Nature’s best

Mammals

Kevin Morgans

Kevin is a multi-award-winning wildlife photographer and photographic guide. His work celebrates the best wildlife the British Isles has to offer from its highest peaks to its beautiful coastline. See more of his work at www.kevinmorgans.com.

Since the turn of the year, the nation has been on lockdown, making it difficult to get out with our cameras and do what we love most. While it feels like our lives have been put on hold, the natural world has not stopped. Wildlife is still going about its daily routines as normal, albeit under less pressure from humans. With the days now starting to lengthen, spring is just around the corner. This is one of the busiest times for our nation’s wildlife as they set about preparing for the upcoming breeding season.

Work locally

Photographing in your local area allows you round-the-clock access to be on location quickly when the perfect conditions arise. Being able to explore your local patch freely and getting to know what wildlife is accessible, you’ll soon build up a good knowledge of knowing where and when to find different species. So when the conditions are perfect, you know where to be and are able to manoeuvre freely, exploring every possible angle and manipulating light to your advantage. The way I view photography is it is never about the subject but the light.

Set a long-term project

Each photographer has their own way of working. I like to work on long-term projects with an individual species. Over the past few years I have worked extensively with two species, the Atlantic puffin during the summer months; and the UK’s only true Arctic species, the mountain hare, during the cold winter months. Working with just one or two species over an extended period of time has allowed me a detailed insight into their lives, witnessing many