Image Copyright (c) Melissa Groo
With a New Year ahead and everyone looking at setting new goals, Nature Photography Simplified asked 14 of the top bird photographers in the world what some of their achievements in 2015 were, and what goals they have for 2016.
https://www.naturephotographysimplified.com/bird-photography/top-14-bird-photographers-world-achievements-goals/
Bird photographer, conservationist and Sandhill Cranes Workshop instructor Melissa Groo was among the elite photographers who were interviewed, and she gives great advice for bird photographers that they can utilize in 2016.
Via Nature Photography Simplified
1. What are your 2 biggest achievements in the year 2015?
It’s been a remarkable year for me, with many publications, awards, and print sales, and a lot of travel to lead workshops and work on stories for magazines. I guess my most obvious achievements would have to be my Grand Prize in the National Audubon Society’s annual photography contest (for a photo of a Great Egret), and my being hired to write a regular column on wildlife photography for Outdoor Photographer magazine, beginning with the first issue of 2016.
2. What are your goals for the year 2016 (w.r.t bird photography)?
My goals are to keep finding ways to educate people about birds, and to support their welfare and conservation as much as I can with my photos. In terms of what I capture, to keep pushing myself to include more habitat so I can show that important relationship between a bird and its environment. And, as always, to venture to a couple of bird-rich destinations that I have never been (I have two wonderful locations in the planning stages…).
3. What is your best advice for the bird photographers?
Stay with your subject. Work it for as long as you can. You don’t need 50 different subjects in one day. You need one willing one that you have carefully made comfortable with your presence, and you need to photograph it over a period of time in which you can observe all the little nuances of its life. I really believe that only by really spending time with your subject will you come up with truly interesting and unique photos. And that the less you disturb or influence your subject, the more authentic your work will become.