This week we enjoyed a talk by Clive Duncan about his photography trip to the Pantanal area in South America. The Pantanal is a large wetland (larger than England), mostly located in Brazil, but also overlapping the borders of Bolivia and Paraguay. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the largest tropical wetland in the world.
Clive began the evening by explaining that he has had many trips in the last 10 years visiting Central and South American for his bird photography. He usually travels independently, arranging flights to an area and thereafter making his own arrangements locally regarding accommodation and guides. Despite this wide experience in self-sufficiency, Clive found it was not possible to reach the Pantanal in this way, and that he had to make local travel arrangements as more of a packaged trip. The accommodation offered in his case can best be described as a large house boats on the water. Although these boats were generally moored up, they are capable of moving from place to place.
Clive explained that he was having his main 500mm f/5.6 lens repaired by Nikon before his trip, but that unexpectedly this could not be completed before departure. This would have been a disaster, but Nikon generously loaned him a far more powerful and massive 600mm f/4 lens. This was so large that it arrived in its own suitcase, and required a great deal of strength and practice to hand-hold successfully during long days of shooting.
Once in the Pantanal excursions to take pictures of the local wildlife were usually made using local guides, and small boats able to take a number of photographers at the same time. The area is rich with wildlife including caiman, otters, tapirs, jaguars, ocelot, deer, capybara and numerous types of monkey. And too many species of bird to possibly list them here in such a short blog.
Clive tells us that he fired off more than 20,000 shots during this trip, and that most of these were taken with his long lens at its maximum aperture. This was necessary to achieve a sufficiently fast shutter speed to make hand holding that lens possible, particularly from an unsteady boat.
Despite these challenges the lens produced some very sharp images with incredible detail in the fur and feathers of his subjects. ISO levels were usually very high, with some post-processing being necessary to achieve satisfactory results. Overall, Clive was very impressed with the performance of that borrowed lens. So much so that he is now the proud owner of this model.
Our thanks to Clive for taking the considerable time required to prepare his 200 image slide deck, and to talk us through his experiences. An enticing journey for our members, with a selection of images to impress us all.
Photocraft Camera Club of Wallington always welcomes new members. Whether you’re just starting out or have years of experience, our club is a community of passionate photographers who share a love for capturing the world through the lens. We offer a supportive and inspiring environment where you can learn, grow, and connect with like-minded individuals. Join us for our regular workshops, critique evenings, photo-shoots, and social events as we explore the art and craft of photography together.
Explore our website to learn more about our club and how you can become part of our vibrant community. Don’t forget to check out our upcoming events on the What’s On page to see when we’ll gather next at St. Patrick’s, or get in touch with our membership secretary.
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