Photos courtesy of Phillip Yang
Interviewer: Rachel Wu
“What got you interested in taking pictures of birds and nature?”
“There’s a class here called AP Environmental Science, and the teacher, Mr. Barrett, gave us an assignment to go out and look for some birds. And, it was cool, so I decided to stick with it. At first, he brought in some speakers, and what they were doing with these birds — banding them, surveying them — seemed pretty cool. So, I decided to look more into it. And, there’s a bunch of online communities with a bunch of birdwatchers, and it’s pretty cool to interact with other people who have a similar interest.”
“Do you have any favorite memories?”
“I remember there was this one time; I was volunteering for the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory, and we were cleaning out some pieces of wood that were left over from salt production in the early 1900s. We were just moving them out, and there were some snowy plovers nearby, which are pretty cool. I think they’re on the endangered species list.”
“Can you describe your photography process?”
“When I do it in my backyard, sometimes I just sit outside for like an hour and see what comes by. Other times, I just see a bird outside, grab my camera, and try to take a photo of it. I do go outside on trips. Then, I bring my camera. And using what I already know about birds, if the birds are far away, I’ll just identify them. Afterwards, I put them into an online database called eBird. It’s like citizen science.”
“What appeals to you most about birdwatching and photography?”
“It’s pretty relaxing spending time outside in nature, and it’s rewarding being able to see different species of birds and be able to identify them. And the photography thing is kind of like an addition. It’s like the whipping cream on top of the pie. It’s rewarding to be able to take a photo, and it looks nice. And, you can share it with other people, and they think it looks nice.”
“Any tips for people who want to pursue a passion of theirs too?”
“Just stick with it. If you think about giving up, don’t give up. If you give up early, you’re never going to develop it. Also, don’t make it turn into work for yourself. Keep it like a hobby because you want to have fun with it. If you don’t have fun with it, what’s the point?”