As any student of nature will tell you, change is progressive. Adaptation and innovation create new niches and species thrive on diversity. Could it be the same with wildlife photography? In a time when camera technology makes it easier than ever to take sharp, detailed pictures, is doing something different essential to stand out?

In the past few years, wildlife expert Andreas Hemb, has set himself that very task.

Drawing on a broad background in photography, Andreas is well placed to push beyond the limits of regular wildlife photography. In fact, having previously been a landscape photographer, there are lots of similarities to draw between scenic photography, and the images he now creates.

I was always interested in observing wildlife,” he says, “and that evolved through shooting landscapes, when I wanted to put something living in the picture to make a greater connection. As beautiful as the scenery was, it was like there was something missing. Life always adds a dynamic to the picture, and to the experience.

Although Andreas uses landscape photography staples, his expertise in capturing wildlife is essential to ensure he gets the perfect shot. “You have all the normal aspects of photography, like being able to understand the light, the background and so on,” he says “but then you have the animal to capture in a special moment, too. So you still need good fieldcraft, making the animal okay with you being there: close enough to be able to take the picture, and also to understand its behaviour – the way it moves, the way it reacts to things around it, so you can anticipate – because the actual moment you want to capture can be gone really fast.”

On recent shoots in his native Sweden and in Florida, shooting with either α7R III or α9, Andreas has produced a wonderful range of artistic nature shots. For instance, when using panning techniques on a Snowy Egret taking a fish, “I followed it with a shutter speed of 1/60sec,” he explains, “much slower than one would normally use for wildlife shots, and the intentional motion blur leaves the head sort of sharp, letting you see what it is but with the wing and the background blurring out.”

For shots like silhouettes and backlit subjects, the EVF and histogram really come into their own, he says, “because you’re getting that instant feedback, and know instinctively how you need to adjust for the light, either manually or with exposure compensation. Shooting in low sun is so much easier, and you don’t hurt your eyes, either! The silent shutter, IBIS and the EVF come together in low-angle shots like the silhouetted waders, and the swan in the glittering water, where I was using a floating hide to get close.”

Another of his Florida shots shows an alligator, swimming in calm reflections, where Andreas has cleverly inverted the frame. First you see the trees and sky, and then the alligator. It gives you an almost primeval shock when you spot the predator. “It’s a super simple technique,” he laughs, “and a bit of a surprise. An example of a very simple way of doing something different. Hopefully, like the other shots, it stops you and makes you think about the beauty of the wildlife, and ultimately how we might preserve it for future generations to experience, too.”