I was pretty excited when I arranged an interview with Ashley Sykes. I’ve been a fan of his incredible nature photography since discovering his Instagram page during last whale season, along with about 10,000 other people. His drone shots of the enormous marine mammals, stomach to the sky, tens of thousands of litres of water violently displaced as they crash back into the ocean, give a sense of the whale’s power and size in a way that few other images can and were a highlight of the southern migration for me.
Just as we were preparing to chat, Ashley let me know that while he was still available, whales had been sighted making their way north and he might be filming during our allotted time. And that’s how he gets his incredible shots: dedication and determination. That and a lot of skill.
British born, Ashley moved to Australia in 2018.
“I moved here for the weather, and the wildlife and lifestyle,” he said.
By day he’s a veterinarian but that doesn’t stop him indulging his passion for capturing animals in their natural environment.
“I am a full time vet,” he said, “but in my free time I am out doing photography, whale watching, finding wildlife daily.”
Ashley got his first camera as a teenager but his love for nature and wildlife photography really took off when he got his first drone around four years ago.
“Drones just give such a unique aspect that no one has really seen before without them. Also you can find things, and see things, otherwise basically impossible without it. They are also very non-intrusive, to sea life anyway. Under the ocean, no sea life seems to care and their behaviour continues as normal for almost all species.”
Of all the animals Ashley has photographed, it seems that whales come out on top. “They are just so majestic, playful, and huge! … I love that even someone who might not count themselves as a whale lover, when they see a big whale breach close to shore, everyone is looking, and oo'ing, aaar'ing and loving it!”
For me though, and I’m a whale lover from way back, it’s his breathtaking footage of great white and hammerhead sharks off Port Kembla beach (and beyond) that have really captured my imagination. And there’s a lot to learn from this unique footage.
“This year filming lots of great whites has again been amazing, and observing their behaviour with dolphins – they are scared by them!” Ashley explained.
There’s a lot to be said for the power of nature photography, especially in terms of conservation. Ashley takes that a step further and actively mentors those hoping to get into drone photography, opening up a sometimes difficult hobby and adding in his animal knowledge on top.
“I enjoy seeing the thrill on other people's faces when they find and then film/photograph amazing wildlife out there they didn't know they could do! The enthusiasm and excitement of finding your first shark, dolphin, or whale is unreal.”
Later on, Ashley messages me. "No whales seen today, but found a great white shark at PK [Port Kembla] beach!"
His enthusiasm jumps out and I add ‘drone photography’ to the list of things I hope to do this year.
To follow Ashley’s incredible footage, head to his Instagram Ausmashmash
To purchase one of his prints head to his Etsy store
