EPISODE 04: Shem Compion – Becoming a Photographer

Welcome to The Big Cat People podcast! We're Jonathan and Angela Scott, award-winning wildlife photographers, authors and conservationists. We have made our name documenting the lives of lions, leopards and cheetahs in the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. Today's episode is a continuation of our guest interview series, 'In Conversation with The Big Cat People'. In this series, Jonathan and Angie sit down with incredibly talented photographers to discuss the topic of 'Becoming a Photographer'. Today's guest is Nick Brandt, an English photographer focused on the vanishing natural world due to environmental destruction, climate change, and human actions. He directed award-winning music videos like Michael Jackson's "Earth Song" before falling in love with East Africa during a shoot in Tanzania. Frustrated with not capturing his feelings for animals, he embarked on his On This Earth Trilogy, aiming to depict animals' essence. Brandt founded the Big Life Foundation in response to escalating poaching in Africa, protecting wildlife and ecosystems. His projects like "Inherit the Dust" and "This Empty World" depict the impact of human development on animals and humans. His work captures the critical moment of the Anthropocene, reflecting on climate change's consequences. Brandt's recent series in Fiji addresses climate change without featuring animals. This podcast series is a continuing effort to educate and inspire our audience. If you'd like to learn more about us, or to check out our latest collection of educational ebooks, please visit our website: www.bigcatpeople.com. Connect with Nick Brandt: @nickbrandt nickbrandt.com

Welcome to The Big Cat People podcast! We're Jonathan and Angela Scott, award-winning wildlife photographers, authors and conservationists. We have made our name documenting the lives of lions, leopards and cheetahs in the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. Today's episode is a continuation of our guest interview series, 'In Conversation with The Big Cat People'. In this series, Jonathan and Angie sit down with incredibly talented photographers to discuss the topic of 'Becoming a Photographer'. Today's guest is Shem Compion, an African-born adventurer, nature photographer, author, and innovative photography hide builder. Co-founder of C4 Photo Safaris, his work, renowned globally, includes contributions to the BBC's Planet Earth series. Pioneering photography hides, such as Africa's first underground hide, Shem offers unique perspectives. An educator and author, he's published seven titles, including "A Landscape of Insects." Shem's boundless exploration recently took him along Ethiopia's Omo River, consistently producing creative photographic work. As a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society in London, Shem Compion remains a dynamic force in wildlife photography. This podcast series is a continuing effort to educate and inspire our audience. If you'd like to learn more about us, or to check out our latest collection of educational ebooks, please visit our website: www.bigcatpeople.com. Connect with Shem Compion: ⁠@shemimages shemimages.com

Welcome to The Big Cat People podcast! We're Jonathan and Angela Scott, award-winning wildlife photographers, authors and conservationists. We have made our name documenting the lives of lions, leopards and cheetahs in the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. Today's episode is a continuation of a new guest interview series, 'In Conversation with The Big Cat People'. In this series, Jonathan and Angie sit down with incredibly talented photographers to discuss the topic of 'Becoming a Photographer'. Today's guest is Abraham Joffe ACS, an Australian cinematographer, director, and producer, who is renowned for his visually captivating storytelling. He's the founder of Untitled Film Works, specializing in cutting-edge capture technology. With 20 years of experience across 40 countries and expertise in underwater and aerial filming, Abraham's work includes the Netflix series "Tales by Light." This series led to "Big Cat Tales" in 2018 and 2019. In 2017, he received the Milli award from the Australian Cinematographers Society for his work. Currently, he's directing and producing the Netflix series "OUR OCEANS" and an upcoming feature film. This podcast series is a continuing effort to educate and inspire our audience. If you'd like to learn more about us, or to check out our latest collection of educational ebooks, please visit our website: www.bigcatpeople.com. Connect with Abraham Joffe: @abrahamjoffe untitledfilmworks.com

Welcome to The Big Cat People podcast! We're Jonathan and Angela Scott, award-winning wildlife photographers, authors and conservationists. We have made our name documenting the lives of lions, leopards and cheetahs in the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. Today's episode is a continuation of a new guest interview series, 'In Conversation with The Big Cat People'. In this series, Jonathan and Angie sit down with incredibly talented photographers to discuss the topic of 'Becoming a Photographer'. Today's guest is Brent Stirton, a Senior Photographer at Getty Images in New York, is celebrated for his compelling documentary work. With an alternative approach to photojournalism, he combines lighting portraiture in the field with prolific work ethic, traveling extensively on commissioned assignments. Collaborating with renowned publications like National Geographic, CNN Traveler, and more, he interprets stories visually. His focus lies in humanitarian issues, including HIV/AIDS, environment, poverty, and women's empowerment. Stirton has received numerous awards, including a Peabody Award in 2012, and holds a journalism degree from South Africa, where he began his career documenting apartheid issues. This podcast series is a continuing effort to educate and inspire our audience. If you'd like to learn more about us, or to check out our latest collection of educational ebooks, please visit our website: www.bigcatpeople.com. Connect with Brent Stirton: brentstirton.com @brentstirton

