Photographing Insects - Hand-held Photography

In terms of wildlife, insects are probably my least photographed subject, so this year I really wanted to try and get some decent images - namely butterlies, dragonflies and bees.A recent trip to a nature reserve proved to be a little quiet for butterflies and dragonflies, but there was a good number of buzzing bees and hoverflies to practice on.

There are different techniques when it comes to insect photography: some photographers prefer to search for their insects early in the morning and get up close whilst they are still resting. This approach is great - if you can find the insects roosting! The other method is once its warmed up - by waiting by a productive spot, then capturing the insect as it visits a flower head or returns to a favoured perch. Whichever method you choose, insect photography is a real challenge. Shoot at first light and you can find yourself with very low shutter speeds - and moving in a tripod can easily disturb the subject. Photograph later in the day and you almost certainly have increased breeze, along with much more active subjects making them difficult to track. Lighting is an issue too: once the sun is high in the sky, the light becomes too harsh for my liking. After a couple of days photograping the same patch - I think I've decided my prefered technique. The best conditions, I believe, are warm days with high cloud. This gives good quality of lighting whilst still giving you reasonably fast shutter speeds. In addition - the insects seem to slow down, as opposed to a day of bright sunshine. On one particular afternoon the light was rather overcast, but it was still very warm. The many bees, hoverflies and gatekeepers were still active, but they definitely seemed to show slower movements, making it much easier to get close.

 Hand-holding the camera is simply the best option in this kind of situation. Even if you are waiting by a favoured patch of flowers, you never quite know where the insect will land - and you may want to adjust your position for a better composition. Rating the ISO at about 400 can give you an aperture of around f8 with a shutter speed of around 1/250 if the light is right.

 These images were taken in more overcast conditions with shutter speeds down to 1/100 second in some cases. Even then - with little breeze, a lot of care and continuous firing, I was able to gain some pin sharp images which proves that it is possible to capture insects without extremely fast shutter speeds - and hand-held.

Photography Workshop at Fairburn Ings

I thoroughly enjoyed yesterday's photography workshop at Fairburn Ings. I think everyone got some useful tips and thankfully the weather was great too. A bit quiet on the butterfly front, but pleny of plants and flowers to practice on. As for dragonflies - the darters were out in force but the bigger hawkers just didn't seem to want to come close enough.

Thanks to the group for making it such an enjoyable day - everyone was really enthusiastic and keen to have a go at new techniques. Examples of particpants' images can be seen in my Flickr group. I still have a few places on the 6th August photography workshop - contact RSPB Fairburn Ings for information.

Wildlife Photography Techniques: stalking mammals

I've recently spent a lot of time stalking a variety of wildlife including roe deer, brown hare and red fox - so here are a few tips that I've learnt that can make all the difference in getting closer:

1. Research your subject: not all animals have the same senses or see in the same way. Roe Deer for example see in monochrome - their sight is much more sensitive to movement and human outline.

2. Camouflage hoods are great, but it's still worth adding extra camouflage to break up the outline of your head. Stitch in green netting which can be stuffed with various grasses, bracken and even branches to make your head as un-human as possible.

3. Be aware of ground cover. Smaller mammals can be well concealed in summer - so you might need to keep a check with binoculars as you approach to be sure you're not being seen.

4. Stay low. It's hard work but keeping close to ground level is the best way to ensure you're not spotted.

5. Use AV mode so you don't have to worry about changing light as you get closer.

6. Try to use sunny days so you can use faster shutter speeds and hand-hold. Tripods/monopods can be very impractical in stalking situtations.

Hopefully off to try for my local short eared owl again this evening... fingers crossed!!

