Oliver G Pike
Encyclopedia
Oliver Gregory Pike F.Z.S., F.R.P.S. (1877-1963, usually credited as Oliver G. Pike) was a British
naturalist wildlife photographer and author and early nature documentary
pioneer, specialising in the study of bird
life. "His claim to significance," according to Bryony Dixon of BFI Screenonline, "lies in the groundbreaking techniques he developed to capture animals in their natural habitats and in the fact that he passed this knowledge on."
until 1893, where he became friends with local commercial photographer and ornithologist Reginald Badham Lodge, who specialised in bird photography. Pike accompanied Lodge while he worked, taking his first photograph of a wild flower at the age of 13, in the autumn of 1890. In 1895 the two invented a bird-activated trip-wire releases, which effectively allowed birds to take their own pictures. Pike developed a profound knowledge of photographic techniques and went on to publish a series of 25 handbooks on ornithological photography and cinematography, starting with In Birdland with Field Glass and Camera (1900). He also developed his own stills camera, marketed as the The Birdland Camera by Sanders & Crowhurst of Shaftesbury Avenue, London, and later a cine-camera for wildlife photography that was camouflaged so as not to frighten off the subjects.
Pike's first film, In Birdland, which premiered at the Palace Theatre, London
in August 1907, was the first British wildlife film to be screened to a fee paying audience. Together with cinematographer Armytage Sanders, Pike took great physical risks hanging from ropes over coastal cliffs to capture unprecedented footage of Britain's seabirds, including kittiwakes, gannets, cormorants and puffins. The film proved hugely popular in its 6-week run with over 100 additional prints were made for screenings across the UK. All copies are now however believed lost or destroyed. He made two more films along a similar theme, St Kilda, Its People and Birds (1908) and Cliff Climbing - The Egg Harvest of Flamborough Head (1908), before becoming director of photography for Pathé Frères
from 1910 to 1920, where he made Glimpses of Bird Life (1910), noted for its use of positioning and adjusted which were "years ahead of their time" and "helped to establish British wildlife photographers as leaders in this field."
In 1921, Pike went to work for old friend Harry Bruce Wolfe at British Instructional Films on the single-reel series Secrets of Nature series. His inaugural film for the series was The Cuckoo's Secret (1922), commissioned by Edgar Chance
, which changed public perception of how Common Cuckoo
s reproduce by providing the first proof that they lay their eggs directly in the nests of the species they parasitise rather than laying them on the ground and carrying them to the nest. Over the course of the next 11 years, Smith blended "nature photography with painstaking laboratory work," on the series, "providing an atmospheric account of British wildlife," which filmmaker, historian and critic Paul Rotha
described in 1930 as "the sheet anchor of the British film industry." He later went on to work for Gaumont-British Instructional Films on the similar Secrets of Life series, where he made the controversial A Family of Great Tits (1934), highlighting the brutality of nature with footage from a specially constructed nesting box. Working until 1947, he made over 50 films many of which showed animal behaviour that had never before been recorded.
Pike, represented by the Thomas's Lecture Agency of Strand, London, was a popular speaker on wildlife subjects and lectured all over the United Kingdom. He was opposed to the egg collecting, shooting and other blood sports. He was a fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and 300 prints, negatives and lantern-slides of his work, which were acquired from the London Natural History Society in 1974, are preserved at the National Media Museum in Bradford. He also donated several of his films to the BFI National Archive. He died in Leighton Buzzard in 1963.
DVD 'Secrets of Nature', released in 2010.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
naturalist wildlife photographer and author and early nature documentary
Nature documentary
A natural history film or wildlife film is a documentary film about animals, plants, or other non-human living creatures, usually concentrating on film taken in their natural habitat...
pioneer, specialising in the study of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
life. "His claim to significance," according to Bryony Dixon of BFI Screenonline, "lies in the groundbreaking techniques he developed to capture animals in their natural habitats and in the fact that he passed this knowledge on."
