Meet our members - Barry Clough

Tell us a bit about yourself

I was born in Crawley but have lived my adult life in Horsham, where my wife Jenny and I brought up our four sons. I’m retired now but I used to work as an Operations Manager for an electronics company. I have been a member of Sussex Wildlife Trust since 2009. I became interested in wildlife as a child. The first two books of mine that I remember were the Observer Book of Birds and a book on how to draw insects. I became interested in wildlife photography after the children were grown up. That’s when I joined the Trust. Warnham Nature Reserve is very local to me but otherwise I go to places I find interesting. My wife is interested in getting out for walks so we try to achieve a balance.

Which photographers inspire you?

I joined Twitter 11 years ago to be educated on what was about and to admire other people’s photographs. So I don’t have names, but I do enjoy other people’s wildlife images and I do learn from them too.

What equipment do you use, in brief?

Pentax K3 with Pentax 150 - 450 lenses. It’s a terrific camera but it’s weighty. But it’s like your football club isn’t it? You tend to pick one then stick with it.

What’s your favourite shot?

So many! The Sand Lizard I like because I was at Levington and wasn’t expecting it. I’d given up and was on my way back to the carpark and it caught my eye.

What are you trying to communicate with your photographs?

If I’m in a hide and someone comes in, I always like to point out anything good I’ve seen. Not everyone does that. But my philosophy is, share your pleasure. I get a lot out of learning from other people’s Twitter posts and hope others get the same from mine.

Have you ever had any surprises when you’ve been out with a camera?

I went to Mull with one of my sons and on the first evening we walked along the loch and suddenly a Sea Eagle flew over. It was almost touchable.

Where, and when, historically, would you most have liked to be with a camera?

I’d love to have seen and photographed a Dodo.

Any tips?

Always be prepared, don’t leave your camera at home!