Petr Bambousek OM magazine

INTERVIEW
OM | ISSUE 001 | JAN-MAR 2021
as insects. I took pictures day and
night and enjoyed the space to train
in more advanced lighting techniques;
for night photography in combination
with wide focal lengths, longer times,
etc. When Costa Rica opened its
borders I immediately went there
again towards the end of the year for
a couple of days. During night walks
through the forest, I used new lighting
techniques, like in the leafcutter ant
picture.

What is the first thing you would like
to photograph or a place you’d like
to visit when moving around gets
easier?
More and more, the desire to
discover new places leaves me, and
photographically, I feel pulled back to
places I know completely intimately.
When you are familiar with a place,
it makes it easier to try new ideas,
and that’s why I went to Borneo for
a week in 2019, where I spent the
whole time in one place just for the
purpose of nightwalks. Last year, I
immediately took the first opportunity
and returned to Costa Rica for the
fifth time and spent eight nights
in one location, letting nature flow
around. Thanks to that, I was able to
return to interesting places repeatedly
and wait for the best moment or
composition. I would like to continue
in this way in the future. Last year,
the restrictions of the Covid-19
pandemic showed me that I can find
fun and attractive pictures around my
hometown, so I’m looking forward to
what this year will bring.
5

3
I set up the camera on a large stone
so the final photo was taken as
quickly as possible and the toad did
not leave the scene during repeated
exposures. Then, I slowly approached
the toad with the camera set and the
display tilted. My subject stopped
for a moment and I took the shot. The
combination of eight focus-stacked
shots created a photo that I really like.
Photographing birds on cliffs is an
absolutely breathtaking experience.
Not only because puffins, auks and
gannets are beautiful birds, but the
environment in which they live is
incredibly wild. The wind whips past
the massive cliffs, creating dramatic
waves at sea, and the sound of
thousands of nesting birds can be
heard all around. I tried to capture
this atmosphere in the last sun rays
of the day in a photo of a smaller
colony of gannets (4). This photograph
won prizes in several prestigious
international competitions.
On my last trip to Costa Rica, I
wanted to take night photos of the
leafcutter ants (5). I had an idea
in my mind for a really long time
of a picture I wanted to take, and
managed to make it a reality, which
I was so pleased to do, when I found
a small colony of the ants near my
lodge room. I was able to return to
the place repeatedly at night and on

6
(3) OM-D E-M1 Mark
II | M.Zuiko 12100mm F4.0 IS PRO
1/20s | F5.6 | ISO
200

More and more, the
desire to discover new
places leaves me, and
photographically, I feel
pulled back to places I
know intimately
(4) OM-D E-M1X |
M.Zuiko 300mm F4.0
IS PRO
1/500s | F5.6 |
ISO 200
What’s in Petr’s kit bag

(5) OM-D E-M1 Mark
III | M.Zuiko 60mm
F2.8 Macro
0.8s | F9.0 | ISO 250
(6) OM-D E-M1 Mark
II | M.Zuiko 300mm
F4.0 IS PRO MC-14
1/640s | F5.6 |
ISO 640
What would be on your ultimate
wish list to photograph over the next
five years if you had the chance?
When I look at my favourite books
full of creatures, I realise that I have
already been lucky enough to have
seen most of my wish list animals
during my many trips across the
globe. Therefore, I will be grateful
even in five years to have the
opportunity to spend the maximum
amount of time amongst these
animals, and to be able to convey the
beauty in some exciting photos.
(7) OM-D E-M1X |
M.Zuiko 150-400mm
F4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO
1/13s | F4.5 | ISO
2000
(8) OM-D E-M1 Mark
II | M.Zuiko 12100mm F4.0 IS PRO
1/125s | F8.0 |
ISO 200
7
OM-D E-M1X

What kit advice would you give to
someone starting out in your field?
Of course, everything depends on the
budget. As the main body I would
recommend the OM-D E-M1 Mark
III. The main lenses would then be
the M.Zuiko 100-400mm F5.0-6.3 IS
and 12-100mm F4.0 IS PRO. These
lenses are perfect all-rounders and
can be used for birds and other
animals, as well as for photographing
smaller creatures such as dragonflies,
butterflies and lizards. If budget is
not an issue, then I would highly
recommend the 150-400mm F4.5
TC1.25x IS PRO as your main lens.

OM-D E-M1
Mark III
4
the last night I focused on capturing
the movement of ants using a long
exposure in combination with a flash
synchronised to the second curtain. The
combination of the FC-WR transmitter
and the FL-700WR flash worked very
well, but for the first ten minutes I spent
my time trying to find the right distance
to avoid the ants running away from
the scene. I then waited for them to
carry some interesting leaves in colours
of green and purple; and after three
hours, I had the picture exactly as I
had imagined! All this took place
with the constant buzzing of
mosquitoes and crashing rain showers.
Fortunately, it’s been proven that my
equipment is almost indestructible in
tropical conditions!
Has your photography changed
since travel restrictions have been
in place?
Of course, I felt the main change
22
during the first spring virus wave.
Like many other people, I had to
completely change the rhythm of
my life and cancel a number of
planned trips. For most of the year I
photographed around the area I live
in. I often returned to my favourite
locations and enjoyed the beauty of
our Czech nature. Thanks to the fact
that my work is not closely focused to
a specific group of animals, I spent
my time photographing birds as well

M.Zuiko 12-100mm
F4.0 IS PRO

M.Zuiko 60mm
F2.8 Macro
8
23

Paperturn flipbook