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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Paula Cocozza

A new start after 60: I quit my job, bought a camera – and became a successful wildlife photographer

Michelle Jackson standing with her camera at Padley Gorge, Derbyshire
‘I have a mind’s eye for what I’d like to get’ … Michelle Jackson at Padley Gorge, Derbyshire. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

A few weeks ago, Michelle Jackson was in the Peak District, hiding beneath a camouflage net with her camera, waiting for badgers to emerge at sunset. For more than two hours she watched the skylarks and curlews, her hopes intensifying during the 45-minute window in which the light was perfect.

At last the heather moved. A badger’s head appeared. “Their eyesight is poor, but they can smell you,” Jackson says. At 66, she has won national and international awards as a wildlife photographer. Although the desire to get the shot “drives” her, for a while she simply watched. “You want to embrace what’s there. It’s so special to see wildlife up close.”

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