Simon Pierce

I'm an ocean wildlife photographer and marine biologist living in Kaikōura, New Zealand.

My scientific speciality is photo-identification, where we use distinctive markings or other characters to distinguish individual animals. That allows us to determine how many individuals use an area, how much they move around, and whether the population is changing over time. I work with whale sharks, manta rays, grey nurse sharks, leopard sharks, sea turtles, and other species as the Executive Director of the Marine Megafauna Foundation.

As a photographer, I  work internationally with scientific expeditions and conservation organisations to document endangered species and the people working to save them. I also work with ecotourism operators and travel companies to help people have great experiences (and get great photos!) with wildlife around the world.  

My work has been published by National Geographic, BBC, NASA, Washington Post, Discovery, The Guardian, New Scientist, and many others. My photos and videos have also been used to support conservation initiatives by the United Nations, multiple World Heritage Areas, national governments, and many local and international conservation non-profits.

What is in your camera bag?

I use a (new, shiny) Alpha 1 II and Alpha 7R IV camera. The Alpha 1 II is AMAZING for wildlife photography and the subject recognition is a very helpful cheat code! I'm using the Alpha 7R IV for underwater photography, where it's a total beast.

For most wildlife photography, and especially if I'm hiking, travelling, or working from boats, I use my 100-400mm GM. It's a brilliant lens - the 100mm end is very helpful for 'animals in environment', while the 400mm end gets a lot of use with birds and distant wildlife.

When I'm photographing birds on land, I'll typically switch to my 200-600mm G lens for some extra reach.

My second camera is typically paired with my 24-105mm G lens for wide-angle wildlife and scenic shots.

I live in a marine wildlife hotspot, Kaikōura in New Zealand, where I've started doing a lot of 'aerial wildlife photography', focusing on whales and dolphins, from helicopters and small planes. I've found the 70-200 F4 Macro G OSS II to be the perfect lens for this work. It's small and light, which means I can shoot one-handed through the opposite window, and extremely sharp.

When I'm photographing underwater, I normally shoot large animals with a fisheye lens, or tiny creatures with my 90mm macro G lens. The 28-60mm zoom lens with a wide-angle ‘wet’ attachment is a great do-it-all option.

What is your go to in your Alpha kit and why?

The Alpha 1 II and the 100-400mm GM lens is my all-time favourite combo. It's very sharp, with quick autofocus, and it's light enough to carry around all day. The only issue is that it's my wife's favourite setup too!