THURSDAY 11th November 2021
Photographing the Diversity of Mammals
Robert Harvey BA ARPS EFIAP CSci CEnv MCIWEM
Wiltshire based professional photographer Robert Harvey last visited the club in October 2016, so it was a joy to find that he accepted our request for a return visit. Little did we know at the time that his illustrated talk would take us all around the world!
As Robert displayed images of the numerous variety of mammals, he spoke with a great depth of knowledge about the size, form, relationship and habits of each creature photographed. Who knew that a whale was related to a hippopotamus?
Although Robert began the evening by showing a complete list of all the mammals in the world, the time restriction meant that we were only able to see a selection of about one hundred and fifty images of certain types of mammals.
Of all the photographic subjects, wild mammals must be one of the most challenging, not only for the remote regions they inhabit but also the time needed to capture ‘that image’. Robert showed that he has a bountiful amount of skill and patience and kept us enthralled for a full two hours with superb shots from many of the top wildlife destinations across the world.
Not all images were taken in far flung places, The Cairngorms in the Highlands of Scotland provided the setting for the outstanding shots of the mountain hare, wearing both its winter and summer coat, whilst further away Sri Lanka, Malawi and Zambia were the areas Robert visited to take stunning photographs of the Asian and African elephants. The stripes of the zebra made for some really interesting abstract type images.
The quality of each image shone through and we saw some very unusual and offbeat photographs of animals such as giant anteaters, wolves and gorillas that the majority of us will never see in the flesh.
Our chairman, David Brookes, gave the vote of thanks and the club members showed their appreciation by unmuting themselves on the zoom meeting and giving Robert a round of applause.