Eric Hosking OBE, Hon FRPS, FBIPP (1909-1991) was widely regarded as one of the world’s most accomplished natural history photographers throughout his long and illustrious career, which spanned more than sixty years.
His work received praise, was published, and was displayed in countries on all the continents of the world. He gave lectures that were illustrated with slides of his most stunning images for many years while traveling the length and width of the United Kingdom.
Three generations of aspiring young naturalists and photographers have been motivated to continue his legacy by the excellent quality of his photographs, his painstaking attention to his subjects, and his unbridled excitement. There is no question that his images have significantly influenced our broader awareness of and concern for the living world.
Imagine if we didn’t have Digital Photography
It was only the other day, I was chatting with fellow wildlife photographer Lee Aaron on life before digital cameras.
I was lucky enough to study photography at university between 2000 and 2003 and digital cameras weren’t really a thing. At around 1-2mp and mainly compact cameras, they couldn’t compare to film photography at the time.
Now jump back 60 years previous to that when Eric was using much less technical cameras to capture his amazing bird photography. It just doesn’t seem possible, does it?
This is where Eric’s passion, dedication, fieldcraft, and patience really came into play.
In the 1930’s my father would set out for a day’s photography with 12 glass negatives, compare that to a digital memory card and a camera, that takes over all the photographic process!
David Hosking FRPS, FBNA
All through my fathers career he was always looking at the latest technology to see how it could be used to take better bird pictures and with his passion for recording birds in flight, he would be so keen on modern digital cameras, where the high ISO enabled very fast shutter speeds so replacing the need for high speed flash.
Eric’s interests, however, extended far beyond natural history photography and included a variety of ornithological topics.
He was an astute and sensitive observer of bird life, and the countless hours he spent quietly waiting in his hides led to a wealth of fascinating and important discoveries that were painstakingly documented in his notebooks.
He has a lifelong passion for artists and works of avian art. Paintings were some of his most prized possession, which he had collected and cherished for many years.
He was an ardent reader, and his bookcases were filled to the brim with ornithological books, many of which were significant historical artifacts in and of themselves.
Recommended further reading
The Eric Hosking Trust
The Eric Hosking Trust supports natural history and ornithological study using literature, photography, painting, or illustration as its primary mediums. Suitable applicants from any nation may get bursaries of up to £750 once a year. David Hosking, Dawn Balmer, Professor Richard Chandler, Dr. Jim Flegg OBE, Mark Hosking, Robin Hosking, Edward Keeble, and Paul Williams make up the board of trustees for the trust, which has charity status.
Find out more at:
https://erichoskingtrust.com/
I highly recommend his books:
Eye for a Bird
Listen to Eric Hosking on BBC Desert Island Discs:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p009y619