08/12/2020: Speakers – Ann and Steve Toon

The title of this weeks talk was 'Lights, Big Game, Action'. As you would probably guess, this talk was about wildlife photography and more specifically safari wildlife photography.

It was given by husband and wife team Steve and Ann Toon. They also just happen to be the son and daughter-in-law to our members Keith and Val Toon. Steve and Ann started out as magazine journalists before becoming full time wildlife photographers with a passion for the wild places and game parks of Southern Africa. Having visited for more than 20 years they have also become involved with various conservation projects, promoting these through their published articles and photographs.

Many years ago I read a quote, ironically, from a photographic book which might have been from Mark Twain stating: “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

This seems to epitomise Ann and Steve's approach to their photography. They talk enthusiastically about their time in the parks and the range of animals that are there to photograph but also very conscious and concerned about the animals that are endangered. You would probably be forgiven for thinking their images show the animals (and birds) standing large in the frame but this is often very far from the truth. As much importance is given to the surroundings as is given to the subject - and in some cases the surrounding location IS the subject.

Photography is full of 'rules' - the rule of thirds, balance, framing etc but it is okay to break them. Putting a giraffe in the lower half of a picture with it's long neck breaking the horizon is fine but when you put the horizon in the bottom sixth of the frame giving the remaining seven sixths over to the sky, then surely that is 'wrong' - no it worked and worked very well.

Then there was the gemsbok standing in the desert! No sky just red sand with the occasion tuft of vegetation and rock with the gemsbok occupying the bottom right hand corner (not even the bottom right hand third!). The white patches on the animals face and dark stripe running along it's lower belly were what made it stand out - and the fact it was looking into the image preventing the viewer from wandering out.

Or the leopard lounging on a bare branch, nothing else. Even the sky was uninteresting and white but the image worked - the leopard was the focus and you were simply drawn to it. Yes, the sky (if you can call it that) and the branch were there but so was the leopard and that is where you are commanded to look.

All these images show that rules can be broken (and maybe should be broken) provided the composition is sound.

A lot of the time the animals seem to be insignificant within the image showing more of the landscape they live in, giving a little story of the environment. Having the subject appearing to be insignificant in the frame does allow for the inclusion copy type in a magazine article.

But then you get the huge gaping mouth of a hippo and not a lot else - you just hope it doesn't clap it's jaws shut on you!

This is a very competitive field of photography so to be successful you have to think differently. Sometimes rather than taking that cute image of a meerkat being front lit, take it 'contre-jour' (literally 'against the day' but traditionally 'against daylight'). We know what a meerkat looks like (or at least we should given the amount of advertising a certain comparison website employs ... ) so showing it in a silhouette style doesn't detract from the subject. You have shape and form given by the light so you don't need every last bit of detail.

Make the viewer look twice or do a double take and you've got them!

One final thought I took away from the talk was to think of photography as a project rather than a single image (although single images will undoubtedly crop up) as a means to enhance your own individual experience and make sure you include a sense of place.

12 December 2020.