Photographing Nature: Model behavior

Nature's mood is never hidden and she has it all; the full range of emotions, with a grandeur that is unparalleled.

I’m a nature photographer — so you might be a little surprised when I tell you that I too work with a model.

She is called Mother Nature, but that name doesn’t do her justice, given her ever-changing moods and looks. Most of the time, she is hardly maternal … And, as I realised during my most recent trip to Texas, it would be better if I likened her to a celebrity. The way she struts around, walking all over you as if you’re her slave, is more akin to the behaviour of a supermodel … in fact, Mother Nature, I hereby christen you ‘Über Model!’

Just setting up an appointment with her can be a challenge. I live in Chicago and honestly — no disrespect to the citizens of the great state of Illinois - there isn’t much here for outdoorsy types. The area is flat, and in winter, it’s stark and grey. So to meet the Über Model, I had to travel all the way to Texas (I chose Texas because I was able to get really cheap tickets … and also because it has diverse terrain and eco-systems). But even after I landed in Houston, I had to travel another 11 hours for our rendezvous at Big Bend National Park, an area where she is known to sometimes make an appearance.

As I drove the endless straight roads across the great state (almost 1,000 kilometres, from Houston to Big Bend), I really felt like I was stalking a celebrity. ‘I’m spending all this time and effort on the off chance some interesting sight will show itself,” I said to myself. Of course, there are no guarantees when it comes to photographing the Über Model. It could be raining, cloudy, the area could just not be interesting or impossible to capture with a lens … there are a million reasons why no worthwhile pictures might be taken, despite the long journey and the time spent camping out in the wilderness.

After driving all day, I was getting close to my destination but had not seen the slightest glimpse of her. The camera lay next to me in the front seat, the number of pictures taken — zero. I decided to rest my eyes and stopped by the side of the road. The sun was setting on a day spent in a futile chase. I told myself to be patient. She had done this to me before. She liked to make me wait, and liked to play these little games. Just when you thought she was not going to show up, you’d turn a corner in the road and there she would be. But this area of Texas was relatively flat; there were no corners to peek around. I closed my eyes and decided to take a quick nap.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I opened my eyes and there she was! She was wearing a fiery red chiffon number and was walking across the horizon with her arms up and a trail of crimson flowing behind her. I put my camera to my eye and for the next fifteen minutes clicked away at the beautiful sunset. But just taking a picture of a sunset from the side of the road doesn’t make for an interesting shoot. I needed a prop. On the other side of the Interstate was an old abandoned windmill, which would add some foreground interest. I had to reach it before she disappeared. Without a second thought, I ran across, just in time for the colours of the sunset to reach their peak. By this time, I was sweating and panting, trying to keep up with her. The camera’s memory card was filling up fast. I worked quickly before my temperamental model decided to call it a day.

Over the next couple of days, I realised that Texas is one of the Über Model’s favourite haunts. She enthralled me every day, from the very first ray of sunlight to the star-filled sky at night. But it had been a difficult trip. On the last leg of my journey, I stopped at Padre Island, which is world-famous for birding. There, I found a group of pelicans resting on the marsh at the edge of a lake. Enroute to these pelicans another prize awaited — a long-necked crane. The sun was setting, (the lighting is always best during sunset and sunrise and nature photographers must constantly be on the run during these moments), which also meant I had to act quickly. As I made my way towards my sensitive prey, the marsh turned out to be wetter than I had imagined. There was no other route but through the marsh given what little time I had, so I somehow managed to make it to the other side, but was completely covered in slime from the waist down by the time I got across. The crane had long since flown away, but I managed to crawl on my hands and knees close enough to the pelicans to take some pictures. I tried to get closer but only managed to scare them off. But they didn’t bother flying very far and came to rest on the lake, floating merrily as I chased them along the shore. Behind them the sun was setting, a deep orange. It made for a great shot.

When the sun disappeared and it became too dark to take pictures, I realised that from the waist down I smelled like fecal matter and probably looked like it too. Worse, the mud was less mud and more a dark layer of giant mosquitoes sucking my blood (I was wearing shorts). I jumped into the lake, washed off my legs frantically and walked out to see my legs completely swollen, red and itching like mad, and I wondered, can one die from too many mosquito bites? I saw the headlines in tomorrow’s paper: 'Photographer dies chasing Über Model.'

Sitting at the airport, I looked back at the days I had been out shooting. I had fallen in love with her again, my muse, the reason why I became a photographer. A superstar; she was always on the move and was hard to meet, she doesn’t keep or make appointments and you never know what her mood will be when she does show up. She’ll walk off the set when she pleases. Sometimes at home, sometimes on the road, when you least expect it, she’ll appear. When this happens, I find myself scrambling, chasing her, as she strikes poses. But each encounter has a vibe, a look. Her mood is never hidden and she has it all; the full range of emotions, expressed on a scale and with a grandeur that is unparalleled.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, June 5^th, 2011.