Having a career relating to wildlife and the wilderness is not for the faint-hearted, but for Dave Sanderson, chasing sunsets and sunrise in remote places is difficult to beat.
Born and raised in Seymour, Mr Sanderson is now a wildlife and nature photographer, and just was recently shortlisted finalist for the South Australian Museum and the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2024.
Mr Sanderson said he was inspired by last year’s overall winner Samuel Markham's image, "My Country Burns" to enter the competition.
“I was so impressed with the quality of the images and the compelling stories they tell,” he said.
“Taking last year's overall winner Samuel Markham's image, "My Country Burns"- a photo during a firestorm in Parma creek NSW, I was blown away by the feelings it evoked, and I spent the next few months waiting for the right opportunity.
“I focused on the much maligned Dingo, which gets a bad reputation.
“Its cultural significance and benefits to ecosystems as an apex predator cannot be understated, something I thought needed more discussion.
“I submitted and went through the process and was excited to find out I'd been shortlisted from the 1800+ photos entered.”
The said Dingo, now affectionately nicknamed as Darla, is the cover of Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year book.
“I've been lucky enough to work all over Australia throughout my career and usually, I pack a camera,” Mr Sanderson said.
“In this instance, I was in the Cooper Basin, South Australia.
“I had left my camera at my accommodation and luckily, I decided to return and get it.
“Just as I was about to climb into my four-wheel drive, I noticed a set of eyes watching me on the sand dune.
“A curious young female pup began watching me. I was lucky that she sat still long enough to take her portrait, and the rest is history.”
Mr Sanderson said he was blown away when he found out he was a finalist, and his photo will be the cover of this year’s book.
“Being a finalist and knowing that your image is going to be hanging on the walls of a museum is incredibly surreal,” he said.
“Seeing it on the cover of the book of so many talented photographers is wild.
“When you look at the talent and quality of the images contained in this year's exhibition, it's really incredible and hard not to be proud to be a finalist.”
Growing up in Seymour, Mr Sanderson said the town has many uniquely charming areas like the Goulburn River, rail and military heritage, wineries, farmland, and it's not too far from diverse ecosystems, historical and geological points of interest.
“I started ... really just taking a camera anywhere I went,” he said.
“Experimenting with different lighting and composition techniques.
“Taking enough bad photos to learn what a good one looks like helps, then doing more of them.”
For anyone who wants to pick up a camera and take a shot, take it from a revered photographer.
“Ask questions, and get active,” Mr Sanderson said.
“The late Kobe Bryant once said about basketball, ‘You miss 100% of the shots you don't take’, it's the same with Photography.
“There really are no perfect pictures, it's really about being present in the moment.
“Enjoy the chase, get out there, and have fun doing it.”