As underwater photographers you can often have a particular shot in mind, or a particular species you want to add to your portfolio and so you arrange a trip to get a specific image or to photograph a specific event. But sometimes nature doesn’t always follow the same plan! Recently we organised a 4 day trip to Cornwall to photograph Basking Sharks and currently Nick is away in South Africa to get images from the Sardine Run. In these modern times of instant gratification with next day delivery, online access to all the information you could want, fast food and the like, it can be quite reassuring that you can’t always get what you want.
Of our 4 days booked to be out looking for Basking Sharks off the Cornish Coast this month, 1 day was cancelled due to bad weather. The other 3 days were perfect, all the zooplankton a Basking Shark could wish for was floating along in shallow water, flat calm seas and sunshine – but not a shark (or anything else for that matter) in sight. We spent, very pleasant, long days trailing up and down the coastline, eager to get in the water with these amazing fish, lots of anticipation – but not a sausage.
In South Africa, today, there are reports of the sardines in small pockets, there are rumours that this is going to be one of the greatest sardine runs in decades – but 2 days out on the boat has not produced a single underwater shot. 3 more days to go to get a bit of luck! Fingers crossed Nick!
On Sunday, I was out on a boat in the Farne Islands, the skipper looking glum at our prospects of finding any dive site suitable to dive, let alone get close to the Atlantic Grey Seals that we were there to photograph. Then a bit of surf caught his eye and the boat changed direction to one of my favourite dive sites, Megstone, surely we could not be that lucky – but tides, surge and current at this one spot were perfect. The seals were in playful mood and we had one of those special encounters you wish for.
Nature, Climate Change, Weather Conditions, Luck, Expertise. I guess that the point I am trying to make is that you cannot take the fabulous marine life interactions, that we hope for on every trip, for granted. You cannot predict with 100% accuracy when migratory species will arrive (or even if they will show up at all) and so when you do get a great experience, it is to be cherished and the opportunity grasped, with camera in hand and at the ready. It does us good to not be instantly gratified on every whim – to leave us wanting to get back into the water for more.
You can’t always get what you want...
But if you try sometimes you just might find
You get what you need
You get what you need
