This year AISM is trying out a brand new interest-based Week Without Walls program. One of the options is a once in a lifetime mini course to learn how to photo document wildlife.
By Danielle
To all of you photography lovers out there, don’t be afraid to join in the fun at Kruger National Park this May 20-24 for a WWW trip that will be about not only finding a group of people with a similar interest, but also capturing your memories together through high quality photography.
The video below is a promotional piece developed for my Personal Project to encourage students to sign up for this great opportunity. It is open to those looking to try out wildlife photography for the first time, as well as those looking to practice their existing skills. The relevant grade levels have been sent a Google Form for WWW sign ups and if you have any questions, be sure to ask Ms. Rose, Mr. Peter or me. Take a shot at this fun experience and capture this moment in your life when you are surrounded by the wonders of African nature.
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Reporting by Mr. Rui AISM Magazine caught up this week with the winner of our school’s recent photography competition, 9th grader Samuel. We asked Sam about the inspiration behind his stunning image and for his advice for other aspiring photographers in our community. Check out his Instagram for many more of his striking images. What gave you the inspiration for the shot? “Well, I’ve been practicing wildlife photography for about 2-3 years now and my goal has always been to capture the beauty of nature, so in that sense nature itself is my inspiration. It’s taken me some time to develop my photography skills to the point where I feel I can produce images which show something profound about the world we live in. I’ve been really inspired by other photographers too of course, most notably for this shot Thomas Vijayan, who helped me to improve my ability to produce silhouette shots like this one. Thomas has even followed me on Instagram, which of course is validating and gives me confidence that he appreciates my work also.” What meanings did you try to capture with this shot of the bird in the sunset? “For me, there is something important here and this is that it is not easy to take wildlife shots here in Mozambique. Whereas in, say, Kruger National Park the animals are already used to having humans around and don’t just run away at the first sight of us, here it is much harder to get close to animals that live in the truer wilderness. This makes it harder to capture the beauty of Mozambique’s wildlife since the animals are often too far away from us. Part of my motivation is to raise awareness of the stunning wildlife in Mozambique, such as that seen in the place I took this photo in: San Sebastian Sanctuary in Vilanculos. For example, the bird itself is a rare one: an Olive Bee Eater, also known as a Madagascar Bee Eater. Through photos like this, people can notice and enjoy the rich diversity of nature.” What technical decisions did you make to achieve the effects you wanted? “The key thing with this shot - and with many - is my placement. The sun was setting and so I didn’t have much time to get into the best position, to find the right line for the best light possible. I adjusted my ISO settings quickly to catch the bee eater before it moved. I’ve found that a lot of experimentation and the willingness to get dirty sometimes to get down on the ground to eye level are important to get more precise, dynamic shots.” What advice would you give to any aspiring nature photographers? “My main advice is to work hard! In the end, it comes down to how much effort you are willing to put in to develop your skills in an artform like photography. There’s no substitute for hours of experience, where you learn about your camera and push your own limits each time. I would advise students to start as early as possible in their school life as the workload increases once you get to the later MYP and then the DP years, so it’s better to hone your skills earlier if possible.” Great advice from a great young photographer. Do take another look at Sam’s winning image and breathe in its deep celebration of the beauty and magic around us in Moz, not to mention how the art of photography itself allows us to capture fleeting moments of life like this. For more of Sam's images, go to his Instagram page. |
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