Philippa Huber
Name: Philippa Huber
Camera: Nikon Z8, Nikon D750, Sony RX100III
Favourite type of photography: Pets, wildlife, close-ups and seascapes
Location: Devizes, Wiltshire, UK
Website: www.philippahuberphotography.com
Instagram: @petportraitsbyphilippa
How did you get into photography?
I've loved photography since I was young and was a very happy snapper for years. I remember having a little Brownie as a child that was never quite fast enough and never allowed me to get close enough...I'd have liked an SLR for my 18th birthday but was given a tv instead...When I moved to France after graduation, the first thing I bought was a 2nd hand Minolta SLR and a load of film. I learned how to develop my b&w films - I loved the darkroom magic - and I've been photographing ever since, turning pro over the last couple of years since moving back to the UK.
Do you have any photographic qualifications or accolades?
I'm self-taught (I learnt a lot by spending hours looking at the settings of photos I liked on Flickr and by reading AP). I've been commended in Bird Photographer of the Year (BPOTY), shortlisted in Close-up Photographer of the Year (CUPOTY) and published in various magazines.
What's the first photograph you remember seeing or shooting?
Wow, that's a tricky question that I can't really answer. I remember being fascinated by Man Ray's solarised Lee Miller photo in my late teens and as soon as I moved to France a couple of years later, I bought my first SLR, got into a darkroom and played a lot with that technique.
What do you love about photography?
For my personal and close-up work, I love how photography takes me away from the here and now and opens up a little world of the unknown or unexpected - I become totally focused yet totally zoned out. Professionally, I love creating images that resonate with people and that capture the character of their Pet. It's a great privilege to be chosen to share a small amount of time with them to make lasting memories and images. I've also formed some really lovely friendships with both dogs and their owners!
What do you wish you'd learned about photography earlier?
I was late to playing with White Balance - it's such a powerful tool to change the feel of an image.
Where is your favourite place for photography?
Outdoors in general. I love being on or by water, whether that's a canal, river or the sea - as well as the water (I love long exposure waterscapes) there's always something unassuming to find to photograph, whether it's a duck, a celandine or a limpet.
Do you have a favourite photographic technique?
I love shooting wide open and shooting through, from a low level.
Can you briefly outline your approach to image processing?
I shoot RAW and use Capture One Pro for processing. I import to either a new or existing Session and do a first look through the images and colour label (green for go!) and star rate the ones I will edit. I generally create a new preset for each Pet Portrait Session that I can apply to all the images; if the light is very different in sections (ie from an open field to a covered woodland), I'll make two. Then it's general editing - crop, highlight/shadows, select clarity, cloning/healing messy bits. I save high-res and low-res versions with a watermark.
What's your favourite lens?
For work, my Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 and for sitting in fields, my Sigma 105 f/2.8 macro lens.
Do you have a favourite accessory?
I love my Kase magnetic filters - they're easy, great quality and are perfect for someone like me who is anti-faff.
Read Our Urth Magnetic ND Selects Filter Kit Plus+ Review
Have you found the perfect camera bag yet?
I have several, and none is perfect, but they all are good for different jobs, depending on whether I'm taking lots of gear or just off on a one-lens wander. Also, you can never have too many bags...
Peak Design Outdoor Backpack 25L Review
Which photographers have influenced or inspired you, and how or why?
I loved Jane Bown's weekly portraits in the Sunday Observer and her sophisticated use of shallow depth of field is a definite influence on my style.
Please recommend 2 or 3 female photographers to follow on Instagram.
Tina Claffey's bog photography slows me down and draws me in @tinaclaffeyphotography; I'm obsessed by Dr Kathryn Cooper's starlings @kathryncooperwildlife; Georgina Steytler's bird photography is sublime (she's also great at flowers) and she's very generous with her knowledge @georgina_steytler.
Is there a camera, lens or accessory that you don't have yet but you'd like to buy at some point?
There's nothing I'm desperate to have, but I'll gradually move to Nikon's mirrorless Z lenses.
Is there a genre of photography that you love but that you haven't tried yet?
I've dabbled in photographing trees and woodlands but intend to do more, and more seriously.
What's your proudest photographic moment?
I've two - my meadow grasshopper on the front cover of Amateur Photographer magazine was amazing (I'd contributed to a macro article, but the front page was a complete surprise); having my Dalmatian Pelicans selected for last summer's SheClicks Challenge Accepted exhibition at the House of Fuji was incredibly rewarding as I've tried to get on a SheClicks wall since the very first exhibition!
If you could have one superpower that could help you with photography, what would it be?
A super brain that would know instantly where to find the one particular image I want, when I want it!
Your favourite baked goods are?
I'm more of a pint and packet of crisps person, but I wouldn't say no to a good sausage roll!
Tell us a little about yourself.
I live on a narrowboat, having moved back to the UK in 2019 after living abroad since 1991 - I've a degree in languages and my first job was teaching at the University of Aix en Provence in France.
On something of a whim, in 1996 I moved to Turkey, which became my home and base for a very long time; I taught myself Turkish so I could be self-reliant. I met my husband there and we worked in Turkey and around the world on yachts until 2019.
I jumped off a yacht into the water below a melting glacier without realising the ladder to get out wasn't in place - the yacht owner saved my life. I jumped off a yacht to celebrate crossing the Equator - the sea was a lot rougher than it was when I was looking at it.
I'm a pretty good cook - I used to be a chef on superyachts - but it's not my passion.
Wine is my other passion - apart from photography. I have Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level 3 qualifications and apparently I used to be something of a Wine Bore.
During lockdown, I really got into close-up photography. I spent a lot of time sitting in remote fields looking at the little things I'd never taken the time to notice before, and I've never really stopped.
Living and travelling on the narrowboat has turned out to be a genius way of having wildlife literally around me all the time; I spend hours and days photographing anything and everything on and next to the canals and rivers.
Arriving in Wiltshire a few years ago, I decided to give the local markets a go, and from there I was asked to photograph Dolly the Dachshund. Now I'm working full time as a Pet Photographer and selling prints (hurray for Permajet) at markets in the area.
I'm quite a spontaneous person! Apart from, since going digital, I've only ever used Nikon and am now so in love with my Z8, I wouldn't swap it for the world!
