Talking to Otters
10th June 2011
Otters. Isle of Mull 28th May to 4th June 2011
On Otters and the latest photos.
Back on the Island this turned out to be an unusual week. I started the week with some okay pictures of Otters and ended up with great images of Otters. Now this not me being big headed this is about 2 things, a big slice of luck and a bit of “Field craft”.
If you want a good image of an Otter you need to be able to do several things. Firstly you need to be up at first light which is okay in the winter and spring but a bit of a pain in the summer, why? because first light in the summer in the north of Scotland is about 4am.
Secondly you need to be comfortable with sitting around for hours, running, jumping, tripping, slipping, bruising, soaking, banging your gear and the ability to walk away from 5 hours of the above with no result.
What Otters do is feed and then either come ashore for a sleep or to eat something big. As an Otter photographer what you are aiming to do is be close enough to take an image when they come ashore. This involves staying down wind from the otter and following it without being seen or smelled so that when they come ashore you are close, unseen and do not impact on the Otter or put it under stress. They are not easy to photograph and that is why there are very few good photos of Otters knocking around.
This time everything came together.
They do not know it but every Otter that I have photographed has been talked too for hours. The conversation is always pretty similar and goes like this.
“Alright you have had enough to eat now and it is time you landed here now”.
“Oh come on, you cannot be serious you have already swam 2 miles what is wrong with the fish here”.
“That’s it baby just bring that Crab over here and eat it on this rock, what!, nooo don’t go that way you need to eat it here.
And upon being sussed by the Otter.
“Okay you have been underwater for 5 minutes now, the games up, show me where you are. Look there is another Otter a mile away, come up and have a look, bugger, that is you, ok it’s your loss,I could have made you famous”.
Needless to say time spent on your own with Otters plays tricks on your mind.
On this occasion having watched the otter for about 15 mins, I saw him dive, I ran into what I thought was an ambitious position and merged into the rock. Up he came with a big crab and started swimming ashore in my direction.
“Wow this good “ I thought and started clicking away thinking that any moment he will see me and slope off somewhere.
“Bloody hell” I thought its getting closer but will see me soon and do one.
“Oh my God” he is coming ashore better keep clicking because he will see me soon and go.
”Okay calm down” I thought as he sat down to eat the crab 7 yards way in perfect sunshine.
” Okay check the live view to make sure you have not knocked the settings off”
Having checked everything was OK I carried on clicking until the Otter finished his meal and looked up at me as if to say “ you better have got my good side” and then went back to catching crabs.
Left speechless and with my hands shaking I went back to the car and drove the 30 mins back to the cottage. I am not prone to emotional outbursts but I have to say that while I was uploading the photos I might have shed the odd tear. My long suffering wife on the other hand might have described me as a bit of a wreck waiting to see if the pictures were okay. They were and 2 external hard drives and 2 USB sticks later I felt safe enough to gloat, whoop and holler.
On Otters and the latest photos.
Back on the Island this turned out to be an unusual week. I started the week with some okay pictures of Otters and ended up with great images of Otters. Now this not me being big headed this is about 2 things, a big slice of luck and a bit of “Field craft”.
If you want a good image of an Otter you need to be able to do several things. Firstly you need to be up at first light which is okay in the winter and spring but a bit of a pain in the summer, why? because first light in the summer in the north of Scotland is about 4am.
Secondly you need to be comfortable with sitting around for hours, running, jumping, tripping, slipping, bruising, soaking, banging your gear and the ability to walk away from 5 hours of the above with no result.
What Otters do is feed and then either come ashore for a sleep or to eat something big. As an Otter photographer what you are aiming to do is be close enough to take an image when they come ashore. This involves staying down wind from the otter and following it without being seen or smelled so that when they come ashore you are close, unseen and do not impact on the Otter or put it under stress. They are not easy to photograph and that is why there are very few good photos of Otters knocking around.
This time everything came together.
They do not know it but every Otter that I have photographed has been talked too for hours. The conversation is always pretty similar and goes like this.
“Alright you have had enough to eat now and it is time you landed here now”.
“Oh come on, you cannot be serious you have already swam 2 miles what is wrong with the fish here”.
“That’s it baby just bring that Crab over here and eat it on this rock, what!, nooo don’t go that way you need to eat it here.
And upon being sussed by the Otter.
“Okay you have been underwater for 5 minutes now, the games up, show me where you are. Look there is another Otter a mile away, come up and have a look, bugger, that is you, ok it’s your loss,I could have made you famous”.
Needless to say time spent on your own with Otters plays tricks on your mind.
On this occasion having watched the otter for about 15 mins, I saw him dive, I ran into what I thought was an ambitious position and merged into the rock. Up he came with a big crab and started swimming ashore in my direction.
“Wow this good “ I thought and started clicking away thinking that any moment he will see me and slope off somewhere.
“Bloody hell” I thought its getting closer but will see me soon and do one.
“Oh my God” he is coming ashore better keep clicking because he will see me soon and go.
”Okay calm down” I thought as he sat down to eat the crab 7 yards way in perfect sunshine.
” Okay check the live view to make sure you have not knocked the settings off”
Having checked everything was OK I carried on clicking until the Otter finished his meal and looked up at me as if to say “ you better have got my good side” and then went back to catching crabs.
Left speechless and with my hands shaking I went back to the car and drove the 30 mins back to the cottage. I am not prone to emotional outbursts but I have to say that while I was uploading the photos I might have shed the odd tear. My long suffering wife on the other hand might have described me as a bit of a wreck waiting to see if the pictures were okay. They were and 2 external hard drives and 2 USB sticks later I felt safe enough to gloat, whoop and holler.