Interview with Trevor Allsopp - The Perfect Moment Is Often Close at Hand

Can you tell us a bit about how you became interested in wildlife photography?

Photo: Trevor Allsopp | Minimalist and clear: the Basel 6 mm floater frame in white gives the motif space without detracting from its intensity.

I have always loved wildlife and can vividly remember watching ITV wildlife documentaries on Sundays and of course the many Attenborough series on the BBC over the years. The photography aspect came along just because I was obsessed with gadgets. And over time my compact camera evolved into a DSLR. Inevitably, the 2 combined and I found my passion for wildlife photography. The truth is, in the beginning I wasn’t that good. I just pointed and shot, hoping for the best. I did, by luck rather than judgement, get a photo of a red squirrel in a BBC wildlife magazine annual edition. But I was often left frustrated by my lack of access to gear and never having a big enough lens. So over time I found myself getting more and more defeatist and ditched the camera for a pair of binoculars. It wasn’t until COVID restrictions reignited my desire to get back to the outdoors almost a decade later that I start photographing wildlife again.

Your images are known for their calm and detailed aesthetic. How do you approach creating this kind of atmosphere in your wildlife shots?

My main goal with every image is to figure out the best way to frame the subject. Paying attention not only to the background (very important) but also the foreground. I want these 2 layers to complement the subject and add depth to the image, but never distract. I’m a real sucker for dreamy backgrounds! I also like to try and never reveal the whole subject but this isn’t a strict rule that I follow, especially for birds in flight. I always try and visualise an image before I go somewhere so that I have a goal. This stops me taking too many photos. But of course, if an opportunity arises I always want to be ready for that too.

How do you choose which animals or scenes to photograph, especially when there are so many possible subjects in nature?

Whilst there is a lot of great wildlife in the UK, we aren’t as spoiled as other countries when it comes to access. This is why I chose the name Normal Wildlife for my Instagram and Photography work. I want to show that normal people can visit normal places and still take great images. Whether it be a Mallard or a Black-Headed Gull at a local duck pond or Seabirds at a great accessible nature reserve like RSPB Bempton Cliffs. I do have a soft spot for ducks. I think they are full of personality and I genuinely could spend all day by a duck pond taking images of them. But I have a lot of love for seabirds. I have taken many trips to RSPB Bempton Cliffs and Skomer Island for the puffins. For me, it is always the location that I chose with an idea of what I hope to see. Then I hope the wildlife obliges.

Is there a particular moment in the wild where everything came together perfectly, making all your effort feel worthwhile? Can you share the story?

I live in the midlands in the UK, so the coast is as far as it can be in all directions. Earlier this year I booked myself a trip to Norfolk which is a well known region for Bird watchers and photographers alike. My goal was to photograph shorebirds. Something that I rarely have access to, let alone the time to scope an area out for potential shots.

There is a very popular reserve there called RSPB Titchwell Marsh and more specifically for me Titchwell beach. I had it on good authority that it would be a place where I was highly likely to see Sanderlings, which is a bird that I love.

I was extremely happy to see that high tide was going to be close to golden hour on my first night there and the forecast was clear. I just needed the Sanderlings!

I arrived at the reserve a few hours before sunset and headed straight for the beach. I pulled out my binoculars and scanned the shoreline. There were a couple of groups of birds including Ringed Plover and, most importantly, Sanderlings! The beach itself was empty, which meant I didn’t have to worry about being disturbed either.

I observed the direction that the birds were heading and walked along the beach to get ahead of them. Once I was around 75 yards or so ahead, I lay in the sand and waited. The light was turning golden and the birds were heading right for me. The experience ended up being everything I’d craved when it comes to shorebird photography and it was only night one of a 3 night stay. The birds were so relaxed in my presence that they walked right by and I was able to get a mixture of front and backlit images.

Once the light had gone I ended walking back to my car with a local. I shared my excitement of finally getting to photograph this great little bird. He found it greatly amusing as he gets to see them every day on his walk. This was his ‘Normal Wildlife’ but for me it was a situation I’d been dreaming of for a long time.

How do you stay patient and focused while waiting for the perfect wildlife shot?

Photo: Trevor Allsopp | The slimline frame in black is discreet, yet still provides a subtle visual boundary. This creates a focused, timeless image effect, particularly with wildlife motifs.

I think patience in wildlife photography is something that has to be applied when the situation is appropriate. Waiting around in hope is not often something that I do. But if I’ve observed behaviour from a particular bird or animal and I know that its likely to pass by or be around at some point then the number one rule is to make sure that I am comfortable! The biggest barrier to patience is getting a numb bum or a dead leg!

If I have picked a spot that I think looks good, and can visualise a great image, then that makes waiting more worthwhile. I often pick a scene before the subject is even there so that keeps me keen and in a state of anticipation of the shot coming together.

