A couple of days ago I spent an incredible morning photographing the deer at Studley Deer Park near Ripon, as part of a 1:1 photography day with a client. The conditions were magical and we both got some stunning shots of the deer amidst the falling snow. Some of my shots were taken at ISO 800 where I had to hand-hold. Otherwise, I was able to make use of a tree to brace the camera and then reduce the ISO. The falling snow really adds to these wintry portaits. Every so often we would see two young males without antlers - kicking up the snow as they balanced on hind legs to box one another. What a privilege to capture this on camera.!!
It's good to be back. I've recently returned from a week long break in Cuba - you're probably wondering why I'm not posting glorious images of the Caribbean... I will do so in my next post. But returning to the UK during this beautiful season has really impressed upon me just how special this country is, so I wanted to share my thoughts with you all. Although we might complain about the climate here, this green land really is something to be treasured - it's simply the variety that makes this country so fascinating. From the beaches of Cornwall to the rugged highlands of Scotland, the variety of landscape across the UK is unique. It's no wonder that so many visitors flock here from all across the globe. There are few places on the planet that can boast woodland, mountains, rivers, lakes... and such a transformation of scenery during the seasons.
These pictures were taken at Stainforth Force in Ribblesdale at the beginning of November. The water and surruonding colours were simply stunning. In addition, I had the good fortune to manage a shot of one the many salmon leaping in the air as it battled to make its way up the waterfall. 
I couldn't help myself where plant pots were concerned... it may look a little twee but these type of shots continue to sell. One of the most fascinating things is to see a hedgehog annointing - they bascially create a smelly saliva mixture and lick themselves. No one apparently knows why, but it's great to get a shot of it! This one adopting a great pose whilst licking..!
It's the perfect place to photograph barn owl and little owl in particular, with lichen covered stone walls and barn windows. We even managed to fly the barn owl through an open window numerous times providing stunning flight shots! The farm should now be one of our main locations for future bird of prey workshops.
An early start this morning at 4 a.m. and another visit to my favourite patch of water near Fairburn Ings, Yorkshire - to photograph wildfowl. The early start was well worth it and I was treated to some wonderful conditions with a subtle blanket of mist hanging above the water.
I recently led another photography workshop photographing upland birds in Nidderdale. The morning was superb - not just for birds but also for perfect weather. We had a great day and managed to bag a number of shots of lapwing, red grouse and meadow pipit - some of which posed perfectly for us by the roadside.. You can view some images taken on my Flickr group: Yorkshire Wildlife and Landscape Photography
Wildlife, water and perfect light: this is a combination that's guaranteed to provide good pictures. A recently discovered fishing pond has given me the chance to endulge in some very enjoyable photography of the resident ducks and swans. Nothing too unusual, but the surrounding backgrounds and reflections along with the perfect angle of light make this place a real treat. Getting down to the water surface makes all the difference, and here it's possible to shoot from literally inches above the pond. This gives stunning low level images with beautiful liquid colour and attractive waves ahead of the birds' breast as they push through the water. This viewpoint provides much more attractive portraits, and there's also the potential of capturing action too...
Simply watching the water birds preen and wash is the best way to predict the action. Birds will often cover themselves in water before stretching up and flapping their wings. A fast shutter speed of at least 1/500 second will freeze the action.
Although it might seem fairly simple to photograph mallards, swans and geese - achieving spot on portraits isn't all that easy. The main problem is the movement. The birds are constantly swimming or drifting making them more difficult to photograph. There are a number of different techniques for focusing: the servo mode can work well as a bird swims directly towards you; with the one shot mode try focusing on the bill then firing a series of shots as the bird's head passes through the zone of focus. White or black birds can be trickier. Coots are one example, where the focus may struggle to lock on - in this case you could use manual focus by focussing slightly ahead of the bird and again firing as it moves through the zone. It's worth trying all these techniques... ultimately it depends on the movement, speed and the species in question. The other consideration is the focus point. Use the central focus point and you will miss out on reflections, whilst a higher focus point will allow you to compose with the birds head towards the top of the frame and a full reflection below. Calm conditions can create almost perfect reflections for these images.
I'm a great advocate for concentrating on species close to home. With a perfect location you can return again and again to improve your images, using the varying seasons to create intimate and colourful images. And like all wildlife photography, the more time you put in, the greater your chance of capturing special behaviour to set your images apart from others.
Light levels sometimes made life difficult, but although difficult to obtain a truly sharp image, the resulting detail and colour remind me just how useful this lighting is - I would shoot in this light all the time... if it were possible! Fast moving birds just don't really allow this..
This year was particularly good for woodpeckers. Both male and female quickly took to my 'woodpecker feeder' and it was rare not to see one during a session in the hide. They can become wonderfully comfortable once they get used to the food, and are completely used to the camera shutter. At times they simply clamp themselves onto the food and clear the lot. It's such a privilege to watch these birds at such close quarters... On every woodland bird photography workshop I ran, everybody managed to get a shot of this colourful and vibrant bird.
As always, I strive to capture something a little different, whether it's unusual behaviour or a creative setting and backdrop. With this in mind I used a fallen sweet chestnut (kept in the freezer) and filled the inside with fat ball mixture in order to add some shape and colour. The resulting images are perhaps a little too set up, but experimenting is always worth a try, and it allows you to make those extra tweaks and changes that eventually might just lead to that 'perfect shot'..
Next year I hope to run the same nature photography course at the same location.
