Nikon Interviews Harry Skeggs, Wildlife Photographer

© Harry Skeggs

Harry Skeggs is a travel and wildlife photographer who was bitten by the bug at a young age thanks to David Attenborough's wonderful documentaries. 

After taking a year out to travel in Brazil and studying the history of art as a degree at Cambridge, his eye for photography really came into its own. After becoming frustrated at the results from a basic compact camera, he purchased a second hand Nikon D40 which began his journey into professional photography. 

Harry originally wanted to be a painter but his degree really opened his eyes to what's possible through photos. He's always loved the quality of Nikon glass and the diversity of lenses available. He's currently shooting with a D750 and a host of prime lenses.

Nikon is lending him a D5 to put through the paces along with a 500mm f/4 lens, 200-500mm f/5.6 zoom and 105mm f/1.4 portrait lenses on a Papua New Guinea trip. 

Harry says: "The D5's frame rate is so addictive for the wildlife photographer, and the ISO capacity is off the charts, which is key in the jungle when you need a fast enough ISO to enable the right shutter speed. I particularly want to photograph birds of paradise, which are quite skittish – so being able to have a fast enough ISO to capture them with a telephoto and not just end up with a fuzzy green ball in the shot is totally liberating."

© Harry Skeggs

Harry currently still works part-time in the city as well as partaking in photography, but increasingly he finds himself heading off on adventures for clients, such as Reef and Rainforest which is the company he's working with to go to Papua New Guinea. 

In the full interview with Nikon, Harry has given some sound advice for aspiring photographers: "My advice would be to constantly shift your perspective. We're so used to seeing the world 6ft off the ground – so climb a tree, lie in a puddle, get a different shooting angle – that's the quickest sure-fire way to get something different. And constantly experiment. When you find an interesting angle, then try another one. You never know what's going to be the shot.

The best advice I've been given was by [Nikon Ambassador] David Yarrow, who told me the 3Rs of photography – research, which is key to getting yourself in the right place at the right time with the best chances of getting a good result; relatability, which means telling a story and helping people relate to it and keep their eye on the picture; and relentlessness – you have to keep going, because you haven't got the shot until you've got the shot, and never giving up even when hurdles get in the way."

Read the full interview on the Nikon Behind the Lens website.