Snap... and in just 1,000th of a second, a brief moment in nature is captured with amazing clarity. For nature photographer Paul Hobson, capturing a fraction of a second in the life of birds, butterflies, wild animals and the most touching, lighthearted, cruel or dramatic moments is a skill honed over many years, and one for which the photographer is well-renowned.

Better still, Paul is only too happy to share his skills with others, and is this month due to host two photographic courses at Water’s Edge, near Barton on Humber, and a further one on September to help Lincolnshire’s budding amateur nature photographers to develop their skills and capture astonishing natural images.

Commended in 2008’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, Paul has travelled all over the world capturing his images, and sells his work through picture agencies and directly to publishers of specialist wildlife publications, and also works as a journalist and picture contributor to county magazines and newspapers. In addition to travelling worldwide, the photographer also retains a real passion for Lincolnshire, and enjoys shooting both the county’s more common wildlife and a few elusive species for which Lincolnshire is particularly renowned.

“I was born on the outskirts of Manchester, and spend most of my youth in the Cheshire countryside.” says Paul. “I was a typical boy, always running home with creepy crawlies in jam jars and so on.”

At the time, Paul studied photography at school, working with a film camera and printing his own black and white images as part of his school’s Photographic Club.

Leaving school and studying Environmental Science, Paul thought his career path would lead him to be a reserve warden or a conservation expert, but instead began teaching.

The photographer’s interest in nature remained, and he became more interested in nature photography, capturing images of birds’ nests as a British Trust for Ornithology nest monitoring project.

“I was bitten by the bug.” he reveals. “It was the longest and most important monitoring project in the history of ornithology, and eventually I met a local bird photographer and, after a session in a hide, began to diversify into natural history photography, working in the UK and abroad.”

Paul sold his first image in 1985, working with a Pentax camera before switching to Canon when its new EOS system or lenses was released with a new autofocus system — the photographer still uses Canon cameras today to create and sell images to professional photo libraries and magazines.

His most recent achievement was his front cover shot for the BBC’s Wildlife magazine, but despite his professional, high-end equipment and skill, Paul believes that anyone with an interest in nature and a degree of proficiency with a camera can hone their skills and begin to capture pleasing images, even with fairly modest equipment.

“Photography skills can be taught and learned.” says Paul. “But a passion for nature is a must. A knowledge of the natural word is crucial, and there’s simply no substitute for being aware of your surroundings — that comes first, camera skills come second.”

In addition to encouraging participants in his courses to look for areas in which they can photograph wildlife, enhancing their skills in observing animals’ habits and encouraging them to adhere to natural history photographers’ code of conduct in not disturbing or harming animals’ natural habitats, the photographer teaches his participants genuine technical skills they can use throughout their photography.

“The course could easily be titled ‘take control of your camera.’” says Paul. “An understanding of the camera’s manual settings, light sensitivity and focus all encourage participants to go beyond ‘point and press’ photography. In addition though, we cover skills such as composition, framing and the habits of wildlife in Lincolnshire.”

Paul insists that images should always tell a story, and should always have a purpose to them, rather than just being candid shots. This is especially true to those who wish to enter their images into competitions.

The county’s coastal region is a haven for waders, whilst birds of prey and barn owls hunting in daylight make excellent subjects. Donna Nook on the east coast is a haven for seals, if slightly overused, whilst the county’s nature reserves are excellent sites for photographing butterflies around now. Dragonflies and waders are potential subjects in September, which October and  November, will see seals pupping.

However, the county’s most popular subject is its bird populations.Paul’s Macro (close-up) photography will take place on 22nd August and September and October will also see a Birds of Prey event. The latter sees an expert bring along several birds of prey which are then released under controlled conditions, guaranteeing the presence of a photographic subject.

“Photographing birds in flight is a challenge.” says Paul, whose favourite image was commended in the 2008 Wildlife Photographer of the Year winning osprey in flight with trout.

“Familiarity with birds’ day to day habits helps, as does a long lens — I use a 70mm-200mm lens, and a 500mm lens — but bird tables still attract subjects to photograph, and some common subjects like ducks and swans are easier to capture, and still offer a rewarding shot.”

Paul shoots throughout the year and all hours and can spend months setting up shots, setting himself targets to shoot particular species or in particular locations. However, those on his courses can, even with modest training, begin to achieve amazing images and can gain a great deal from just a few hours in the company of one of the UK’s most prolific and expert wildlife photographers... right here in the county!