An Interview With Shannon Benson
What To Expect From This Interview:
Shannon is an award winning wildlife photographer & cinematographer & passionate conservationist who I had the pleasure meeting in India a few years ago. Better known under her brand name Shannon Wild she has had a fascinating wildlife journey which we explore in my interview with her. It’s not always been smooth sailing as you will hear, but Shannon has shown plenty of Aussie grit to overcome the challenges that have been thrown her way over the years.
Her passion for her chosen craft & the wildlife she strives to protect is clear to see, whether filming Komodo Dragons up close in Indonesia, or setting up her jewelry business “Wild in Africa” from her hospital bed to help support conservation.
I hope you enjoy our conversation & if you are keen to know more about Shannon & her work there are other links to see Shannon & her husband Russell out in the field & a link where you could purchase one of her gorgeous bracelets that help support various wildlife charities.
Red Collective-The Wilds
Bracelets for Wildlife
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Collections
A series of photographic work, exploring wildlife from around the world. View the full collection here.
Available Prints
My top prints are available to purchase as limited edition runs of only 25 and 15 between 30” and 60” prints. View a selection below or the full collection here.
More Interviews with Jules Oldroyd
Serengeti 2024
Available in:
Limited edition run of 25 - 30” print for £500
Limited edition run of 15 - 48” print for £1250
Whilst I was recently in Kenya on safari, I received some wonderful news. One of my images “She Who Dares” won Silver in this years World Nature Photography Awards in the Behaviour-Reptiles category.
This is one of the top awards that I won since I embarked on a full-time photography career, so I was really thrilled by this recognition & that the judges recognized the storytelling behind the interesting behaviour in this image.
I took this image whilst I was in the Serengeti National Park In February 2024. Whilst I was watching & waiting for this male lion to wake up I noticed a female agama lizard moving closer to the lion & to my surprise made contact with his nose as she tried to catch a fly on his face. Luckily the lion didn't react, but I was amazed at the chutzpah in what I had witnessed.
In the hope of trying to capture this behaviour if she returned, I put my 2x extender on my 400mm lens & waited. Again, the agama returned looking for an opportunistic meal. The agama inched forward moving closer to the sleeping lion and stopped inches away from the lion’s face. Unfortunately, this time there were no flies to feed on so she scampered off. It was fascinating & brave behaviour to witness. It might not have been the image that I was originally looking for but arguably this is a more striking image of one of the Kings of the Serengeti & the brave lizard.
I think it also shows how important it is to remain observant whilst in the field especially in those moments when you are waiting for something to happen- something more interesting may present itself & adapting quickly was essential to get this image.
For more details on printing, delivery and charity, click here.