledge about the specific animals, the behaviour. I just like seeing their faces light up, know, when people arrive there. Just seeing their eyes, their faces light up, seeing it all, especially if it’s their first time. It’s quite a magical experience. And yeah, it’s such a…
Lovely place to share.
Angela Nicholson (11:01)
Oh, I can imagine, because I was in Iceland with a SheClicks group co-leading with Emily Endean and we were shooting the Aurora so we couldn’t actually see each other’s faces but I sort of suggested some settings and we all set up and then I could just hear these little happy chirps every now and again or someone’s, ‘I’ve got one, I’ve got it’, you know, and that was just so nice. It’s just lovely. And then of course people are sharing their images later and you kind of just nod to yourself. Yeah, it’s really lovely.
Ann (11:16)
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
And we had moments out there when something really special has happened. And, you know, I’ve turned around to my guests and we’ve just had tears in our eyes, you know, just absolutely speechless. And, you know, wow, you know, didn’t expect to see that. And wasn’t that
Angela Nicholson (11:39)
Yeah. Yeah.
Ann (11:44)
wonderful. And it might be just a fleeting moment, but it’s just, you know, to share it with somebody is lovely.
Angela Nicholson (11:52)
Do you sometimes put your camera down and just sort of soak it up?
Ann (11:55)
Yes,
yes, yes, I think that’s quite important. And I sometimes in putting it down, you can look around a little bit more. You you might be concentrating on one aspect, but you know, there might be something happening to your left or to your right. And I think sometimes I think you just have to, yes, enjoy the moment as well.
Angela Nicholson (12:13)
Yeah, because looking at some of the photographs I’ve seen, say from Iceland, they bring back that feeling of cold and that memory of looking at something. the photographs are there, but they’re split second moments. Some are multiple second moments, they’re long exposures, but they give you the whole story. You start to picture everything, don’t you? You piece it together and you remember the scene and you remember who was to your left and what they said and what was going on to your right. It is a really…
Ann (12:21)
Hmm.
Angela Nicholson (12:43)
It’s more than just having a picture on your camera or on your phone or your hard drive.
Ann (12:45)
Yes. Yes.
Yeah, yeah, it’s a feeling, isn’t it? And many of my guests, and I feel the same too, when we come home and edit, you know, when you’re looking at one particular picture, you can remember exactly what was happening at the moment and exactly what other people were saying, as you said, you know, it brings back all those memories, doesn’t it?
Angela Nicholson (12:50)
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Yes, definitely. Now you and I are going to lead a safari in November 2027. What advice, I’m very excited about it, what advice would you give to someone who’s never been on a safari before? Do they need to do much preparation before they go?
Ann (13:13)
Yes, so am I.
Well, there are certain things you have to think about, you know, in terms of the documents, your passport and all that sort of thing and inoculations. Also thinking about what equipment to take with you. You know, we are limited to weight, although we’ll have extra weight allowance, but you don’t want to be carrying too much stuff. You will be in a Jeep. Thinking about the clothing you’re to need to take.
Angela Nicholson (13:29)
Mm-hmm.
Mm.
Ann (13:49)
It’s very hot there in the middle of the day, but it’s cold in the mornings and evenings. So it’s just planning ahead and just making sure you’re bringing the right things. A lot of people are bit ⁓ apprehensive, perhaps, about going to somewhere like Africa for the first time, bit frightened about the animals, are we going to be safe, all that sort of thing.
It’s a lot to think about, especially if you haven’t been before. But it’s a lovely country and very, very safe.
Angela Nicholson (14:21)
Great. I mean, obviously
we will ⁓ advise people on kit, who do actually sign up and we can help them work out what clothing they need to take and all of that. But yes, very exciting. What are you most excited about sharing with the group?
Ann (14:33)
I’m just excited about just sharing the Masai Mara. It’s a beautiful location. The camp is in a lovely situation right on the Mara River. So you’ve got the river flowing through. It’s an unfenced camp, so the animals are free to wander through day and night, which I think is lovely because it’s their home and we are the guests there
Angela Nicholson (14:37)
Mm-hmm.
Ann (14:55)
their environment. So you just feel part of…
part of nature.
landscape is quite something. It’s open, mostly open grasslands and know, stopping for breakfast or lunch out there and you just stand there and you just see all that openness. It’s just beautiful. It really is beautiful. Yeah.
Angela Nicholson (15:17)
Yeah. So
I think where you just have to have a little moment every now and again and kind of acknowledge where you are and what you’re doing.
