SheFeatures: Laura Galbraith
Name: Laura Galbraith
Camera: Canon EOS R5
Favourite type of photography: Wildlife
Website: lauragalbraithphotography.co.uk
Instagram: @lauragalbraithphotography
Location: Cambridge, UK
How did you get into photography?
I have always had a camera but didn’t take up photography seriously until I went to visit Malawi and Zambia in 2014. It was a very important trip for me as I was born in Malawi but was only a baby when we moved back to the UK, so it was my first experience of the country of my birth. At the end of the trip, I spent three nights in Zambia on safari and absolutely fell in love with pointing a camera at the wildlife (especially the elephants).
Do you have any photographic qualifications or accolades?
I am a Qualified member of The Guild of Photographers and have various awards from them.
What's the first photograph you remember seeing or shooting?
The first image I remember thinking, ‘I like that’ when I saw it on the back of my camera was one of a herd of elephants that had just emerged from a river and were two-toned. Their top half was dry and, therefore, light grey and their bottom half was wet and dark grey.
What do you love about photography?
I love how it makes you do things you might not otherwise do. It makes you engage in whatever you are viewing and allows you to be creative.
What do you wish you'd learned about photography earlier?
I’m not sure there is one specific thing I wish I had learned earlier. However, I wish I had discovered my love of taking wildlife images earlier.
Where is your favourite place for photography?
Either Africa for elephants and big cats or somewhere cold where there are penguins
Do you have a favourite photographic technique?
Playing with exposure.
Can you briefly outline your approach to image processing?
For wildlife images, I crop and adjust the highlights and shadows. I usually do some exposure adjustment and sharpening (using the Adobe Lightroom texture and clarity controls) on parts of the image to draw the viewer’s eye to the subject. Then, I apply any necessary noise reduction.
What's your favourite lens?
The Canon RF 400mm f2.8L IS USM.
Do you have a favourite accessory?
I love my little SanDisk SSD drives.
Have you found the perfect camera bag yet?
I have a collection, all from Think Tank.
Which photographers have influenced or inspired you, and how or why?
Paul Goldstein - my first photography safari was with him, and I still travel with him now. He takes stunning images and works very hard to get his clients into the best places/positions to capture interesting images.
Andrew Beck- I have travelled extensively with him. Again, he takes beautiful images and is very willing to share his knowledge.
Andrew James - he runs a photography community called Foto Buzz, which is where I learned loads when I was first learning about photography.
Please recommend 2 or 3 female photographers to follow on Instagram.
Molly Hollman @MollyHollmanphotography, Jayne Bond @studiomlino, Silke Hullmann @silkehullmann
Is there a camera, lens or accessory that you don't have yet but you'd like to buy at some point?
I’m eagerly awaiting the Canon R5 Mark II, but it hasn’t been announced yet. Whether I will be able to buy one remains to be seen.
Is there a genre of photography that you love but you haven't tried yet?
I can’t think of any
What's your proudest photographic moment?
So far winning Nature and Wildlife Image of the Year in 2020 with The Guild of Photographers.
If you could have one superpower that could help you with photography, what would it be?
It would be great if I could pause whatever is going on for long enough for me to set up my camera.
Your favourite baked goods are?
It’s got to be a cheese scone.
Please tell us a little about yourself.
I was born in Malawi and raised in Scotland. I’m a mad elephant woman (any day with an elephant in it is a good day). I genuinely still get excited every time I see one. My first job was teaching Glaswegian teenagers maths and IT; not much phases you after you have done that for a few years! I’m also a proud mum, an avid reader of fantasy and science fiction. My internal thermostat is completely broken, so I am usually wearing five more layers than everyone else.
