Animal magic: how to photograph wildlife

The best nature photography offers a peek into another world - but first you have to pin down your camera-shy subject

"I want to see you crawling. Get down lower. Crawl!" I am crawling - my elbows hooking uselessly into the large, loose pebbles of Brighton beach, dragging my body another inch forward, while my hands and wrists wobble beneath the weight of a hefty Canon 5D MK III camera. It might look impressive if I wasn't so embarrassed. Through the unsteady lens, my target bounces about: a flock of seagulls, squatting 10 metres away.

Along the shore people duck and dodge the gulls, which swoop with menacing confidence towards chips, children and ice-cream. Yet, I'm having the opposite problem - every time I get within striking distance of a bird, it soars off into the distance.