Bempton Cliffs Wildlife Photography Workshop

Photograph the spectacular seabirds at Bempton Cliffs

I will be running a photography workshop to coincide with the busiest activity at Bempton Cliffs on the Yorkshire coast on Sunday 26th June. Price: £100 per person. Maximum: 5 people. The site is home to twenty thousand pairs of gannets along with breeding puffins, guilemots and razorbills.
The opportunities along the cliff tops are endless, with non-stop birds returning to their nests and landing on rocky ledges. There are some particularly good viewpoints which give perfect opportunities for flight photography against the ocean backdrop. Tuition will be given on flight photography techniques, exposure and composition and also on predicting behaviour. The gannets will be our main target, but the site is also good for photographing guilemot, razorbill, puffin, kittiwake and fulmar. In addition there is a bird feeding station which regularly attracts farmland species including large flocks of tree sparrow throughout the year.

Itinerary (subject to slight changes)

10.00am: Meet and discuss the day over coffee.
10.30am: Set out to visit the west or eastern viewing point

2.00pm: Lunch at the White Horse Pub, Bempton

3.00pm: Visit bird feeding station then visit different seabird viewing area
Late afternoon/evening: If the light is good then there will be the option of photographing til sunset with time to have a break and a rest beforehand.

Equipment: Any lens from 200mm upwards is large enough here; tripod/beanbag (beanbags are preferable and can be rested on the fence post when photographing seabirds); plenty of memory card space!! Bear in mind the exposed cliff top can become quite cold even in mid summer so adequate clothing is advised.

Email me: paul.miguel@ntlworld.com or phone 07759485791 to book a place. (A £30 deposit is required)

Winter Photography Techniques

The current conditions give some incredible opportunities for photography. That said - it requires a lot of effort and planning to take perfect winter shots, so I thought I would post a few tips... not just the ordinary, but those little things that help me during the depths of winter.

1. BE PREPARED! Don't get caught out: think about clothing, keeping your gear dry, your phone charged...and are you prepared if you get stuck..?

2. Whilst driving, keep those extra socks warm by putting them in your pockets or stuffing them under your jumper..

3. Have some food with you: small but light; pieces of cake, flapjacks and chocolate are good ways of keeping your calories up...

4. Keep batteries warm - keep spare batteries in on your person (preferably inside pockets) - the warmth will help. Have at least 2 or 3 batteries as the cold can zap their strength quickly...

5. Make a waterproof covering for your camera if photographing in the snow. I have a sleeve made out of old waterproof trousers to cover my camera and lens when shooting wildlife in falling snow or blizzard...

6. Safety first. If the road looks too dodgy to drive on - don't try it. You are better off finding another alternative than getting stuck in the snow and ending up with nothing.

7. BE PREPARED!!

More Birds from the Cold Snap

Taken over the last few days of snowfall...

Photographing birds in the snow is great fun, but actually shooting whilst snow is falling can be a real challenge. In order to protect my camera, I used a home-made sleeve on my lens, with a waterproof cover over the top. Even so, it can be tricky to keep everything dry. These shots were taken on a beanbag using a tree stump as support. The difficult part is getting sharp images: some were taken at ISO 200 but at times the light levels were so low that I had to push up to ISO 400, which I try to avoid. Still -sharpness should always be the foremost consideration. Shutter speeds were often around 1/250 although I have found it possible to get sharp images even down at 1/60 - but it reduces your hit rate a lot.. The beauty of many of these pictures was the blanket of snow acting as a giant reflector and bouncing light back to illuminate the underside of the birds. The other tip is - take a lot of pictures..! In just a couple of hours I shot over 150 images.. this is not unusual..!

Clockwork Kingfishers

Location is the key for so many wildlife shots, and these kingfisher images are certainly proof of that. My friend who works at my local RSPB reserve had told be about a pair of kingfishers that were regularly fishing from the beck - often along the same short stretch, providing incredibly close views. I was more than delighted when my first morning provided a number of kingfisher sightings at fairly close range, but not quite close enough to photograph. My second visit was similar, but you can't fail to be overjoyed at watching these birds - and the fact that they were so regular made it even more amazing. The kingfisher was never away for more than about 15 minutes, and every time it was back to one of the same perches... you could almost set your watch by them..!It was third time lucky for these pictures, when one beautiful frosty morning, this female kingfisher decided to perch on just about the only clear branch close enough to photograph. I saw her heading for the perch and was ready. The next few seconds were manic as I fired off exposures, bracketing and re-composing to make sure I didn't end up with the miss of the year!! She stood still... posed, turned around, posed again and then finally flew off. A stunning experience - whether with or without a camera.!

