Take advantage of isolation

Self isolation can be just what a photographer needs, in trying times or otherwise…

- Tom Mason

The sun has gone behind a deep bank of cloud that’s now overhead and the wind is cold on my face. I’m hauling myself along a set of tractor lines through a local field, each move forward delivering a new uncomfortable pressure or piece of flint into my knee, as I try and stay as low as possible, pushing my D850, 300mm f/2.8 and a 2kg beanbag along in front of me. The technique is a core-busting army crawl I’ve been doing since I was 14.

When it comes to being comfortable alone, I think it’s a requirement for wildlife photographers. Hours, days and weeks can sometimes go past while you remain in the same location – alone, waiting, or working silently, to get that close encounter with your subjects.