Forde, Photography | Hobby photographer Thomas Brockett captured this flash shot at home in Anjedalen

– I sat there for two to three hours, but then I started to get stiff and stiff. You sit crooked a little bit inside the tent, says Thomas Oscar Hamarso Brockett.

He’s a hobby photographer, and often sat for hours with his camera, hoping the right wink would come through.

– When the birds come, it happens very quickly. Then you have to take a lot of pictures, and it’s not always perfect. I have a very slow shutter speed on my camera, so I had to shoot freely when the attack happened. You saw a preconcentration where you expected the attack to come, he says.

– Not everyone saw it

When he has to photograph birds, he wears a camouflage suit and sits in a camouflage tent as well.

– For the past two years I’ve been feeding baby birds at stations I’ve set up around the farm where I come from. Sometimes there are a lot of birds, and when the nutcracker comes, the hawk often follows and chases after her, he says.

At home on his farm, he has set up a photography area.

– I cleared a lot of forest, and made bushes and trees for them to land on. Then I put food to get them in. It takes a long time to prepare for photography. He says I am lucky to have such an area in the farm.

His interest in photography started in 2017. At first he mostly took pictures of landscapes, but in recent years he has only developed a growing interest in wild animals.

– It is interesting to get a visit from birds that are not so common to see, such as the tramp hawk. Brockett says not everyone has seen it.

I visited Photofarmer

He shared a photo of the tram falcon and its nocturnal screeching to the “Førde i bilde” Facebook group, and it received over 300 likes and 60 comments.

It’s good to be so well received, Brockett says.

This summer was visited by Jostein Hellevik, better known as the “Photo Farmer” from NRK’s documentary series. Fotobonden, which makes it easy for nature photographers who want to take pictures of wild animals, is one of Bruket’s biggest sources of inspiration.

– I took some pictures with him, and had a little chat with him one day. I took some time off from filming, because I thought it was exciting to talk to him and get tips, says Brockett.

You must compete

Although photography is just a hobby for Brockett, he has also sold some photos.

– I’ve managed to sell a few between them. It’s a good idea to do this now and then, because I spend a lot of time and money on both equipment and food for the birds, he says.

He also recently started entering photography competitions.

– You have entered the Nordic contest, where the best picture of a bird will be chosen. The picture of the tramp hawk and the nutcracker will be one of the pictures I attach there. You can submit up to five photos of different types. Hopefully my photos will eventually pay off, Brockett says.