A Morning with the Jays

Like most of the crow family, jays are usually shy birds, and not known for coming close to humans. But, as is the case with so many species - there are often places where various birds have become accustomed to people and are verging on the tame. My local park is no exception, and here there are often 2 or 3 jays that are attracted to a feeding area amongst the smaller tits and finches. Photographing Jays is at such close range is a wonderful experience, and I still can't believe just how confiding they are. They have literally been within feet of me when hoovering up peanuts!


On this particular morning there were 3 birds coming down to the food, and an old oak tree made a perfect vantage point for them. So for me, it was simply a case of throwing handfuls of nuts around the bottom of the tree and waiting for them to come in. Luckily, there are various tree stumps that make spot on supports for a camera and beanbag. It didn't take long before I got one jay perching in the oak - a classic portrait of a bird that is particularly fond of acorns and therefore has a true relationship with this tree..

Bringing Nature Indoors

For the last few months I've been on the lookout for anything to do with Oak trees. Full tree portraits, leaves, tree bark and associated wildlife all make useful images that build up a portfolio of possibly our most important native tree. One particular old oak at my local farm was showing some good change in leaf colour and I spent an hour or so shooting various leaves. Also quite obvious was the multitude of little flattened spheres that were clustering on almost every single leaf. These are known as oak galls, caused by the eggs laid by insects - in this case most likely the gall wasp. They provide nutrition for the growing larvae, and eventually amass into rather large growths - in some cases bigger than the acorns.

It quickly became apparent that this was a very useful subject to photograph, but with the wind picking up I decided to pick a selection of leaves and take them home to shoot indoors. Once at home I used a technique that I've seldom tried... simply taping the leaf to the window and using soft backlighting to illuminate the branching veins and colours.

As is always the case with close up photography, the most demanding aspect is picking the composition. I tried a number of shots: some I concentrated on veins and colour, whilst for others I focussed my attention on the fascinating oak galls. This is quite a relaxing way to photograph, and taping to the window means quite comfortable shooting too. Using a shortish lens with a 31mm extension tube allowed me to fill the frame. A tripod and remote release was of course essential. Aperture wise I shot at around f11/f16 which maintained depth of field but also kept good optical quality for sharpness. I always feel that backlighting in this way is ideal for plant detail, as it brings out those amazing patterns so much better, due to its translucent nature.

A family of hedgehogs

Hedgehogs are one of those creatures that I just haven't managed to photograph so far, so imagine my excitement when I was told of a local lady who had a whole family in her care. These animals were amongst a number that had been taken in by a wildlife refuge.. cleaned up and looked after - before eventually being returned to the wild. This provided an amazing opportunity for me to endulge in some 'easy' and enjoyable photography, and to get to experience such a beautiful animal close up. I was first introduced to 'Hogrid' - an impressive adult with serious bulk. Ready with the camera on the ground, we simply put him down and let him wander the garden.

One thing was for sure - hedgehogs can move pretty quickly when they want to, and I had to be quick to shoot before he got too close to my lens. After a few images of this veteran animal, I turned my attention to two of the younger hedgehogs which were happily mooching around, and managed some pleasing shots of them with the older hedgehog. Using a wide angle lens was quite interesting as I could put them in the garden setting..

Finally, the tiny ones came out - and five of them! These hedgehogs were smaller than I had imagined, but absolutely beautiful. It was fascinating to see so much detail, such as the colouration of their backs, and their tiny feet and claws. The youngsters were a delight to photograph and it was hard not to admit to their 'cute' factor.