Ann (15:21)
Yeah,
just, yeah, yeah, just sit back and think, wow, look, yes, it’s wonderful. Yeah, it is lovely.
Angela Nicholson (15:26)
Yeah.
I always like at meetups and events and workshops in the evening, when everybody gets together and chats through the day and hear what they thought of things. That’s always a really special time, I think.
Ann (15:39)
Oh yeah, definitely. Our days are fairly busy there. know, early starts, quite long days. It can be quite tiring, but I think everybody’s running on adrenaline most of the time because it’s excitement, you know. And the moment it’s quiet on a game drive or quiet in the evening, you know, that’s when suddenly something will happen. And you think, ⁓ wow, there’s elephants walking through the camp or…
Angela Nicholson (15:44)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah. Yeah.
Ann (16:06)
know, lion’s just popped up somewhere on the track as you’re driving along. You just don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s the anticipation of what’s going to happen. So do I!
Angela Nicholson (16:16)
Yeah. I really wish it was this November and not 2027. We’ve got to wait so long. Yes, it’s
very exciting. Well, I think that’s a really good time to go to Six From SheClicks. I’ve got 10 questions from SheClickers and I would like you to answer six of them, please, by picking numbers from one to 10. So could I have your first number, please?
Ann (16:29)
right?
⁓ Number two.
Angela Nicholson (16:40)
Right, number two, many SheClickers shoot locally due to time or budget constraints. What is your advice to help them discover the hidden wildlife opportunities in their own neighborhoods? That question’s from Carmen.
Ann (16:50)
Most people will live near nature reserves, places like that, parks. So it’s just a case of visiting these places, if you go into a nature reserve, you often meet somebody with a camera, have a chat to them, what is around locally. There are various, look on websites.
and you’ll see what’s around to photograph. And there are always places where there are birds to photograph.
Angela Nicholson (17:19)
Instagram can be a good source of inspiration, can’t it? Because if you look up people who’ve tagged the local nature, as ever you say, you can see which species are there. And of course, then you’ve got to work out how to find them, but that’s part of the fun, isn’t it?
Ann (17:21)
Yeah, yes, yes, definitely.
Yes. Yeah. Yeah.
Yes, is. But think having connections and connecting with people makes a big difference, be it social media or when you’re out walking and chatting to people. And if you see somebody with a camera, they’re obviously looking for stuff as well. Number four, please.
Angela Nicholson (17:48)
Yeah, yes, it’s always a giveaway. Okay, could I have your second number, please?
Why Kenya and the Masai Mara in particular, what draws you there? Several people asked that question.
Ann (18:02)
In Africa there are just so many countries. Kenya, I think I was originally drawn to it because of watching the Big Cat diary. That was the reason we chose to go to the Governor’s Camp because it was filmed there. ⁓ And I’ve been to Tanzania but I’ve not been to any of the other countries. Kenya I find easy to travel to, it’s a direct flight.
Angela Nicholson (18:14)
Right.
Ann (18:24)
The people are extremely friendly. It’s a relatively safe country. Everything is quite accessible. They’ve got the Masai Mara, but they’ve got other parks there. Amboseli, there’s Laikipia, Samburu. So there lots of other places within Kenya and I’ve visited a few of them. The Masai Mara does have quite a high amount of…
of wildlife, which is easily accessible. And I just like the landscape there.
Angela Nicholson (18:52)
Yeah, it’s always nice to have a nice backdrop to the animals you’re photographing.
Ann (18:54)
Yeah, yeah,
yeah. And also Kenya is one of the countries that has done extremely well anti-poaching. ⁓ So they’ve managed to knock that on the head quite well. And also they don’t have game trophy hunting, which I’m very anti that and a lot of the other African countries also have still have trophy hunting, which I do have.
Angela Nicholson (19:02)
Mm-hmm.
Ann (19:18)
problem with really. Yes it is.
Angela Nicholson (19:19)
Yes, it’s a horrible practice.
So, can I have your third number, please?
Ann (19:24)
Seven.
Angela Nicholson (19:26)
Number seven, Do you have any pictures in your mind’s eye that you’ve not yet managed to capture? That question is for Marie-Ange.
Ann (19:34)
I try not to have pictures that I particularly want to take because I think if you concentrate on trying to get that one picture, you might end up being disappointed. So I try not to think, I want to get a particular shot. I just tend to go with the flow. Whatever’s there, I will try and photograph.
Angela Nicholson (19:46)
Yeah.
