Look before you shoot

Taking your time and learning to embrace the wait is an essential skill in the world of wildlife

- Tom Mason

Tom Mason Wild Life

Pro wildlife photographer and Nikon Europe Ambassador Tom has worked around the globe on assignments to capture photographs of all creatures great and small, from the Falkland Islands to the Amazon Rainforest. www.tommasonphoto.com

I’m trying to suppress my breathing, taking control in order to reduce the noise that seems so loud. The only sounds around are the trill of skylarks and the light wind. It’s quiet, so any noise I make will be a dead giveaway. There’s a good reason why I’m a little worn out, I’ve just covered about 500m through the local fields: a mixture of speed in order to get ahead of my subjects, and a long, drawn-out, military-style crawl to get closer. But it’s time to slow down.

We’ve all done it; moved too soon, watched our subjects catch wind or a glimpse of us, turn around, and bolt. It doesn’t matter how good your fieldcraft is, it happens because, even though some might claim arrogance at the level of their stealth, nature is a damn lot better at it than we are. I love the challenge.