As some of you might know, I didn’t start off photography taking pictures of animals. I initially did it just for practice because the challenge involved in capturing animals and birds can be one of the most difficult genre in my opinion. I have since fell in love with the amazing life on our planet.

Photographing fauna is difficult because of the lack of control. You never know what nature is going to do. There is no control over the lighting, the weather nor the pose. You can only be present and receive what that moment is going to give you. You have to be fluid and fast, know your equipment and have the eyes to see the shot while composing it in a pleasing way. Sometimes all these happens within seconds. It can be the most exciting and fulfilling thing when you are fully present to receive the grace of nature, especially so when you get to keep a memory of it.

The one greatest thing that came out of photographing animals is that you get to hone your patience. I am not a person of patience but all these years of photographing animals have allowed me to slow down my pace and wait for that decisive moment. There are countless times that I missed the shot I wanted because I was so excited when certain moment happens and I fumbled with the camera. It can be frustrating and yet by trying over and over again, it becomes something frustratingly funny. You have to laugh at yourself once in a while to keep it fun and entertaining.

It is so easy to refer to animals by their species. You can call this a tiger or that an elephant. By doing that what actually happens is that you miss the beauty of an individual soul. The one fundamental and beautiful thing about nature is that no creation is ever the same. You can call them tigers but each tiger has his or her own personality, unique stripes and different facial features; they are as individual as each human being. By destroying a tiger is not just about killing one tiger. That one unique individual is lost forever in the whole of existence.

If you too would like to receive the grace of nature, all you have to do is to really see. You might just discover the miracle of life that is all around you. If everyone in the world can really see, then all species will have a chance of surviving their extinction so that future generations can continue to receive this beautiful gift of nature.