WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY is peppered with mavericks whose efforts and innovations laid the foundations for the diverse, exciting genre that exists today. We're so accustomed to seeing incredible photographs of wild animals now that we rarely bat an eyelid at charismatic portraits of rare species. But wildlife photography wasn't always as ubiquitous as it is today, neither was it always as easy to photograph animals in the wild.
It began with photography enthusiasts of the mid-to-late 19th century. Early subjects of theirs included big game killed on safari or animals in zoos, since dead or caged animals were easier to photograph than animals in the wild, which tended to be difficult to find and fast moving. Birds on their nests were another favourite because they stayed relatively still.
As photographic technology evolved in the decades around the turn of the century, wildlife photographs became not just easier to take, but also more creative. Leading the way in those years were the Kearton brothers, Richard and Cherry. The pair grew up in North Yorkshire and became famous for their innovative and sometimes bizarre methods of photographing birds, which involved climbing ladders tied to the highest tree branches and hanging off cliffs. Richard, a trailblazer in the creation of portable photographic hides, was behind the infamous taxidermy ox hide, which, on one occasion, toppled over after he fainted inside it. In 1892, the brothers took the first photograph of birds' eggs in a nest, and in 1895, produced the first natural history book illustrated with photographs: British Birds' Nests: How, Where and When to Find and Identify Them.
Denne historien er fra Spring 2022-utgaven av BBC Wildlife.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra Spring 2022-utgaven av BBC Wildlife.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Does cloning create identical copies?
EMBRYOS ARE MADE OF STEM CELLS that divide to give rise to different types of cells, everything from skin to brain cells. Scientists once thought that reproductive cloning creating a genetically identical copy of an individual organism - would be impossible without using stem cells and that the path leading to mature 'differentiated' cells was irreversible. But clawed frogs proved them wrong...
Tool-using animals
Our pick of 10 species that exhibit this special skill
Mission Blue
Sylvia Earle has dedicated her life to marine conservation; she tells BBC Wildlife why protecting the ocean is essential to all life on earth
RESHARK
The world's first shark rewilding initiative has seen zebra sharks released in the waters of Indonesia's Raja Ampat archipelago
ON DECK
Ferries aren't just for transport, they're also perfect vessels for conservation
IT'S A COLOURFUL LIFE
Delve into the unique and complex biology of the clownfish, arguably the world's most famous fish
BAHAMAS BENEATH
A dive into the waters of this famous island nation with the creatures that call it home
"To save the reef, we need everybody involved"
Indigenous peoples may hold the key to protecting the Great Barrier Reef
SPINNING AROUND
Going around in circles proves fruitful for this filter-feeder
BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
On balmy evenings, amorous beetles put on a spellbinding show in North American forests