Wildlife Photographers

Wildlife photographer George Fenns is a man who loves his job. 'When I was three, a neighbour's kid taught me to climb our fence,' he recalls. 'I slipped away and brought back a snake I found on the road. I've been interested in wildlife ever since.' George's parents encouraged his enthusiasm for animals and also nurtured his appreciation of art, which led to photography. 'I sold turtles for two dollars each when I was sixteen,' he says. 'That money got me my first camera.' He now spends three months a year photographing life underwater. In 1999 he braved the frigid Pacific Ocean to do a series of photos on salmon, and he also wrote an article about it for a wildlife magazine, which won him an award as a journalist. His latest job was in the Arctic in freezing temperatures. 'I'd now like a job where it's warm and sunny,' he says. He never complains about the rigours of his job, but would like to have time to write articles and train young photographers who are starting out in this profession.

Photographer Paul Sommer is working in Siberia. 'On bad days it can be minus 20 degrees, with a strong wind,' he says. He protects his film from freezing by keeping it inside his gloves. 'You get used to it,' he says. Siberia is a far cry from his childhood in north Brazil. His years at college gave him no hint of future high adventure either: 'I worked two jobs – as a waiter and as a restaurant manager – to get money for college,' he says. And his efforts paid off when he finished his degree. He was offered a job as a journalist in an award-winning newspaper but said no to it in order to concentrate on photography. His contract as a photographer in Siberia does not pay as much as he would have got as a journalist. However, he has no regrets. 'My photos have been used by researchers who are studying animals here. They have been the basis for important pieces in scientific journals,' he says, 'so this is a very satisfying job!'

Freelance photographer Roger Miller is on a contract to take photos of volcanoes, of the lava that flows after an eruption, and of the animal life around these areas. He is aware of the risks involved in his assignments but takes it all in his stride. By age 11, Roger was building his own telescopes and photographing stars. 'I was a very shy kid. The camera made me comfortable around people,' he says. In 1970 a science instructor took Roger and his classmates to Mexico to view a total solar eclipse. It was this experience and the help of the science teacher that prompted him to take up photography as a career. 'My parents wanted me to become a writer,' he says, 'they have not lost hope.' His parents may have to wait a long time because Roger's newest challenge in his next assignment is teaching astronauts how to set up their equipment to photograph the activities around the space vehicle. After that, he is planning to take a year off to complete a degree in geology, which he started years ago.

Nathan Ribbs spends a lot of his time on a 30-metre-high platform that puts him at eye level with the nests of rare birds in the jungle. The platform is very small and the danger of falling off it is evident to everyone except Roger. 'It's like taking pictures from a hill,' he says. For each of his jobs, the steel structure for the platform often has to go on river canoes and along difficult forest trails. 'But it is very rewarding to see and photograph animals that few people will ever see. I do this work because I think these creatures have to be protected so they won't disappear altogether.' Nathan has no intention of returning to his previous job as a photographer of animals held in captivity. 'Zoos are undergoing very positive changes,' he says, 'they are now a leading method of educating about the natural world. But I've done my share of that kind of photography. This is so much more challenging.'