After a month overseas I have a slew of photos to go through, cull the bad ones and process the good ones. Since my days are filled with other important things like work, this will take me a while! So I’m going to kick off this set of new blogs with one about sitting still.

I was never a very patient person. Over a few years of learning to photograph wildlife, I’ve improved quite a bit. Being able to be patient and wait for things to come to you is one of the most important skills you can foster as a wildlife photographer. The reason for this is because approaching animals, especially birds, is likely to do one thing – scare them away. You can be pretty sure that if you walk towards just about anything, it will be off as soon as it sees you, and often even before you’ve seen it.

If you plant yourself in a likely spot, even if you’re not too well camouflaged, birds will often get used to your presence and wander past you quite unconcerned, and some will even perch nearby to have a look at you. As long as you’re outside their comfort zone, they won’t worry too much about you and what you’re doing, and get on with their own business.

Of course it is difficult to sit still when nothing is happening nearby, and all the action you can see is just too far away. That’s where patience comes in, and it’s a good thing to foster, and even to apply in everyday life.

The salt marshes in Knysna offered a good place to practice this, and Dad and I did on the few mornings and evenings we spent there. The birds drift closer and further depending on the tide, but are quite wary and made off when we walked over to find a place to sit. After half an hour or so, they were back to their usual feeding and wading and ignored us as long as we sat still and didn’t make too many sudden movements. It was a great place to get photos of Stilts, Egrets and other shorebirds, but letting them come to us was the only way to get close enough for any decent compositions. As the tide came in they got closer and closer, and the grasses in the marsh were covered with water which made for some lovely still reflections.

Patience gets you places! So practice it, because it can be learned.