Ann (19:58)
For a long time I wanted to get a silhouette out in Kenya, know, the red sky behind and a silhouette of an animal in front. And I managed to get one on this last trip. We just happened to be driving across a bridge and suddenly there on the horizon was a giraffe with a red sky, totally by accident. And it was literally, we had seconds to take it because there was somebody else behind us, we had to move on.
But I was really pleased I’d got that because it was one I’d wanted to get for a while. But I tend not to try and focus on getting a particular image because I think sometimes you can be too focused on that and end up thinking, well, I’m disappointed I didn’t get the shot I wanted to get. So I try not to.
Angela Nicholson (20:41)
Yeah.
Yeah, I guess if you go out thinking, really want to get a photo of a leopard in a tree and then you spend an hour photographing a leopard, but it doesn’t go up the tree, you can kind of lose sight of the fact you just spent an hour photographing a leopard in the wild. You know, that’s pretty special.
Ann (20:54)
Yeah, quite. Yeah, quite.
Yeah, quite. remember somebody telling me about a guy who went, I think, somewhere up in Scotland to photograph otters. And he had a particular idea about getting a photograph of an otter with a wet coat in the rain in a certain position. So he spent the whole week trying to get that shot.
Angela Nicholson (21:14)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Ann (21:20)
probably missed others because he was so focused on getting that one shot. And it’s very difficult with wildlife, you know, trying to get a particular shot like that. It can’t be planned. Yeah, if it happens, it happens.
Angela Nicholson (21:31)
Yeah. No, you’ve got to have a bit more of an open mind.
Okay, could I have your fourth number please?
Ann (21:39)
Number nine, please.
Angela Nicholson (21:41)
Wildlife isn’t always pretty. As a wildlife photographer, where do you draw the line? How real should wildlife photography be? And at what point should we censor what content is shared? That question’s from Rung. That’s an interesting one.
Ann (21:54)
Yes, I personally carry on photographing, I think. I haven’t come to the stage where I put the camera down and not take the photos. I don’t always share them. I’ve just been looking through some photos of the river crossing with the zebras and there were crocodiles there but I haven’t shared those photographs because…
Angela Nicholson (22:08)
Mm-hmm.
Ann (22:19)
I don’t think everybody needs to see them. I personally have taken them and I’ve got them for my record. But I think you have to be sensitive to other people.
Angela Nicholson (22:30)
Yeah.
Ann (22:31)
Photographing animals eating, will post those that I think are fine because that’s nature. I think it depends on how graphic it is as well.
Angela Nicholson (22:41)
Yeah.
Like you say, the audience is important as well. So if it’s, you know, if it’s unregulated audience, then maybe you want to censor yourself a little bit.
Ann (22:42)
yeah, I think. Yes.
Yeah, that’s right.
it’s, yes. Yeah, I think as I say, it depends on the audience.
Angela Nicholson (22:56)
Okay. All right. So your penultimate number, please?
Do you need to change your approach when you’re photographing in Africa versus when you’re photographing in the UK? And that question’s from Paula.
Ann (23:08)
Yes you do, because in Africa you are in a Jeep. In the UK I’m usually on foot. I don’t use hides very often, so I’m usually on foot and I’m free to walk around as I wish. In Africa, we’re in ⁓ a Jeep, so you are more confined.
When I’m out here, I like to get as low as I possibly can to be on eye level with an animal or even in lower. In a Jeep, it’s a little bit more difficult. There are ways to do it, but it is harder. So it is quite different to photographing in the UK.
Angela Nicholson (23:44)
If you’re in a Jeep, I mean, there are some animals in Africa, you do not want to get out of that Jeep. You have to stay in it.
Ann (23:50)
You can’t get out of the Jeep, you’re not allowed out of the Jeep. Only at certain places when the guide says it’s safe to get out of the Jeep. The animals are quite used to the Jeeps, they see the Jeep as a shape, but if you’re sat on the top of the Jeep, the shape changes, so that changes their
Angela Nicholson (23:52)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Ann (24:13)
Safety is always important, and obviously getting
close to the big animals like the elephants and animals like that. You have to respect the wildlife. You have to be quiet. You don’t want to startle them, which will change their behavior. So it’s just being very careful and be very aware of your surroundings. And it is more difficult being in a Jeep at times. In some ways, it’s…
It’s helpful because it’s like a hide and you’ve got somewhere to support your camera and things like that. But you can’t just get up and walk two steps to the right or two steps to the left. It is more difficult.
