We get behind the camera with professional natural world and wildlife photographer David Newton
(Image credit: David Newton)
David Newton is a professional wildlife photographer and filmmaker that has a love for the outdoors, travel and natural world. He's known for his versatility and ability to tackle most subjects with a minimum of fuss and as such has been used by some of the biggest brands in the imaging industry, including but not limited to Canon, SanDisk, Manfrotto, Lastolite, LitePanels, H&Y and Koy Lab.
David will be speaking at The Photography Show & The Video Show Virtual Festival which takes place on 20-21 September. The two-day event will have over 100 free talks online. David’s talk 'Choosing your ideal Compact, Mirrorless or DSLR camera' is available to watch now at the Exhibitor Academy on the Canon Educational stage, while '15 cool things about the EOS R5 and R6' is on today at 14:30-15:20 and can be found in the same place.
In the meantime, find out more about David and his career to date as he answers five quick questions ahead of his appearances at the event…
(Image credit: David Newton)
Five quick questions with David Newton
1. How did you first get into photography?
I went to university in Bangor, North Wales to study Marine Biology and was so taken with how beautiful the Snowdonia National Park was, I felt I should take pictures of it, so I used my student loan to buy a camera and set about learning as much about photography as I possibly could and taking pictures at every opportunity. My first camera was a Minolta Dynax 700si. I had it for less than a year before I switched to Canon. My first Canon was an EOS-1V HS. A camera I still regret selling to this day. My first DSLR was an EOS D30.
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2. What attracted you to the area of photography you specialize in?
I’ve spent my career trying to avoid specialising in any one area of photography. Quite simply, I love taking pictures. It may be a landscape, portrait, sport, corporate, travel, wildlife, abstract or still life subject I’ll enjoy it just the same. Every subject offers a challenge to find the best angle, the best light and the best composition and that’s what drives me on to keep shooting and trying to get better.
3. What was your big break that took your photography and career to the next level?
A trip to New Zealand in 2007 was when I realised that I could actually take pictures and that I was not bad at it. I spent time looking for images and waiting for the light and it was reflected in the images I created. I guess that gave me the confidence boost I needed to realise it was possible.
(Image credit: David Newton)
4. Any advice for our readers who want to take better photos?
Every picture you take is both an exercise in problem solving and an act of compromise. If you ever feel stuck with how to take a picture, work through the process logically, step-by-step. Also, despite what you can see above with my lens collection, you don’t need a lot of cameras and lenses. You should learn to use your camera properly - learn to use the main camera controls with your eye to the viewfinder so you don’t miss shots looking in menus or fumbling with buttons.
Because I shoot so many different subjects, I have a large collection of different lenses and what I use will depend on what subject I’m shooting. I still use EOS DSLRs, though very rarely. I switched almost entirely to the EOS R when it was launched and now use that and the new (and awesome) EOS R5.
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Aimed squarely at enthusiast photographers who use the Canon DSLR or mirrorless camera systems, all content is tailored to Canon users – so everything from techniques to product tests are tailored to those using the EOS camera system.
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