Sean Weekly is a professional wildlife photographer based in Wales, UK with his own bespoke hideout at Gigrin Farm Red Kite Feeding Station. He changed careers in the military and moved to Singapore in 2010 where he bought his first Canon DSLR and never looked back.
He now works as a guide for the travel agency Wildlife Worldwide, leading numerous photography trips and 1-2-1 sessions. We recently caught up with Sean to find out his tips and tricks for wildlife photography plus the essential camera kit he couldn’t live without.
• Read more: The best professional cameras
“I have been interested in photography since I moved to Singapore in 2010 as part of a career change in the military. Singapore was full of diverse nature: wild long-tailed macaques living opposite of me and snakes, lizards and tropical birds all inside, just around the corner too – impossible not to be interested!
“I now live in rural mid Wales and being surrounded by the natural world here gives me countless opportunities to develop my photography skills. My passion and work have taken me all over the world, taking photos of a wide range of wildlife.”
“For me, the most important aspect of wildlife photography is being outdoors, breathing fresh air and being one with nature,” he continues.
“I recommend that you try not to compare yourself to others, because there are a lot of amazing photographers out there today. I find that comparing yourself to people will only serve to destroy your creativity when it comes to producing beautiful images. Photograph what you love and love and your photography will naturally thrive.
“My favorite photo this year was of a leucistic red kite on the ground during heavy snowfall, captured from my hideout in Wales. Unlike albinism, leucism does not completely eliminate pigment ;these birds appear lighter than normal, but are not completely white.There are only about ten leucistic red kites in all of Wales, so getting this particular picture of one on the ground under a heavy snowfall is probably a once-in-a-lifetime photograph!”
You can find more information about Sean’s classes at his websiteand more of his impressive work can be seen on his instagram.
“I’ve been shooting with Canon cameras for over ten years now and I wouldn’t change a thing. I like the ease with which I find the controls and button layout, I also find the colors on my Canon cameras really pop, which I haven’t found with other cameras My latest DSLR is the EOS 5D Mark IV, which does everything I need to do with excellent weather sealing when shooting outdoors – 30MP is perfect for cropping a subject when you can’t get any closer.”
“I also kept my trusty Canon EOS 5D Mark III body as a backup, just in case my main camera failed while shooting, as that would mean I would have to pack my bags and stop shooting. take pictures earlier. . Although the 5D Mark III is a bit of a dated camera, it’s still a great workhorse, fully compatible with my full-frame Canon EF lenses, boasting a 22.3MP resolution and 61 AF system. points.
03. Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM Mark II
“This telephoto lens is my favorite piece of equipment, I’ve shot with many different Canon lenses, but this beast is incredibly fast and sharp. The depth of field and soft, creamy bokeh it produces at f/2.8 are nothing short of stunning. I shoot pretty much all of my wide-aperture images at f/2.8 and it’s become part of my signature style. »
• Best telephoto lenses
04. Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Mark II
“Most professional wildlife photographers own a 70-200mm lens and for good reason! This one is much lighter and more portable than my big 300mm lens, but it’s still very sharp and versatile. The zoom range is a bit wider than my 300mm lens, so it’s handy for more environmental shots where I want to include more of the surrounding wildlife habitat.”
• Best 70-200mm lenses
05. Canon EF 2x Extender III
“I use it on occasion when field craft alone can’t get me close enough to my subject. I’ll put it on my 300mm f/2.8 lens, which brings it to a 600mm focal length, one of the reasons why this teleconverter is often referred to as a “doubler”, but it also reduces the light entering the lens by two stops, so that the aperture goes from f/2.8 to f/5 .6 in terms of the amount of light coming in. The lens is still incredibly fast and the image quality is excellent.
• The Best Teleconverters and How They Work
06. Benro Series 1 Adventure Tripod
“I love shooting handheld for the most part, but there are rare times when I need a tripod. I love using this Benro Series 1 Adventure Tripod as it gives me incredible flexibility. However, it There are times when I shoot creative images where I will use my tripod, for example, when shooting long exposures and slow shutter panning.”
• Best tripods
Read more:
Canon EOS R5 review
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV review
The best Canon cameras
The best Canon lenses
The best professional cameras
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