Image Focus

Although ‘The Fairy Tale Forest,’ is magical in quality and composition, there’s nothing imaginary about Petter Askø Næss’ photo. This shot is the product of meticulous exposure and framing, planning, patience and hard work.

Petter wanted to make an image combining three of his favourite things. “It’s a tribute to a bird, a place and a season,” he reveals. “The forest of Ål in Hallingdal is my favourite woodland, full of life, and to be there in autumn is wonderful. The bird is a Crested Tit. It’s small and beautiful, and quite rare to find. Capturing it represents the feeling I love most in wildlife photography.”

That feeling is anticipation, the sensation he gets when waiting for a subject to appear in his viewfinder. It’s a chance built on his experience and skill, but still tantalisingly uncertain. “Crested Tits are territorial,” he explains, “so I found a spot where I knew one might be looking for insects in the forest. With my Sony Alpha 1 on a tripod, I framed a branch with a gown of lichen, above the forest floor. Then I waited.”

“There were so many variables,” he remembers. “Would the bird hop to the place I wanted, and would the daylight hold? After hours of patience, it landed in just the right spot, as the light was at its most intense. Half a second later it was gone.”

At that moment Petter relied on his Alpha 1 to deliver. “The hours or even days of patience that go into finding an image have to pay off and the Alpha 1 makes sure they do,” he says. “Here, I used the camera’s 30fps mode to make the most of that split second, but I also needed enough shutter speed to freeze the bird on the branch. Working at ISO 2500, I got 1/5000sec, which stopped even the smallest movements.

“Working with the Alpha 1’s incredible Bird AF mode produced perfect sharpness, too,” he continues. “It’s transformative for wildlife photographers and picked out the eye in every shot that day, even though it’s a tiny bird and small in the frame. As soon as that little green box appeared, I knew it was a hit. If I mess up it’s because of something I did, not the kit!”

Also vital that day was his choice of lens.

“This image sums up all the pleasure of wildlife photography for me,” Petter finishes. “It’s proof that all those hours out in the cold can turn into something amazing. And that gives me all the fuel I need for my next shoot.”