In a way, hedgehogs are a very forgotten animal - maybe because we rarely come across them anyway due to their nocturnal habits. It's hard to believe that this delicate, placid mammal is now under serious threat, but their numbers have plummeted. Those who get to hear their familiar bumbling and snuffling are indeed lucky to have such a visitor.

Insects at last!

Over the years I've never really been massively into insects. Not that I've anything against them - it's just that I much prefer photographing my bigger birds and mammals. That said, I've still tried to get some decent shots, and I know that invertebrates will be useful for illustrating articles etc.

The last couple of summers saw a combination of increased effort on my part, along with two of the wettest summers on record. That put pay to my aims to increase my butterfly and dragonfly portfolio.. This year it's been quite different, and finally my efforts have paid off. I've managed a number of butterflies which I desparately wanted, including the frustrating common blue. Dragonflies however, continue to taunt me. Here's a few successful images - a combination of persistence and timing helping to bag some butterfly shots.

Early morning searches for inactive butterflies has proved pretty fruitless. Therefore my technique for butterfly photography has been pretty standard, usually shooting an hour or two after sunrise and trying to photograph towards the light. My usual technique is to rate at ISO 200 and shoot handheld, often around 1/250 at f8, using my elbows as support whenever possible, and firing a series of shots to increase chances of pin-sharpness.No dragonflies this summer as yet, but a nice colourful image of a damselfly which was very obliging. The light was very harsh so I waited for the cloud to pass over the sun and then shot. Reduced light levels in this case meant shooting at ISO 400 and hand holding at shutter speeds down to 1/125 second - tough to keep it pin sharp but it's possible. A few butterfly species have been a little elusive, including orange tip, but I can't complain too much - it's been a fairly successful year.

Yorkshire Wildlife & Landscape Photography Workshops

I am currently planning my workshop programme for next year, which will include some new subjects and locations. I have recently agreed on a beautiful location for a couple of photography courses on plants, butterflies and dragonflies - in a semi-private bluebell wood near to Wetherby. Fingers crossed - I may also be able to provide a workshop for guaranteed red squirrels..! The birds of prey photography workshops continue to be very popular and are great fun. They are also an ideal way of practising your skills in wildlife photography.

I have recently set up a group on Flickr: Yorkshire Wildlife and Landscape Photography for participants of workshops to share their images. This is a great way to show people how we do things, and what pictures are possible. Here are just a couple of my images from past bird of prey courses in North Yorkshire.

The Mirage of the Meadow

The last few months have been great for wildlife photography - and if I haven't always bagged the shots I wanted (on numerous occasions), I have at least witnessed some wonderful sights and revelled in the sheer joy of watching our British wildlife. Back in March I saw my first water vole, followed by another sighting last week. These squat little mammals are magical creatures, and I am figuring out the best plan to optimise potential images... it may take a while! I have had a number of other sightings too, including baby long tailed tits, running roe deer, a family of red grouse, and a mid air scrap between a sparrowhawk and heron..! But there is one experience which for me tops them all, and one which has left me both exhilarated and inspired...

It was two summers ago when I first witnessed a short eared owl on the local farm. Watching from the roadside, I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing, as this stunning bird methodically quartered the meadow in broad daylight. After this sighting, I never saw the bird again... until a couple of weeks back that is. Again the bird looked like it had been there for ever, as it repeatedly quartered the fields and flew around the hedgerows. A few evenings later, from the edge of the field, I was witnessing the same thing yet again, although on this occasion I was much closer. Camera in hand, I made my way slowly forward, keeping low in the grasses thinking, "there could be a grab-shot here." However, no sooner did I realise the bird was out of view, than a huge flying owl was virtually upon me. With purposefully direct flight, I watched the owl zip over my head, complete with hanging vole in tow. Instinct told me that I might be able to watch this bird at closer range. My 'roe deer' hide is situated at the edge of the buttercup meadow, and it was over this exact field that the owl was hunting. Knowing that owls can be creatures of habit, and thinking that this day might just happen to coincide with an abundance of voles for some reason, I headed for the hide...

