Wildlife Photo Chat – Episode 249: Chiara Talia

Date: December 23, 2025
Host: Ray Hennessy
Guest: Chiara Talia

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ray Hennessy welcomes Chiara Talia, a professional wildlife and bird photographer, to discuss her journey from academia to photography, the challenges and joys of moving back to her home country of Italy, and the ongoing creative evolution in her work. The episode delves deeply into themes of personal transformation, mental health, creative exploration, and the realities of making a living as a working wildlife photographer. Both Ray and Chiara offer candid reflections on the trade-offs required to pursue one’s passion, as well as practical insights for other photographers navigating similar paths.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Returning Home: Identity, Culture, and Photography

• Chiara’s Background: Grew up in Italy, spent 8 years abroad (Scotland and Belgium), recently returned to Italy ([01:21]-[01:47]).
• On Returning:
  • “It’s weird and nice… it was my choice to come back to Italy and photography also played a big role in that.” – Chiara ([02:12])
  • Experience of "anti-culture shock": returning home after time abroad is both comforting and disorienting.
• Photography as Reconnection:
  • Felt unable to fully “connect” to Belgium and its landscapes, but rediscovered Italy, her birth country, through her lens:
    • “Photography was really a way to reconnect… really to my roots.” – Chiara ([05:00])

2. Beginning in Bird Photography: Mental Health & Finding Purpose

• Origin Story:
  • Discovered photography during a low point in her mental health while doing her PhD.
  • Bought a camera intending to shoot Scottish landscapes, but it languished unused until, in a moment of anxiety, she took it to a park ([08:01]).
  • Pivotal Moment: A close encounter with a European robin became a turning point:
    • “This little bird is so brave… Just as this little bird, I can get through this.” – Chiara ([10:28])
    • Inspired her to dive fully into bird photography as both therapy and calling.

3. Genre Commitment & Experimentation

• Birds as Focus: For Chiara, bird photography is her primary genre and consistent passion.
  • “For me, birds is everything that's always existed.” – Chiara ([12:24])
• Importance of Experimentation:
  • Open to other wildlife and just acquired her first macro lens ([13:08]).
  • Both Ray and Chiara agree that dabbling in other genres (macro, landscape) is key for skill development.
    • “Learning those other genres is so helpful.… I think it's really just a wonderful way to learn new skill sets and learn to just see things in a different way.” – Ray ([14:41])
• Landscape Influence:
  • Small-in-frame style; learning from landscape photographers to improve composition and storytelling ([15:17]).

4. Navigating New Locations & Creative Frustration

• Attachment to Place:
  • Deep connection and even personification (“bird friends”) with Belgian locations; emotional difficulty leaving ([16:39]-[17:56]).
  • “Saying goodbye was really, really hard… I really called them my best friends.” – Chiara ([17:56])
• Scouting in Italy:
  • The process of building new connections takes time, patience, and acceptance ([18:58]).
  • Currently experiencing more frustration than excitement in finding new spots:
    • “I think that I'm more on the frustration side of things right now.” – Chiara ([20:43])
  • Emphasizes not giving up on a place after just one visit:
    • “I think you need at least three times in a place to really say, okay, this is… to really figure out versus yes, no potential at all.” – Chiara ([25:24])

5. The Realities of Going Pro: Quitting a "Safe" Job for Photography

• The Leap:
  • Left a secure scientist job to pursue photography full-time ([28:35]).
  • From the outside, her former job seemed "perfect," but it wasn’t true to her evolving self.
  • “We get caught up in versions of ourselves that are more… that others established for us…” – Chiara ([29:07])
  • Tapped into healing power of birds, became obsessed, and instinctively knew she needed to follow this path.
• Passion Turns to Profession:
  • Social media and content creation became integral—wanted to teach and shorten the learning curve for others ([30:38]).
  • Balance is challenging: content creation often takes time away from actually shooting ([32:18]).

6. The Content Creation Dilemma

• Splitting Focus: Both find it hard to document photography experiences in the field without it impacting their creative process ([32:18]-[34:41]).
  • “For me, it's extremely hard to go out and do both the things… I would find that really hard as well.” – Chiara ([32:41])
• Flow State:
  • Photography offers “full flow”—a present, mindful state that’s hard to maintain when multitasking with video creation ([35:12]).

