Paul Hobson: Wildlife Photographer

Osprey Catch by Paul Hobson, Specially Commended for Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009

A former teacher from Sheffield has been Specially Commended in the world's most prestigious wildlife photography competition.

Paul Hobson has loved animals all his life and as a boy used to collect all sorts from snakes to voles and lizards.

But his life took him in the direction of teaching and it was not until Paul was Specially Commended in the 2009 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition that he took the leap to give up teaching after 20 years, and work on wildlife photography full time.

33,000 people from 87 countries took part in this year's contest, which is the ultimate for amateur and professionals alike.

The winner was a photo of a leopard in a snowstorm by Steve Winter from the USA, while it was a photographer from Sheffield who was Specially Commended in the adult category of bird behaviour.

Paul Hobson took the stunning photograph of an Osprey catching a fish in Finland.

Paul Hobson has been keen on wildlife photography since his thirties

To get his stunning photo of the bird of prey moments after it had snatched a fish from the lake, Paul spent five days in a little wooden hide in Southern Finland.

"Osprey are very difficult to photograph in Britain but it's much easier in Southern Finland while they migrate. The image was taken on the last day of five days living in the hide.

"I had to take all my food on the plane for five days and the weight allowance was so small that I used it all up on camera gear.

"Pot Noodles and Marmite sandwiches are light so I packed my coat pockets with enough for five days, plus a small camping stove. I haven't eaten a pot noodle since but I have just re-found my taste for Marmite sandwiches.

"I lived in the hide so that I could photograph from dawn to dusk each day and not miss any opportunities. I was probably not the best person to sit next to on the return flight!!

Patience

Wildlife photography involves endless patience and an acceptance that things might not always work out; in fact the Osprey photo almost never happened:

The first Osprey chicks in Northumberland for over 200 years

"I photographed the Ospreys each day from 4-10am. All birds of prey hunt into the wind but it was blowing from the wrong direction for the first four days which meant that the Ospreys were fishing and flying in the wrong direction.

"I wanted a head-on shot and that meant the wind had to be blowing away from the hide. This happened on the last day, but even then the Osprey only flew straight towards the camera once, giving me the perfect shot."

It's not just birds that Paul takes photos of. He has taken pictures of gorillas in Rwanda, brown bears in Finland and has had close scrapes nearer to home as well. One of his stories involves a dark wood, a red light and a policeman - while he was photographing badgers.

Hares are notoriously hard to photograph: "They're so fast. You have to stalk them on your belly but more often than not they see you and run off.

"They love hedgerows so I spend a few days watching their runs. Then I lie on the ground in the dark wearing camouflage. When dawn comes up the hares start to run, and sooner or later they'll run towards you.

"It's amazing - you can get sharp focus on the hare and out-of-focus in the back- and fore-ground.

"When they run it's incredible, their heads go up and down so you use the camera's motor drive to take a sequence of pictures. Then they stop and look at you eyeball to eyeball."

Childhood inspiration

The young Paul Hobson was inspired by Gerald Durrell's 1956 book My Family and Other Animals. He was told to read the first chapter for homework but was immediarely hooked and read the whole book in one night. He's since read it 15 times and still absolutely loves it: "It changed my life, it galvanized what I did."

Paul Hobson, wildlife photographer

Paul grew up in Cheshire but came to Sheffield in the 1970s to study Environmental Science at Sheffield University.

"Sheffield was the Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire then," remembers Paul. "I arrived at Ponds Forge and got on the number 60 up to the University. I thought the bus driver was joking when he said the fare was 5p. I love Sheffield - I'm still here 20 odd years later."

After university Paul became a teacher and it was not until he was in his thirties that he rediscovered his love for photography:

"I was photographing bird nests for the British Trust of Ornithology. It's a very important environmental survey because it tells us how things are changing.

"Being a couple of feet so close to the animal, you really get to know them and that's how I got the bug for wildlife photography again."

Paul says he has no regrets about giving up teaching to become a full-time wildlife photographer. He holds talks, workshops and tutorials on the subject.