National Geographic Live with Steve Winter

Once upon a time, in the years B.C. (ie. Before Children), my husband used to be a semi-avid nature photographer. He would actually wake up early on Saturday to go and take photos of birds and flowers in our neighbourhood. Occasionally he would also wake me up to drag me to the zoo so he could practice shooting some animals. Now, if you know my husband, you’ll know that him waking up early in the morning for anything at all is a PRETTY BIG DEAL. That’s how much he enjoyed taking pictures! I would also find him scrolling through photography forums at night, learning from fellow amateurs and professionals alike.

When the kids came along, he switched from carrying cameras to carrying children, and in the process, laid aside his dreams of becoming a photographer with National Geographic. (Ok, so it was probably a long shot anyway!)

All this is why I am terribly excited that award-winning National Geographic photographer Steve Winter will be in town on 25 Aug 2015 to share about his work documenting animals in the wild, and that I have gotten hold of tickets to National Geographic Live — My Nine Lives with Steve Winter to meet him!

Steve Winter in the field Brazil. (Photo Credit: Steve Winter)

I think it’s fair to say that National Geographic takes to gold standard in nature photography, and Steve Winter is up there as one of their best photographers. Well-known for his work documenting big cats, Steve Winter has previously been named BBC wildlife Photographer of the Year and BBC Wildlife Photojournalist of the Year, and is also a two-time winner of Picture of the Year International’s Global Vision Award. Notwithstanding this, it is his pictures that speak louder than the awards, bringing us closer and in deeper understanding with the wonderful and amazing creatures who share this world with us.

Steve specialises in photographing big cats, and much of his work reflects the passion that he has for these animals. In the course of his work, Steve has been stalked by jaguars in Brazil, charged by a grizzly in Siberia and trapped in quicksand in the world’s largest tiger reserve in Myanmar. Yet, it is these experiences are part and parcel of the job.

“Working with wild animals can be a bit dangerous and you need to work with local people that know the area and animals. You need to have a very high level of trust in their abilities, as your life is in their hands. Getting charged by rhinos was the scariest situation I’ve been in while in the field,” says Steve.

“We were out in India with an anti poaching patrol riding on elephants when we came across a highly territorial rhino. The rhino chased us on elephant back for over 400m and bit the elephant’s trunk! I went flying, just managing to hold on to a thin bit of cloth. I thought I was going to die! This was just the start of the trip; I had 5 more weeks in field. During the trip I had to replace my jeep door twice due to rhinos charging! Unpredictable animal behaviour is the worst. You simply cannot be prepared, but you just always have to be prepared for that sort of thing- like the boy scout motto!”

Tigress cubs at waterhole India. (Photo Credit: Steve Winter)

To Steve, the most important thing is getting that great photo. He says, “Every story has a memorable wildlife encounter. Some are scary and others are just amazing. But the most important ones end for me with a amazing image. I was watching a together hunting elephant babies one day and he was unsuccessful as the matriarch would not allow him to get close to the young. As he walked away after an hour I took a photograph of why tigers have stripes — [for] camouflage. A tiger walking through burnt grasses — amazing.”

Tiger concealed in grass Kaziranga National Park India. (Photo credit: Steve Winter)

For those who dream of becoming a photographer with National Geographic, the advice from Steve, who himself set the goal of becoming a National Geographic photographer from the age of 8, is to believe in yourself and your dream and never give up.

“I started out working on small pieces for the magazine, then changed my concentration from people to animals,” says Steve. “I actually started out taking social and documentary photographs. I got into wild life photography quite by accident. I had a commercial shoot in Costa Rica, working with scientists in the rainforest. The forest blew me away with its incredible diversity. And coming from being a photojournalist covering politics and the economy spending my days with passionate and dedicated researchers in the rainforest really excited me.” 

“Also one of the scientists I met told me of a story that had both wildlife and people about the quetzal – the sacred bird of the Maya that had never been photographed by National Geographic Magazine. That began my career in wildlife. I did not take a photograph of an animal until I was 34 years old, while I was on that trip in Costa Rica. It was of a marine turtle coming back into the sea at dawn after laying its eggs under the sand on a beach.”

“For aspiring photographers, learn to be a visual storyteller. Learn to tell visual stories close to where you live. If you can find something near you and tell a compelling story close to home you will not need much money and you can put the time into learning your subjects and understanding their lives.”

To hear more of Steve’s inspiring stories and the behind-the-scenes account of some of National Geographic’s best pictures, don’t miss My Nine Lives with Steve Winter! We are certainly looking forward to it.

My Nine Lives With Steve Winter
Ticketing and Show Information

Event Date: 25 Aug 2015, 7.30pm
Venue: Esplanade Concert Hall
Ticket Prices: $69 (Esplanade and Premier Box Seats), $59, $49, $39
Duration: About 1 hour 30 mins
Booking through Internet: Esplanade Ticketing or Sistic

* This post is brought to you in collaboration with National Geographic Live. All opinions remain my own.