Tim Timmis: Slowing It Down
Tim Timmis is a nature photographer and videographer based near Houston, Texas. A retired chemical engineer, he found that videography, especially slow motion video, opened up “a whole new world” for his wildlife imagery. Timmis will be sharing his expertise in a Super Session, “Slow Motion Video for Nature,” on Wednesday afternoon, May 14, at the 2025 NANPA Summit in Tucson, Arizona.
Why Slow Motion Video?
What do you get from video, especially slo-mo video, that you don’t get from a photo? “As wildlife photographers, we’re always trying to tell a story with our photos,” Timmis says. “Still photography produces some amazing results, but adding video really helps to tell the story even better. And slow motion gives the viewer the ability to see the details in the animal’s movement that are hard to see at normal speed. For example, a photo of a bear feeding on clams is a great shot. But watching the bear dig up the clam and pull it apart with their claw-like fingers in slow motion is next level! It shows the entire story behind the photo.”
In his Super Session, Timmis will be leading in-depth discussions about how to take slow motion videos, including the necessary gear, the camera settings, what to do in the field to get the raw material for good slow motion videos and post processing. I’ll show attendees how to set up their cameras, take slow motion videos, and the basics of how to process them. I will also show how I take videos from a ground pod for birds and other wildlife.”
Then Timmis is going out of the classroom and into the field, with the opportunity to practice taking slow motion videos on the hotel grounds which will be followed by a review and critique of participants videos. The big goal of the Super Session, Timmis says, “is to get people inspired to take videos if they have not tried it.” For many photographers, it will be something new and different but can “very easily become addictive. Even if you’re experienced in taking videos, you’ll get some tips on how to improve your videos. I hope that participants will enjoy what they see and will get inspired to get out there and try it.”
From shorebirds in Texas to polar bears in Canada
Living between Houston and Galveston, you’ll often find Timmis out photographing shorebirds using a ground pod to get eye level with the birds. He uses the same setup for videography and has found that this combination also works great for other wildlife subjects. He’s been to “Yellowstone in winter, Alaska for coastal brown bears, and Churchill for polar bears” and he’s been experimenting with video since going mirrorless with a Canon R3 in 2022. While sitting in a meadow, watching coastal brown bears, the workshop leader came over and helped set up Timmis’ camera for slow motion video.
“I’ve been hooked ever since. I’ve got it set up where I can seamlessly start taking video at 120 frames a second with a push of one button. So now I try to get every opportunity to find a way to take videos when I’m out in the field.”
On a recent trip to Churchill, Manitoba, he “saw a wolverine interacting with a silver fox, polar bears sparring, climbing up rocks, interacting with their cubs, including nursing. I got a real great videos of two nursing cubs, of a silver Fox walking across the frozen lake right towards us!” Those are “experiences that I’ll never forget. And having slow motion videos of those activities … they will stay with me forever. When I’m no longer able to get out and shoot, I’ll always be able to go back and relive those experiences by watching my videos.”
Photography enthusiast, and enthusiastic NANPA member
Timmis started shooting slide film back in the 1980s when he graduated from college. In his first house, he “dabbled in darkroom processing.” He went digital in 2005, with a Canon 20D. He got so enthusiastic about wildlife photographing, he wore out the shutter twice in his 20 D and twice again in his 30D and 40D. That part of Texas “is a target-rich environment. I was out every weekend,” he says, “shooting as much as I could.”
“I would say I’m a serious hobbyist. Since I’m retired, I’ve got more time to do it.” The thought of turning it into a business at this point, “Well,” he says, “if I was 20 years younger, maybe.” But, at this point in my life, I just enjoy it. I love sharing what I do. I’m just going to try to go on as many trips as I can or I can afford at this point and have as many experiences as I can.”
That’s one reason Timmis is looking forward to the 2025 NANPA Summit. The” face-to-face interaction with like-minded people is always much more conducive to learning from each other before, during, and after the workshops,” he says. “You can miss out a lot of personal interaction and professional relationship-building by only using streaming services on events like this. I remember working at home during the pandemic. I could do it, and I could be productive, but I was always more productive when I could be on site, interacting with my colleagues during and outside of meetings.”
Background story: The coastal brown bears of Lake Clark National Park dig up razor clams on the mudflats at low tide. Put my 1.4X teleconverter on my 500 F4 lens to get some close-up action of the bears eating the clams, while lying on the mudflats using my ground pod. It was amazing to watch and photograph how delicate the huge bears were while opening the clams with their big claws. It was almost like they were using fingers to gently pry apart the shell to get to the clam meat. Location: Lake Clark National Park, Alaska, USA Bait: none
And one of the benefits of NANPA membership is “being able to learn from other like-minded people. That is critical as you’re going along your photography journey. Watching the videos on NANPA’s website and going on the NANPA’s Regional Field Events can help you develop and hone your craft. I’m a strong advocate of entering photo contests and learning from them. NANPA has a great contest, Showcase, every year that I’ve entered for several years now.”
“And I also have my camera insurance from Chubb,” he adds, one of many NANPA member benefits.
Learn all about slow motion video at Tim Timmis Super Session, hear from world-class speakers like William Neill, Brian Skerry and Art Wolfe, discover what’s new from your favorite photography vendors, and so much more at the 2025 NANPA Summit [https://nanpasummit.com].
