Well I’ve just submitted my images for this competition – as below – So who knows… If you don’t enter you can’t win! You can submit three images per category and as many categories as you like.
The Lark Ascending
Abstract Sheep
Wales has the highest density of sheep in the world, some nine million, so it’s probably not surprising that many landscape images in my collection are dotted with small white specks, and at times I’ve been cloning out these specks not realising they were sheep at all!
On Location in Cumbria: 4 – Waders, Gulls and More
The last posting from my time up in Cumbria. It was good to photograph the Twite and from two different locations. A flock of about 40 were present at Walney Island and later on in the week a group of eight were feeding on Askam pier in some rich low evening light.
On Location in Cumbria: 3 – Ducks, Swans, Coots and a Little Help, Please?
It’s the time of establishing territories displaying and getting on with mating and prolonged stays in hides at this season are likely to produce some good behaviour shots. I’m interested if anyone can shed any light on the male Mallards here and if male on male is common within bird behaviour. It the first time I’ve seen it and I’ve got quite a few images of male on female, as you would normally expect.
Snow Bunting, Purple Sandpiper and More Courses!
I went down to Fishguard yesterday to meet up with a good friend Cliff Benson. We were discussing the structure of some courses that we are aiming to start next year at The Ocean Lab in Goodwick.
On Location in Cumbria: 2 – Red Deer
Many hours were spent in the hides at Leighton Moss and although we were not, on this occasion, fortunate to get any glimpse of the Bitterns, we were rewarded with a couple of brief, but really good, sightings of the small herd of Red Deer that live on the reserve. They are often deep in the reeds but at times break into the open areas to graze.
On Location in Cumbria: 1 – Little Egret
I’ve been away for a few days up in Cumbria. My brother lives in Askam and is well placed for Walney Island and the Duddon Estuary. It was also a chance to visit Leighton Moss. one of the RSPB’s flagship reserves.
10 Very Different Images all Taken on the Same Beach
All of these photographs were taken on Druisdtone beach in West Wales and show what can be achieved when you really “work” your subject and strive to see things in new and unconventional ways.
Quick Tip 5: Use a Smaller Memory Card
Which memory card would you put in your camera out of the two above? It seems an obvious choice, the 4.0GB. Not always, think again.
First Session in the new Bridge Hide
It’s not the most comfortable hide I’ve ever been in but already it’s throwing up some interesting encounters. Finally this weekend the bridge hide on the river at Home Farm was finished and today I spent four pretty uncomfortable hours over looking the stretch of river that I hoped would fill in some of the gaps of the birds I have ,to date, managed to photograph at the farm.
10 Inspirational Photographs Using Silhouettes
A few images for some ideas on using silhouttes – They’re occurring everywhere and not just at the beginning and end of the day. I particarly enjoy the portrait profiles, it harks back to the physionotrace and it’s amazing how we all have such a unique and clearly recognisable profile.
Friends of Skomer and Skokholm
This Sunday saw the annual Friends of Skomer and Skokholm meeting at Bishop’s Cleeve near Cheltenham. It was the first time I’ve been but will certainly be making it a diary event from now on. Not withstanding a wealth of current information on the state of the Island’s wildlife and updates on current plans for some major changes, particularly to Skokholm, it was a chance to meet up with some old friends from my time running photographic trips to this part of Wales.
Quick Tip 4: Get The Most From Your Camera
1. Read the manual
Spend a few nights tucked up with the manual – Some are pretty dense and are not exactly user friendly and I would recommend buying a specific guide for your model. I wouldn’t be without the Magic Lantern Guides written for the Nikons by Simon Stafford. Well laid out, clear, concise, to the point and simply invaluable.
Snow and Bounce Light – A Natural Studio
A second fall of snow last week meant another opportunity to visit the feeding station and try and photograph the regulars under very different conditions. In any studio the control one has of the light is obviously a great advantage over working in the natural environment. There are of course techniques that can be applied outside that come directly from a controlled studio environment, bounced light is one of these. A white card can be placed on the opposite side of a flower for instance, producing a bit of ‘fill” or a light tent can be placed over your subject, creating a soft, even and flat light.
Quick Tip 3: Take Better Pictures With Less Equipment
All too often we’re led to believe that the more equipment you carry with you on any photographic trip the better pictures you will take. In many cases the reverse is true. Photography is essentially a simple act complicated by an aggressive consumer industry that needs to keep selling new and ‘improved’ equipment.
Home Farm Snow
Tuesday 3rd Feb 2009
A good covering of snow at the farm today gave a chance of some different shots. It’s the first significant snow of the winter and for a while was heavy enough to cause disruption on the roads.
Working with Ambient Light and Flash at Night
It’s been an interesting 24 hours, with a good fall of snow last night and a further heavy shower for a couple of hours this morning. When it comes down like this, and that’s not very often round here, you have to make the most of it and it simply draws me out. There’s no possible way I can sit in doors knowing of the opportunities just beyond the comfort and warmth of the house. So between 11pm and 1am last night I roamed the streets! The dampened down sound created by freshly fallen snow is something I have always loved and by eleven last night Llantrisant was under the spell.
Quick Tip 2: Changing the angle of View
Such a simple tip for producing arresting images is to change your angle of view. Most photographers seem to see the world from 5’5″ and pretty straight on.