Tesni Ward OM magazine

INTERVIEW
Talk us through some of your
favourite photographs.
It’s always difficult to select my
favourite images as they all come from
a unique journey, and have their own
stories behind them. But ‘The Three
Stooges’ (2) is up there because of the
personality and charisma that shines
through from the three birds. Dalmatian
pelicans are visually stunning and,
when they make eye contact, it feels
as if they pierce through you. I saw the
potential for this particular shot, but
typically none of the birds were facing
the right direction or lining up correctly.
Eventually, for a brief moment, they did
and I was chuffed to capture the shot.
It was taken with the E-M1 Mark II and
40-150mm F2.8 PRO at 40mm.
‘Laid back Lyssa’ (4) took a
frighteningly long time to capture in
my badger project, but I was fortunate
enough to feature this absolutely
stunning badger sow who I watched
grow from a tiny ball of fuzz to a full
adult. Lyssa was the boldest of the
cubs and would frequently walk right
OM | ISSUE 001 | JAN-MAR 2021
(7) OM-D E-M1X | M.Zuiko 300mm F4.0 IS PRO
1/3200s | F4 | ISO 1000

(2) OM-D E-M1
Mark II | M.Zuiko
40-150mm F2.8 PRO
1/2000s | F5.6 |
ISO 800
(8) OM-D E-M1X | M.Zuiko 300mm F4.0 IS
PRO M.Zuiko 1.4x Teleconverter MC-14
1/2500s | F5.6 | ISO 800

(9) OM-D E-M1X | M.Zuiko 300mm F4.0 IS
PRO M.Zuiko 1.4x Teleconverter MC-14
1/2000s | F5.6 | ISO 400
(3) OM-D E-M1
Mark II | M.Zuiko
12-40mm F2.8 PRO
1/160s | F5 |
ISO 320
(4) OM-D E-M1
Mark II | M.Zuiko
40-150mm F2.8 PRO
1/160s | F2.8 |
ISO 800

(5) OM-D E-M1
Mark II | M.Zuiko
40-150mm F2.8 PRO
1/6000s | F2.8 |
ISO 200
What’s in Tesni’s kit bag

OM-D E-M1X

OM-D E-M1
Mark II

(6) OM-D E-M1
Mark II | M.Zuiko
40-150mm F2.8 PRO
1/50s | F2.8 |
ISO 2000
7
8
OM-D E-M1
Mark III

M.Zuiko
300mm F4 IS PRO

2
up to me and play, which made me
fall in love with her quirky nature.
Badgers pride themselves on keeping
clean and will groom and preen every
night, but it’s usually out of view or
in poor light. This time I was in the
right place and able to photograph it,
again using the E-M1 Mark II and 40150mm F2.8 PRO, this time at 150mm.
Because of the poor light, I had to
risk a slower shutter speed of 1/60s,
but she froze long enough for me to
capture it.
Last but not least on the list is
‘Rainbow’ (3), an image featuring a

I had to risk
a slower
shutter
speed of
1/60s, but
thankfully
she froze
long enough
for me to
capture it
3
mountain hare I called Beard, who
had the perfect temperament for
me to photograph this wonderful
species. Having worked extensively
with him – along with a couple of
other photography friends – I knew
I’d be able to get a little closer if I
approached appropriately, so on this
particular day, I ended up using the
12-40mm F2.8 PRO after spending a
couple of hours gradually increasing
my distance to him. Once again, it was
captured with my E-M1 Mark II, but
with the 12-40mm F2.8 PRO at 15mm,
and with a shutter speed of 1/160s.

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6

M.Zuiko 12-40mm
F2.8 PRO

M.Zuiko 7-14mm
F2.8 PRO

M.Zuiko 60mm
F2.8 Macro
9
5
4
M.Zuiko
40-150mm F2.8 PRO
Has your photography changed
since travel restrictions have been
in place?
In honesty, it’s been a bit of a
struggle! When the first lockdown
happened in March last year I
couldn’t travel to any of my usual
sites, and attracting wildlife to the
garden was, in short, a colossal
disaster! Thankfully when restrictions
were reduced I was able to start
working in the Peak District again,
but found that it was actually pretty
difficult at some of my usual sites
due to an increase in footfall. Many
of the public had the idea of making
the most of a greater degree of
freedom and good weather, and
while it’s lovely more people were
out enjoying nature, it didn’t help my
photography! In all, it’s just made me
focus more locally, along with putting
a higher priority on finding sites for
future photography projects that I
can’t do currently.

M.Zuiko 1.4x
Teleconverter MC-14
What is the first thing you would
like to photograph or a place you’d
like to visit when moving around
gets easier?
I had a trip to Yellowstone National
Park in the US cancelled due to the
pandemic, so I’d love to finally be
able to go there, although it might
end up being in the winter at the
very earliest! Having been there in
the summer months before I started
getting into photography more
seriously, I know how incredibly
beautiful it is, and how much
potential there is for photography.
Visiting in winter would be an even
greater experience, especially with
the camera!
Don’t overlook the
common species, or local
sites. Mallards, Canada
geese and swans can be
found almost anywhere,
giving you plenty of
opportunity
It’s somewhere I’ve always wanted
to go, but it’s not the cheapest nor
the easiest to arrange logistically.
Ideally, I’d like to spend at least a
month down there to maximise any
opportunities and to help justify the
cost and time it takes to get down
there.
What would be on your ultimate
wish list to photograph over the
next five years if you had the
chance?
By far, the top thing on my list for the
next five years is to go to Antarctica.
What advice would you give to
someone starting out in your field?
Don’t overlook the common species,
or local sites. Mallards, Canada
geese and swans can be found
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M.Zuiko 2x
Teleconverter MC-20
almost anywhere, giving you plenty
of opportunity to get out in the field
and expand your portfolio. Just
because they’re common doesn’t
mean they’re easy when it comes
to getting unique or aesthetically
pleasing images, and the closer
the sites are, the more time you can
dedicate to being out in the field
getting cracking images!

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