Angela Nicholson (24:55)
But it’s nice because you don’t have to carry your kit around with you. It can be to the side, not on your back. Yeah. Because that can be one of the most tiring things actually, can’t it? Say you’re in Bushy Park, and you decide to walk around and you know, by the time you’ve got there, you oh, I can do with a cup of tea now.
Ann (24:59)
No, it’s all in the Jeep. It’s all in Jeep.
⁓ yes.
And sometimes when I’ve been at Bushy Park, I get back to the car and think, gosh, I’ve walked eight miles today. Where was the eight miles? Round and round and round in circles.
Angela Nicholson (25:18)
Yeah.
Yes, and
that with a backpack full of camera gear. OK, so your final number then, please.
Ann (25:25)
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
⁓
Number 10.
Angela Nicholson (25:31)
This person is thinking of going to the SheClicks trip to the Masai Mara. She says, I have a Canon 70-200 lens and a 100-400 Mark II lens, which I use on my Canon 90D and 7D Mark II DSLRs. Neither of these lenses have a maximum aperture of f2.8. Would this prevent me from getting
good images in low light. That’s from Helen.
Ann (25:56)
a 70-200mm f2.8 but the lens I use most of the time is the 100-500mm and at full 500mm it’s
I’ve managed to get good images. It is difficult in the low light, you’re always balancing
Obviously you’re shooting at the widest aperture possible, the ISO I tend to put on automatic and then it’s just playing with the shutter speed and initially just trying to get it as low as possible and still keep the image sharp. At that time of day, things are probably just sitting still. So if they’re fairly still, you can get your shutter speed down really, really low.
⁓ and supporting the camera on the Jeep side on a bean bag, you can get it lower than you would normally hand holding. So it’s juggling with those shutter speeds really, and getting a safe shot and then just reducing your shutter speeds to the lowest one you can get and still getting a sharp image.
Angela Nicholson (27:02)
got to think about that balance, haven’t you? Because it’s probably better to have a noisy image than one that’s a bit blurred.
Ann (27:04)
Yes.
Exactly. Yes.
Yes. Yeah. And because you can deal with noise a bit in post-processing.
Angela Nicholson (27:13)
Yeah, I was just going to say, because that has come on leaps and bounds in the last, well, not even, you know, in the last 12 months. It’s just incredible how far you can push the ISO up now and get get good images. Would you recommend that people take beanbags or is it something that tends to be in the in the Jeep?
Ann (27:16)
Hmm.
Yeah. Yeah.
They do have a couple of bean bags, but I’ve got one of these bean bags that has polystyrene balls in them. ⁓ It’s light and I can use it as a pillow on the plane. Because obviously weight is a problem. can’t take bean bags with sand or whatever and there’s nothing there to fill them with. So I tend to use the polystyrene one. A monopod.
Angela Nicholson (27:32)
Mm-hmm.
Uh-huh. so it’s light.
Good thinking, very good thinking.
Yeah.
Ann (27:55)
It could be used in the Jeep as well. ⁓ Yeah, that’s possible. But even just resting it on the side of the Jeep, it works quite well.
Angela Nicholson (27:57)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah. Have you seen a SpeediGimbal? I think that’s really good. It’s basically like a cup and ball, isn’t it? So you use that. Yeah. You use it to rest your camera on your monopod and it’s really flexible. So that’s really good for taking the weight.
Ann (28:08)
Yes, I’ve got one. yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And actually, ⁓
I think one of the group has bought a clamp that she thought she could fit onto the side of the Jeep to use with the SpeediGimbal. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Angela Nicholson (28:26)
Yeah. Yeah. Yes, I’ve seen those. Okay.
Well, Ann, thank you so much for answering all those questions. It’s been fabulous talking with you and I cannot wait until we get to go to the Masai Mara together.
Ann (28:36)
Yes, certainly. Yeah,
it’ll be fantastic. Yeah, it’d be absolutely wonderful. Thank you very much, Angela. Thank you.
Angela Nicholson (28:42)
Thank you, okay, bye bye.
You’re welcome, bye
Angela Nicholson (28:48)
Thanks for joining me for this episode of the SheClicks Women in Photography podcast. I hope you enjoyed it. Special thanks to everyone who sent in a question. You’ll find links to Ann’s social media channels and website in the show notes. I’ll be back with another episode soon, so please subscribe to the show and tell all your friends and followers about it. You’ll also find SheClicks on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube if you search for SheClicksNet. So until next time, enjoy your photography.