7. Balance, Burnout, and Hobbies

• Maintaining Joy:
  • It’s easy to become consumed by the professional side—and burnout looms if there’s no balance.
  • Chiara practices yoga, meditation, watches TV, and reads to maintain a healthy non-work life ([36:41]).
  • “It's not great to identify completely to a certain activity or a certain area of your life because… that's when things can go wrong.” – Chiara ([38:18])

8. Embracing Change and Uncertainty

• No Regrets:
  • The leap to a full-time creative career is still a work in progress, but brings “peace within myself that I’m living the life that at least I want to try to live.” – Chiara ([43:41])
• Transferable Skills:
  • Leaving her previous career didn’t mean losing those skills, which could be adapted or revisited if needed ([44:23]).
• Advice:
  • “Life can surprise you anytime, and your life can take unexpected turns… it’s okay to change your mind. It’s okay to try other things.” – Chiara ([45:35])

9. Guarding Creative Passion as Work Increases

• Work vs. Fun:
  • Sometimes, the demands of “the job” can overpower the original passion ([46:19]).
  • Chiara deliberately preserves time for joy—sometimes leaves the camera at home and just bird watches.
  • Ray reflects on how too much work (even in photography) without other joyful activities leads to misery ([48:05]).

10. Looking Ahead: Creative & Conservation Goals

• Chiara’s Goals:
  • Wants to pursue more conservation photography, leveraging her science background (veterinary medicine) to convey scientific messages and support endangered species—like the Kentish plover ([51:41]).
  • Intends to experiment more with intentional camera movement (ICM) for artistic effect ([53:04]).
    • “I'm really having fun with it… I want to continue with that because I find it really nice as a way of experimentation with photography.” – Chiara ([53:53])
• Ray’s Projects:
  • Excited for more split-level underwater bird shots, and experimenting with camera trapping, though finds it creatively disconnecting. Wants more hands-on control ([54:14]-[56:56]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Photography as Therapy:

  • “Bird photography… had therapeutic power over me.” – Chiara ([03:11])
  • “That robin come towards me… I can be brave, too. Just as this little bird.” – Chiara ([10:28])

• On the Importance of Experimentation:

  • “There is so much crossover… it's a wonderful way to learn new skill sets and learn to just see things in a different way.” – Ray ([14:41])

• On Saying Goodbye to Locations:

  • “Saying goodbye was… really hard… I called them my best friends.” – Chiara ([17:56])

• On First Impressions of Shooting Locations:

  • “Imagine if I would have not gone back to that place… I got some of my best photos…” – Chiara ([25:24])

• On The Leap to Professional Photography:

  • “On paper, I had the perfect life… but those are versions that others establish for us…” – Chiara ([29:07])
  • “I don't have regrets… I'm living the life that at least I want to try to live.” – Chiara ([43:41])

• On Burnout and Balance:

  • “It's not great to identify completely to a certain activity… because that's when things can go wrong.” – Chiara ([38:18])

• On Maintaining Passion:

  • “I try to prioritize as much as I can those precious moments where I can just recharge and just do things just for the sake of it.” – Chiara ([47:20])

• On Creativity and Conservation:

  • “Something that I really want to do more next year is more conservation photography… trying to use my photography to convey a specific, scientifically grounded message.” – Chiara ([51:40])
  • “I'm really fascinated by intentional camera movement techniques… it reminds me more like a painting.” – Chiara ([53:06])

• On Gratitude and Community:

  • “You are literally one of the first bird photographers that I followed on Instagram.” – Chiara to Ray ([57:21])
  • “Photography is also a form of art that can connect us to other people.” – Chiara ([59:26])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro & Catch-up: [00:00]–[01:14]
• Moving/Return to Italy: [01:19]–[06:31]
• Entry Into Bird Photography & Mental Health: [06:36]–[12:24]
• Genre, Experimentation, Macro: [12:24]–[15:17]
• Connection to Place, Saying Goodbye: [16:17]–[19:54]
• Frustration vs. Excitement, Advice on New Locations: [19:54]–[27:30]
• Taking the Leap Professionally: [28:04]–[31:46]
• Content Creation Dilemma: [31:46]–[36:21]
• Burnout, Balance, Other Hobbies: [36:41]–[39:59]
• Embracing Change, No Regrets: [39:59]–[45:51]
• Keeping the Fun in Work: [45:53]–[49:56]
• Creative & Conservation Goals for Next Year: [50:38]–[54:14]
• Full Circle Moment (Chiara’s Longtime Fandom): [56:56]–[59:26]
• Community, Social Media, Where to Find Chiara: [59:26]–[62:14]
• Wrap-up & Light-Hearted Macro Talk: [62:14]–[63:08]

Where to Follow Chiara Talia

• Instagram: @chiaratalia_birds
• YouTube: Chiara Talia Wild

This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating the overlap between creative passion, personal well-being, and the challenge of turning art into a vocation. Both Chiara and Ray offer generous, practical advice—and a reminder that the journey, with all its trials, is worth it when aligned with your true self.