Biography
Pike studied at Enfield Grammar SchoolEnfield Grammar School
Enfield Grammar School is a boys' comprehensive school in Enfield Town in the London Borough of Enfield in north London.-History:Enfield Grammar School was founded on the 25th. May 1558...
until 1893, where he became friends with local commercial photographer and ornithologist Reginald Badham Lodge, who specialised in bird photography. Pike accompanied Lodge while he worked, taking his first photograph of a wild flower at the age of 13, in the autumn of 1890. In 1895 the two invented a bird-activated trip-wire releases, which effectively allowed birds to take their own pictures. Pike developed a profound knowledge of photographic techniques and went on to publish a series of 25 handbooks on ornithological photography and cinematography, starting with In Birdland with Field Glass and Camera (1900). He also developed his own stills camera, marketed as the The Birdland Camera by Sanders & Crowhurst of Shaftesbury Avenue, London, and later a cine-camera for wildlife photography that was camouflaged so as not to frighten off the subjects.
Pike's first film, In Birdland, which premiered at the Palace Theatre, London
Palace Theatre, London
The Palace Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster in London. It is an imposing red-brick building that dominates the west side of Cambridge Circus and is located near the intersection of Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road...
in August 1907, was the first British wildlife film to be screened to a fee paying audience. Together with cinematographer Armytage Sanders, Pike took great physical risks hanging from ropes over coastal cliffs to capture unprecedented footage of Britain's seabirds, including kittiwakes, gannets, cormorants and puffins. The film proved hugely popular in its 6-week run with over 100 additional prints were made for screenings across the UK. All copies are now however believed lost or destroyed. He made two more films along a similar theme, St Kilda, Its People and Birds (1908) and Cliff Climbing - The Egg Harvest of Flamborough Head (1908), before becoming director of photography for Pathé Frères
Pathé
Pathé or Pathé Frères is the name of various French businesses founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France.-History:...
from 1910 to 1920, where he made Glimpses of Bird Life (1910), noted for its use of positioning and adjusted which were "years ahead of their time" and "helped to establish British wildlife photographers as leaders in this field."
In 1921, Pike went to work for old friend Harry Bruce Wolfe at British Instructional Films on the single-reel series Secrets of Nature series. His inaugural film for the series was The Cuckoo's Secret (1922), commissioned by Edgar Chance
Edgar Chance
Edgar Percival Chance was a British ornithologist and oologist who amassed a collection of 25,000 birds’ eggs. He is noted for his pioneering studies on the parasitic breeding behaviour of the Common Cuckoo .-Life:...
, which changed public perception of how Common Cuckoo
Common Cuckoo
The Common Cuckoo is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, Cuculiformes, which includes the roadrunners, the anis and the coucals....
s reproduce by providing the first proof that they lay their eggs directly in the nests of the species they parasitise rather than laying them on the ground and carrying them to the nest. Over the course of the next 11 years, Smith blended "nature photography with painstaking laboratory work," on the series, "providing an atmospheric account of British wildlife," which filmmaker, historian and critic Paul Rotha
Paul Rotha
Paul Rotha was a British documentary film-maker, film historian and critic. He was educated at Highgate School....
described in 1930 as "the sheet anchor of the British film industry." He later went on to work for Gaumont-British Instructional Films on the similar Secrets of Life series, where he made the controversial A Family of Great Tits (1934), highlighting the brutality of nature with footage from a specially constructed nesting box. Working until 1947, he made over 50 films many of which showed animal behaviour that had never before been recorded.
Pike, represented by the Thomas's Lecture Agency of Strand, London, was a popular speaker on wildlife subjects and lectured all over the United Kingdom. He was opposed to the egg collecting, shooting and other blood sports. He was a fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and 300 prints, negatives and lantern-slides of his work, which were acquired from the London Natural History Society in 1974, are preserved at the National Media Museum in Bradford. He also donated several of his films to the BFI National Archive. He died in Leighton Buzzard in 1963.
Films
- In Birdland (1907)
- St Kilda, Its People and Its Birds (1908)
- Secrets of Nature: The Cuckoo's Secret (1922)
- Wisdom of the Wild (1940)
- The Life of the Rabbit (1945)
- Plants and Animals Living Together (1950)
DVD
'The Cuckoo's Secret' is available on the BFIBFI
BFI may refer to:* Benefit Fraud Inspectorate, a UK government agency* The IATA airport code for Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington* British Film Institute, a British charitable organisation...
DVD 'Secrets of Nature', released in 2010.