Martin Culpepper started young, becoming interested in photography at age 11, when he first picked up his mom’s Nikon D200 DSLR and took it out on a wildlife-spotting expedition. In his words, he became “instantly hooked,” and in the years since, he has amassed an impressive portfolio of striking animal studies.
We caught up with Martin recently, between expeditions, to talk about his approach to wildlife photography, how he achieves such intimate connections with his subjects and his choice of gear.
A long-held passion for wildlife preceded Martin’s interest in photography, he says: “Even when I could barely walk, I had an obsession with watching wildlife, nature documentaries, and carried a big animal Encyclopedia around the house on my shoulders.”
But it was a childhood encounter with a pod of dolphins that really jump-started his passion for photography.
“I was on a whale-watching trip off the coast of northern Massachusetts. After a few hours at sea, we encountered a huge pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins. I ran around on the boat with my phone and took videos of the animals. Later, I noticed I had captured a frame where a mother dolphin and her baby surfaced next to the boat. I was already into wildlife, but this experience cemented my interest in capturing it on camera.”
While it was a dolphin encounter that got him started, Martin’s favorite animals to photograph are owls because “they have the perfect blend of predictability and elusiveness—locating them is a challenge, but unlike predatory mammals, they’re not near-impossible to find.”
Locating wildlife in its natural environment is, of course, a big part of the challenge of nature photography. Martin’s approach comes from a tip he once received from another wildlife photographer, and combines careful attention to his surroundings with movement:
“Intentionally moving yourself through the environment is a lot more effective at making good images than sitting in one spot but always take the time to look around you.”
Eye to Eye
Many of Martin’s most striking images are characterized by direct eye contact with his subjects. In keeping with his principled approach to the well-being of the wildlife that he encounters, this connection is achieved naturally, not by using any tricks.
“I find that images where the subject is looking into the camera lead to viewers having a deeper connection with the animal. The approach that I take is to spend a lot of time with an animal and learn about their behavior and habits. By doing this, I can pick up on signs indicating that the animal is about to look in my direction without having to disturb it.”
In addition to a familiarity with animals, capturing great images of wildlife also demands mastery of the technical aspects of photography. We asked Martin for his tips, and—if money were no object—his dream kit:
“I always try to keep my shutter speed as high as the lighting will allow, but the Vibration Reduction with my Z9 [with the Mount Adapter FTZ] and AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR is excellent and allows me to shoot at shutter speeds of 1/10sec or lower. My dream setup would be my Z9 or a Z6III plus the NIKKOR Z 400mm f/2.8 TC VR S with its built-in teleconverter. That would be an excellent mix between low light capability and zoom.”
Responsibilities to Wildlife
To Martin, protecting wildlife is equally important as getting great images. In addition to responsible behavior towards wild animals in the field, he believes that photographers have a broader responsibility to educate the public about the importance of conservation.
“I think photographers have a responsibility to put the animals’ well-being first. This means learning about your subjects’ ecology, taking into account how many people have been photographing the animal and how frequently, learning to read its body language, and so on, and then using that knowledge to guide your own behavior. This will allow you to photograph the animal without jeopardizing its health or survival.
Ultimately, humans and animals are part of the same ecosystem … but we’ve already done massive damage, and if we continue to do so, it will have huge impacts on our own quality of life and even survival as a species.”