Welcome to The Big Cat People podcast! We're Jonathan and Angela Scott, award-winning wildlife photographers, authors and conservationists. We have made our name documenting the lives of lions, leopards and cheetahs in the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. Today's episode is the first in the brand new guest interview series, 'In Conversation with The Big Cat People'. In this series, Jonathan and Angie sit down with incredibly talented photographers to discuss the topic of 'Becoming a Photographer'. The first guest on the podcast is Will Burrard-Lucas, a British wildlife photographer and Sony Europe Imaging Ambassador who splits his time between the UK and Africa. Inspired by childhood years in Tanzania, he's deeply connected to the natural world. Will's work centers on capturing awe-inspiring animal portraits, often using wide-angle lenses. He's known for pioneering "BeetleCam," a remote-controlled camera buggy, and a range of camera trap products. His collaborations with Tsavo Trust and Kenya Wildlife Service resulted in "Land of Giants," a book documenting iconic elephants. "The Black Leopard" and a forthcoming book on lions continue his remarkable journey. Don't miss his 2022 Ted Talk: "Between Dreams and Reality. This podcast series is a continuing effort to educate and inspire our audience. If you'd like to learn more about us, or to check out our latest collection of educational ebooks, please visit our website: www.bigcatpeople.com. Connect with Will Burrard-Lucas: willbl.com @willbl

Welcome to The Big Cat People podcast! We're Jonathan and Angela Scott, award-winning wildlife photographers, authors and conservationists. We have made our name documenting the lives of lions, leopards and cheetahs in the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. Today's episode is the second in the Sacred Nature Series, and it discusses the topic of 'Becoming Conservationists'. A trip down memory lane with Jonathan and Angie, from growing up immersed in Nature - Angie in Tanzania and Jonathan on a farm in the UK - to their shared love of wildlife, photography and art. They met and married in the Maasai Mara in 1992, kindred spirits, with Angie giving structure and clarity to their path, whether what their next project might be - a CD Rom on an African Safari, revising their Safari Guide Books to East African Animals and Birds, or working on television series - they have never looked back, always on the go, living life to the full, whether at home in Nairobi or photographing a world beyond reality: Antarctica. There were halcyon days on safari filming Big Cat Diary for weeks at a time, with Jonathan as co-presenter and Angie as an ace big cat spotter and production stills photographer. Angie has always loved books and dreamed of one day seeing their work writ large in a portfolio book of their own making. That dream was realised with their two award winning titles of Sacred Nature published by HPH Publishes in South Africa. They in turn led to them founding the non-profit Sacred Nature Initiative based on three pillars: Inspire, Educate, Conserve. This is the fascinating and inspiring story of their journey to Becoming Conservationists.  This podcast series is a continuing effort to educate and inspire our audience. If you'd like to learn more about us, or to check out our latest collection of educational ebooks, please visit our website: www.bigcatpeople.com.

Welcome to The Big Cat People podcast! We're Jonathan and Angela Scott, award-winning wildlife photographers, authors and conservationists. We have made our name documenting the lives of lions, leopards and cheetahs in the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. Today's episode is the first in the Sacred Nature Series, and it centers around the concept of 'Safari Etiquette'. The advent of wildlife tourism to Parks and Reserves around the world has been a mixed blessing. It helps to generate much needed foreign currency for the local economy. Some of this revenue goes towards managing protected areas and helping local communities living with wildlife to meet their development needs. Getting the right balance between the financial benefits of tourism and the sanctity of the natural environment, and wellbeing of local communities and wildlife, is no easy matter and needs to constantly be monitored. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Greater Maasai Mara Ecosystem in Kenya. The overdevelopment of tourism facilities in and around the Maasai Mara National Reserve (MMNR) has resulted in swarms of vehicles crisscrossing the landscape in search of predator sightings, leading to scenes of utter chaos as reported recently in a hard hitting article in the New York Times entitled, The Cheetahs Made a Kill. Then the Safari Trucks Swarmed In (4 January, 2023). How can we help? The Sacred Nature Initiative, founded by Jonathan and Angela in 2021, is currently supporting Narok County Government’s One-Mara Brand initiative. This takes an ecosystem approach in partnership with stakeholders, such as the Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancy Association, to help safeguard the welfare of local communities and wellbeing of protected areas, while developing sustainable and attractive tourism products. Embedding a strong culture of good practice - a Safari Etiquette - would help elevate the safari experience we want to offer visitors to new standards of excellence. In doing so it would go a long way to turning the dream of having the Greater Mara Ecosystem declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site into a reality. This accolade has to be earned. In this podcast Jonathan explains the reasoning behind the Safari Etiquette and why it is so important for all stakeholders to come together to help salvage the reputation of the Maasai Mara. This podcast series is a continuing effort to educate and inspire our audience. If you'd like to learn more about us, or to check out our latest collection of educational ebooks, please visit our website: www.bigcatpeople.com.

