Readers’ Showcase: Phil Garcia
Arctic fox, Iceland 2014. A young white morph Arctic Fox sunbathing in front of his den. After spending a week camping close to that place, the family just accepted me as one of them. Probably because of the smell! Photo and caption by Phil Garcia
Phil Garcia made a career of shooting mountain sports, but found his hobby photographing wildlife becoming more than a side project. Now he maintains a home in Iceland, studying and capturing the country’s native Arctic Fox. Garcia is about to publish a book of his Arctic Fox photographs, and shares with us his views on photographing wildlife, respecting the natural world and what it takes to weather Iceland’s rain.
You can see more of his work at his website, and reserve a copy of his forthcoming book by contributing to his crowdfunding campaign. Interested in having your work featured in an upcoming Readers’ Showcase? Let us know! Include your DPR user name a link to your online portfolio.
Readers’ Showcase: Phil Garcia
Common Vulture, Pyrénées mountains, Spain 2016. Vultures are quite common in my area and they are my winter favorite. I spend loads of time every year at the top of this cliff in the biting wind to catch this kind of shot. Photo and caption by Phil Garcia
Tell us where you’re from and your history with photography.
I’m a French photographer – I was born in the Pyrenees mountains, close to the Spanish border. It’s a mountain area with lots of wildlife, such as eagles, vultures, capercaillie, foxes, mountain goats, deers, etc. I bought my first camera when I was 15, that was 30 years ago. Then I became a full time photographer in the sports business, specifically mountain sports such as skiing and mountain biking. I shot for big brands like Oakley and Redbull and also for many magazines, while shooting wildlife and nature photography as a hobby.
Readers’ Showcase: Phil Garcia
Atlantic puffin, Iceland, 2015. Some years ago, I made my first trip to Iceland. That was the time before I went completely mad about that country and decided to buy a house there and spend lots of time photographing its nature. This puffin was shot in the midnight light on the westernmost point of Iceland, facing Greenland. Photo and caption by Phil Garcia
What do you shoot with now?
I’m a Canon guy, and at the moment I shoot with the EOS 5D Mark III and 7D II. I don’t use the 1D series anymore, mainly for weight reasons. Because I travel lots I like to take advantage of the APS-C format with smaller and lighter lenses. My lens kit include the 300mm F2.8, 70-200mm F2.8, 100mm macro, TS-E 90mm, 50mm and 16-35mm F4, all L-series.
Readers’ Showcase: Phil Garcia
Eurasian Nuthatch, Pyrénées Mountains, France 2013. Snow is also one of my favorites subjects, but this picture was made from a comfortable shelter in my garden! Photo and caption by Phil Garcia
What kind of subjects do you specialize in photographing?
In my wildlife and nature photography, I like mountain mammals and birds of prey. But I shoot any kind of animal if it makes an aesthetic picture. I’m more after the good light and scene than after some particular or rare species. There are lots of animals I’ve never photographed properly but I don’t really mind, I’m not ticking boxes. I prefer a good shot of a sparrow than 50 average shots of eagles.
Readers’ Showcase: Phil Garcia
Arctic Fox, Iceland 2016. In winter, the arctic foxes of the white morph turn completely white. That’s a picture that took me a long time to get, as most of their areas are so remote that it’s quite impossible to get there in the middle of the winter, as the roads are often closed and the boats can’t sail. Photo and caption by Phil Garcia
You’re preparing a book featuring the Arctic Fox for publication. What draws you to this subject in particular?
I’ve spent a lot of time in Iceland over the last five years, as I bought a house there. Iceland is full of birds but there is only one proper mammal to photograph: the Arctic Fox. And it’s a hard one, it took me two years to get my first proper shot of an Arctic Fox. I spent lots of time in the field, and I got to know Ester, an Icelandic biologist specialized in Arctic Foxes. With my wife, we participate in local studies for its protection, spending weeks taking notes in front of a den in the cold and rain. In the end, it has become a full time passion, even when I’m not in Iceland!
Readers’ Showcase: Phil Garcia
Arctic fox, Iceland 2014. July is the time for the young foxes to learn many things from their parents. Although the animal is a canid, the cubs love to play in a very kitten-like way. Photo and caption by Phil Garcia
Iceland is an important photographic subject to you as well. What is it that makes it such a unique destination for photographers?
Like in many Arctic countries, I think the light makes all the difference. It has amazing light and a very wild nature. I can spend a week in the field and hardly meet a couple of people. I photograph animals that may see a man twice a year. And many places are not hunted, meaning the animals are not extremely afraid of man, like in many other places in the world.
Readers’ Showcase: Phil Garcia
Arctic fox, Iceland 2014. After spending a week around them, the mother of this cub was so confident in me that she very often left me at her den with her cubs around while she went hunting guillemots for them. During that time, the male kept on checking the territory from a distance. He never got that friendly. Photo and caption by Phil Garcia
What advice would you give a photographer visiting Iceland for the first time?
Any photographer I’ve met who has traveled to Iceland for the first time has one thing to say: ‘When will I be able to go back there?!’ It’s amazing but it’s a hard country too: it’s cold at any time of the year, and you always need a good rain outfit. I mean a real rain outfit, not just Goretex, thick rubber like sailors wear! If you visit Iceland, you must also take a lot of care to not disturb the natural environment – don’t break any plants, don’t walk on moss. It took the moss three hundreds of years to grow some centimeters thick and can be ruined instantly.
Readers’ Showcase: Phil Garcia
Stilt, Mediterranean area, France, 2015. I love to play with lights and water, especially when I use my floating hide. This stilt was playing with the light too. Photo and caption by Phil Garcia
What’s the experience of publishing a photo book been like so far?
It’s been going pretty well so far as I decided to publish it myself, so I’m the boss of everything! It’s a subject that is hard to sell for a publisher so I didn’t even bother to propose it. It’s really a lot of work to promote the book, but the crowdfunding went pretty well, it’s almost done. Now comes the fun part of checking the files, the paper orders and the printing. I’ve done that already in a previous job, so it should be fine and the book will be beautiful!
Readers’ Showcase: Phil Garcia
Arctic fox, Iceland 2014. This was certainly the first time that this blue-morph Arctic Fox met a man in a short distance. He was not scared at all, just very curious. Photo and caption by Phil Garcia
What advice would you give to new wildlife photographers?
That’s an easy one, as I have guided workshops in Iceland for the last three years. I’ll tell you what I tell my people: First, learn everything about the animal, from books or the internet. Second, learn about its habitat. Then you can open your camera bag and hopefully shoot something. Let the animal determine the distance, never follow it when it leaves and most importantly, as my friend Ester would say: ‘Don’t feed the foxes!’ What that generally means is ‘Don’t interfere in the animal’s life, just look at it.’
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