Have there been unexpected encounters with animals or nature that ended up defining a photograph for you?

The only moment that springs to mind was during the annual Red Deer rut at Bradgate Park. This is a Deer Park near Leicester. I’d spent a number of hours observing a couple of large Stags roaring at each other but nothing really escalated. They also didn’t present themselves in any good positions for taking any images that I’d be happy with.

I gave up and packed up to head for the car. On the way back I came into a clearing and was presented with a Large stag. He was roaring and scrubbing his head in the bracken. I had to circumnavigate him in an area that put us closer together than I liked, around 50 yards, but he seemed ok letting me pass by. I was able to take a few shots and one of which is arguably my favourite shot of a Stag. I even have a large 50x70 print of it from Whitewall.

This encounter came to an abrupt end once I noticed his demeanour change in the viewfinder. He squared up to me and flared his nostrils!I swiftly backed up. He quickly returned to his antler sharpening and I went to the car a happy man.

You print your work with WhiteWall, what do you value most about working with us?

When I first looked into printing my work, I shortlisted a few places from a google search but found the user interfaces difficult to use in some cases. I then came across an advertisement for WhiteWall on Instagram and thought I’d check you out. As soon as I’d uploaded some images and used your configurator my mind was made up to order a few test prints. The user interface is easy to understand, clear, and sizing prints is super easy. Nothing frustrates me more than things that just don’t work, but with WhiteWall there are no issues at all.

Once my prints arrived, I was impressed by the quality and the colour match to how my images had been edited on screen. Since then I’ve probably ordered over 100 prints without a single issue. I can’t comment on the customer service because I’ve never needed it!

When preparing a print, what details matter most to you—color accuracy, size, composition, or something else? Which products and materials do you prefer for your prints with us?

I think being able to set up the size and crop an image as I want without any restrictions or alterations is really important and colour accuracy is super important. Occasionally when I’ve edited an image on the darker side I find your image enhance slider very useful just to pump the image a bit so it’s brighter in print.

Almost all of my prints have been the Fuji Crystal Archive paper in matte finish. They look great! I’ve also purchased a few acrylic blocks for gifts in the past and they are really fun. Next on my shopping list is a full size acrylic print for my kitchen. Just need to chose the image!

What are three key lessons you’ve learned as a wildlife photographer that you’d like to share?

First, don’t get caught up on gear and pixel peeping. You can take great images with modest or older equipment. You don’t need a 600mm f4 and the flagship body. This is the exact reason I quit years ago. And ironically taking pictures of Gannets in flight with a barely working d750 and an old 85mm f1.4 D portrait lens changed my perspective.

Next, get low or eye level and always pay attention to your backgrounds. I see so many people standing upright shooting down at subjects. Changing that one thing would transform their images. I know some people have physical limitations, but for those of us that can squat or lie down, GET LOW!

And finally, manage your expectations. We see so much great work out there from real professionals that dedicate months or even years to different subjects and this inspires us. But it can also give us unrealistic expectations. Don't go chasing that dream shot of a Golden Eagle until you can take a great shot of a duck. This point also ties into what you expect from your equipment. You see so many people wanting crop sensor bodies with 600 or 800mm lenses. The truth is, if you need that your subject it too far away.

How do you balance technical skills with capturing the natural behavior and character of the animals?

Photo: Trevor Allsopp | The black oak Hamburg frame combined with a white passe-partout gives the kingfisher motif focus and depth.

Next, I will then spend 5-10 minutes observing behaviour or patterns in the flight paths of the Puffins. I can then set my focus point to a preset distance and wait for puffins to fly into my AF area, lock on and fire a burst of shots. After my burst I would recall the focus position and go again and again until I had the images I had visualised before setting up.

Its all about understanding the gear you have and what is required from your settings to be creatively correct in any given situation. Then all you need is the wildlife to perform and hopefully you’re ready.

What else should we know about you?

My name is Trevor and I am a self-taught wildlife photographer from the UK Midlands. I’m an Electrical Engineer by trade working in the Brewing industry. I work a continental shift pattern which gives me plenty of time to get out in nature. Well, that was until my little one arrived!

My family have always loved the outdoors and that passion has definitely been passed down to me. It was inevitable that my obsession with technology and gadgets would combine at some point. Now that I’m a Dad, I hope I can pass the same love of the outdoors down to my daughter.

My Instagram handle is @normal_wildlife. I came up with this name because I wanted to show that you can take great images of so called normal subjects. You don’t need to spend hours, days or weeks chasing exotic things!

I am currently trying to progress this hobby into work by selling prints and offering workshops. But I’m feeling a bit of imposter syndrome which is preventing me really getting it off the ground. I would love to help beginners develop the right tools and techniques to take images that they will love no matter where they are or what they are photographing. Hopefully my work is a good enough advertisement.