We often find ourselves awed by how beautiful nature photos can be. But have we once stopped to wonder how hard photographers work to capture the perfect shot? Wildlife photographer Alan McFadyen will give us an idea.
McFadyen fell in love with nature and wildlife through his grandfather. “I remember my grandfather taking me to see the kingfisher nest and I just remember being completely blown away by how magnificent the birds are”, said McFadyen.
Alan McFadyen
He took photography 6 years ago, and as a tribute to his grandfather, McFadyen set out to capture the perfect shot of a diving kingfisher. He set strict parameters for the photograph – the kingfisher has to be perfectly vertical while diving splash-less into the water. Because of that, it took McFadyen 6 years, and by his count, 4,200 hours and 720,000 photos before finally capturing the perfect photograph.
Alan McFadyen
“I would often go and take 600 pictures in a session and not a single one of them be any good”.
Alan McFadyen
His hard work and dedication paid off because finally, he was able to capture this… Beautiful, isn’t it?
Alan McFadyen
“I never really stopped to think about how long it was taking along the way as I enjoyed doing it but now I look back on it I’m really proud of the picture and the work I put in”.
Alan McFadyen
“I’m sure my grandfather would have loved it, I just wish he could have seen it. All of my family contacted me when they saw it and said he would have been so proud of it”.
Alan McFadyen
McFadyen hopes that his eight-year-old son will also share his love for nature.