Welcome to The Big Cat People podcast! We're Jonathan and Angela Scott, award-winning wildlife photographers, authors and conservationists. We have made our name documenting the lives of lions, leopards and cheetahs in the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. This episode, titled 'The Truth About Lions', marks the tenth and final episode of our Big Cat Diary Uncut series. Jonathan reflects on the changes in the Marsh Pride and shares insights in a recent documentary. The Lion: The Rise and Fall of the Marsh Pride aired in 2022, highlighting the iconic pride's story through extensive BBC Natural History Unit footage. It addresses the poisoning incident in 2015, the decline of herbivore populations, and challenges like the climate crisis, elephant population, fires, tourism oversupply, and conflicts with pastoralists. The Marsh Pride's territory and uncertain future are discussed, with hope resting on the newly signed Maasai Mara Management Plan for a brighter future. This podcast series is a continuing effort to educate and inspire our audience. If you'd like to learn more about us, or to check out our latest collection of educational ebooks, please visit our website: www.bigcatpeople.com.

Welcome to The Big Cat People podcast! We're Jonathan and Angela Scott, award-winning wildlife photographers, authors and conservationists. We have made our name documenting the lives of lions, leopards and cheetahs in the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. In the ninth episode of Big Cat Diary Uncut, titled '2008: A Cheetah Mother Called Shakira,' we continue our captivating series. Big Cat Live, a highly anticipated commission by the BBC, features night footage using thermal imaging cameras to track the Marsh Pride and Honey's Boys hunting zebras. Saba takes a sabbatical to give birth, introducing Jackson ole Looseyia as a talented presenter. The dedicated Big Cat website, coordinated by Penny Hunter, allows our audience to stay connected with 24/7 updates. Shakira steals the show with her adorable cubs, while Jackson explores Bella's leopard dynasty and Simon follows the Marsh Pride. Big Cat Live's success surpasses Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, marking the end of an era. This podcast series is a continuing effort to educate and inspire our audience. If you'd like to learn more about us, or to check out our latest collection of educational ebooks, please visit our website: www.bigcatpeople.com.

Welcome to The Big Cat People podcast! We're Jonathan and Angela Scott, award-winning wildlife photographers, authors and conservationists. We have made our name documenting the lives of lions, leopards and cheetahs in the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. Today's episode is called '2006: A Lioness Called Tamu', and it is the eighth episode in our ten part series named Big Cat Diary Uncut. Join us in this episode as we go back in time to the year 2006. If the demise of little Toto the cheetah cub had a UK audience of 7 million viewers of Big Cat Week 3 - and many more around the world - the story of a lioness called Tamu would define Big Cat Week 4. The young Marsh lioness was almost certainly one of two female cubs that accompanied Nsu Nsu when videoing Big Cat Diary in 2002. The little females had played an innocent part that year in Mama Lugga (aka Red) losing contact with her small cubs along the Bila Shaka Lugga. Those four cubs were fortunate to be adopted by White Eye and Kali who raised them in a creche of 10, proving the power of the "sisterhood" to the pride. Now Tamu faced troubles of her own when a nomadic male moves in to the area where she has hidden four tiny cubs fathered by Notch. The iconic pride male sporting a magnificent mane tinged with black was now on his own, having lost his male companion in a fight to the death with three powerful Paradise Pride males more than a year-and-a-half earlier. The migration of wildebeests and zebras had flooded in from the Serengeti, and Notch was doing everything he could to remain close to the lionesses and sub-adults in the pride to avoid two nomadic males who had recently moved in to the area. He spent most of his time in Musiara Marsh where there was plenty of food to scavenge from kills made by other members of the pride. Meanwhile, Jonathan is reunited with Honey - Toto’s mum - who had given birth to a new litter of cubs and was spending most of her time in the Mara Triangle, ranging widely. Just before filming, Honey loses one of her cubs leaving three males and a female of around seven months old. Then, right at the start of the series, another cub is lost - the little female - killed by a lion when mother and cubs tarry too long gorging themselves on a wildebeest calf after dark. While Jonathan and Simon and the cheetah and lion crews have their hands full keeping up with all the dramas of their stories, Saba is struggling. This will be the fourth year she has followed the leopard story for four years and it is proving a tough assignment. Once again Bella is without cubs, and we know how difficult it is when there are no cubs to drive the action. Fortunately, Bella is in oestrus and being courted by four adult males, unfortunately the action occurs deep in cover and the leopard crew are left frustrated. The beauty of Big Cat has always been the richness of the stories and while Bella does provide flashes of wonderful viewing it is Tamu and Honey who hold center stage, keeping everyone glued to their television sets. Tamu is constantly trying to avoid other members of the Marsh Pride - particularly Red and White Eye - who are quick to try and intimidate their younger relative and force her on her way whenever they spot her trying to among the dense reed-beds of the Marsh where she has hidden her cubs. Honey’s three male cubs provide plenty of excitement as they refine their hunting skills and engage in boisterous play sessions. They are destined to become known as Honey’s Boys, a powerful coalition that in time will dominate a huge territory from Musiara Marsh south to Paradise Plain and east to the Rekero area. Roll on 2008!  This podcast series is a continuing effort to educate and inspire our audience. If you'd like to learn more about us, or to check out our latest collection of educational ebooks, please visit our website: www.bigcatpeople.com.