Photofocus

Education and inspiration for visual storytellers

Alex Saberi – Photographer of the Week

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alexsaberi_headshotHe’s a photographer for National Geographic yet his photos are unlike any other wildlife photographers I’ve seen because of his beautiful combination of his subjects and fine art. From the strength of a simple, singular swan to a triangle formation of an elk gang, I’m completely blown away at the level that this photographer has taken his documenting and photographic process. Today, I stand and salute London photographer, Alex Saberi.

Alex is a National Geographic photographer from London that began photography as a hobby by taking photos in the royal Richmond Park in London. It is only recently that he has turned his hobby into a profession. And since then, he has appeared in many digital camera magazines and publications and recently won the Protection Agencys wildlife competition among many other competitions.

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Alex’s Gear:
“I currently shoot with the brilliant Canon 5d Mk111. Personally this incarnation of the 5D is perfect for my needs. They upped the frames per sec and the autofocus is now great. I always liked the quality from all the 5D’s.
To go with this I now use the Canon 14mm (I upgraded from the canon 16-35). The Canon 14mm is so much sharper and that extra 2mm is massive. This is paired with the Canon 24-70mm. This lens is much more useful as a walk around than the 16-35mm in my opinion and makes a great companion to the 14mm. For my wildlife shots I mainly used the canon 100-400 with a Kenko Teleconvertor. This lens, although not in the league of the Canon primes, was brilliant and served me well. I have just bought the new Canon 200-400mm, which was quite an investment but results so far are very impressive. The image quality is amazing, as is the fast autofocus and very useful teleconvertor switch. Downsides of this I have seen so far are the weight and size. I also have a Canon 85mm 1.8 for portraits, and Canon 180mm for macros.”
Alex’s Advice for Photographers:
“I would say don’t get bogged down initially in the technicalities of photography or the need for loads of equipment. Find out first what you love. Which genre gives you the most happiness shooting. I found out by trying many genres and setting myself series to do. Setting yourself a series really does help you look at every angle of the subject or style. For instance, over one year I set myself the task of finding the best reflection in the rain shots of London. I really learned alot about photography during this time and experimented with all sorts of techniques. I found that in fact most important of all is planning. Scouting locations and coming back at the perfect time and conditions. I think it is also important to share your photos on some of the photography community sites. Get feedback and try new things. This really helped me define my style. “
Be sure to check out more of Alex’s portfolio at .

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Melissa Niu

Melissa Niu is a storyteller at heart.Niu's work ranges from her Broadcast Journalism experience at NBC in Seattle to her recent work as a co-founder and host of the photography platform, [FRAMED] Network. Her passion for photography, music and journalistic skills harvests into a massive need to tell a good story.As a mother of three daughters and running multiple businesses, Niu is constantly seeking balance, health, laughter and progression.

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    • I totally agree, Alan. The swan on the pond is completely dreamy, couldn’t stop staring at that one!

       
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