Russell Maverick McBurnie
The photographer behind the camera
I have been interested in wildlife and nature since I was as young as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories during grade school involve my obsession with animals. Whether it be pet dogs, bunnies, or cats, I remember always being obsessed to see them, so much so that I would ignore my allergies to fur. My allergic responses would trigger so intensely that my eyes would swell shut, my asthma would act up, and I would be congested worse than any cold I ever had. I still spent any time I could with any animals even knowing how bad my allergies would be.
Fast forward to now, I spend every free minute I have out looking for animals and birds to observe them within nature, the only thing that has changed is I am now smart enough to spend my time with animals from afar, saving me from allergy attacks. In fact, there is no better way to view an animal or bird than from behind a 600mm lens capturing any special moments that occur.
I always considered myself a natural when it came to photography, always boasting about getting the best picture on my cellphone camera of the different scenes and happenings in front of us while traveling with my fiancé or my friends. Being keen on this, my girlfriend decided to get me an intro photography kit for Christmas a little over two years ago. In that kit, I got the Nikon D3500 with the beginner lenses included, the 15-55mm lens and the 70-200mm lens. While this kit very quickly proved to be limiting, it absolutely changed my life. It was not long before I had to purchase my first telephoto lens, which was the Tamron 150-600mm lens. Shortly after that, I found the body too limited, so I upgraded to the Nikon D500. Shortly after that, I found the aperture levels on the telezoom lens to be limited, so I upgraded to my first prime lens, the Nikon PF 500mm F5.6. The trend is obvious at this point, which is that I use my equipment daily while practicing the skills of a wildlife photographer until the equipment feels restrictive, which is then followed by another upgrade. Today, I shoot mostly with the Nikon Z9 and Nikkor 600 mm F4 lens or the Nikkor 120-300mm F2.8 lens, but I have owned many other lenses and few other cameras before this set up.
Photography has been more than just an obsessive hobby for me, though. Growing up, I was a foster child for many years until being adopted by my family at 12 years old. Moving from home to home, constantly changing schools, never having consistent support during this time definitely created a sense of need for belonging, reassurance, and attachment. During these years, it really was a connection with animals that provided my mind and emotions with a sense of stillness and love. I remember living in a foster home on a farm for about a year when I was 7. I had many awful experiences and hated being there with that family, but since we lived on a farm I would sneak off into the barns and fields and just sit with the animals for what felt like endless hours. There was one tree in particular in an island of trees surrounded by open fields that housed a den at the bottom of the trunk, and I would go wait out at the tree for hours sometimes falling asleep, just waiting for the coyotes to return to their den. While there was a lot of imagination/hope involved there, the feeling of comfort I felt out there was as real as it gets. Today, I am in a much better spot after having been adopted in an amazing family, growing up with the best friends someone could hope for, and finding the most amazing person I know in my fiancé. But even now, being surrounded by love and support, I still suffer from various mental health struggles including pretty intense anxiety episodes sometimes resulting in panic attacks as well as BPD. The best thing that has ever happened to help cope with these things has been wildlife photography. Every day I look forward to being out in nature, observing animals and birds while they go about their world. While animals face more challenges and struggles every day than you could ever put on paper, there is something about the simplicity and purpose in which they go about their days that brings a sense of comfort and serenity to my life.
While I have many goals and ambitions when it comes to wildlife photography, the main goal I have is to bring that sense of comfort and serenity to others through my photos and through the sharing of my experiences. If one persons looks at a photo I share, or reads the backstory behind one of my photos or videos online, and they feel any escape from their stress or challenges, then that photo is a success. Even better, I wish to inspire others to go out and experience this form of serenity for themselves. Whether it is sitting near some trees for 15 minutes, taking a hike in the woods, or watching birds eat a feeder, there is a lot to learn from the nature we often taken for granted.