In my hide I was now completely hidden, and perfectly situated at the field edge, should the owl return. Sure enough, my instincts were right, and within less than ten minutes the short-eared was back. It was clearly favouring this one buttercup meadow. I watched in amazement as the bird repeatedly quartered the meadow, covering almost every inch of ground. I was surprised to see just how agile the owl was, being able to change direction incredibly quickly and even do a good job of hovering at times. Every so often the bird would switch direction and disappear from view, as it dropped into the buttercups. The hit rate for this bird seemed impressive, and I watched it catch three voles in less than an hour, before making a bee-line across the hedgerow (surely a nest somewhere...)
This was a memorable experience to say the least. Photography wise I managed some pleasing flight shots - a little far away, but they did show the evironment well. That high impact flight shot with lovely back-lighting above the buttercups just didn't materialise... but the experience pretty much made up for it. This would have to go down as one of the the 'wildest' experiences I've ever had. To watch this wild bird of prey so intimately, and truly at ease, was indeed a privilege.

And what since that wild encounter..? Well, just like the previous years... the owl now seems to have completely vanished - just like it was never even there. I could be forgiven for thinking that I dreamt it... but this time I have the pictures to prove the owl is real!

Photography Contact Awarded by Natural England

I am thrilled to say that I have just been awarded a contract as a photographer for Natural England, the environmental body that advises the government. I am one of a group of professional photographers chosen throughout the country to provide imagery. The competition was fierce, and the application procedure one of the most thorough I have ever seen. I am looking forward to my first assignment, whatever it may be.

Photography wise I have just finished another article for Yorkshire Ridings on upland birds which will appear in the July issue. A recent walk that I led in a West Yorkshire woodland proved both enjoyable and productive, with a lot of interest in my work - and I captured some new images of bluebells and early purple orchid, along with general woodland scenes. I also photographed the lighting of a charcoal burn which the local wildlife group does every year in order to make use of felled trees. It was quite something to watch - if a little toxic!

A recent badger watch proved interesting. After 2 hours of waiting silently, it seemed that my badgers were once again proving awkward by not showing themselves. But to the right of me I could hear movements in the undergrowth - and it sounded like something of size. It was another half hour or so before I got a glimpse. After mentally going through every mammal I could think of, it suddenly became obvious what the scurrying animal was... a beautiful and tiny fox cub. Soon joined by another, the 2 cubs continued to make a racket as they ran around the undergrowth and scratted in the fallen leaves. This was a lovely sighting, but not as good as what happened a few minutes later... as I sat quietly in the faded light I could just make out one of the cubs in the distance along the path, and his next move was to come bounding straight towards me, perfectly happy as he literally ran past my boot!! Obviously these cubs don't know to be scared of me yet.. Hopefully they won't grow up to quickly, and I may be able to get some images by putting out food. The surroundings are beautiful at the moment, with bluebells and red campion making a great setting...

Frustrating Mammals

The last few weeks have been frustrating ones. Amongst other subjects I have been trying to capture decent images of an animal that I have never got close to. They are roe deer. Having seen them from a distance, and having erected a permanent hide at what I thought was the perfect spot, they still continue to elude, surprise, and just downright baffle me. Although frustrating, they are fascinating creatures. I have now been lucky enough to see them at much closer range, and watch a range of behaviour from 3 does and 2 bucks.

This image shows a somewhat lucky encounter with roe deer on a morning of thick fog.

This was a truly wild encounter and one that will stay in my mind for ever. At around 7am I entered this meadow, and through the fog, the unmistakable shapes of 3 roe deer suddenly appeared. With little option, I ducked down and stayed low whilst slipping on my camouflage hood and positioning my beanbag and rucksack. Slowly, one of the does got closer and closer, picking her way through the wild grasses, until eventually she reached a little clearing. Forced to to use manual, I focussed quickly and fired the shutter, managing just 2 shots. She looked in my direction - paused... then turned round and trotted off. The combination of the long grasses and thick fog make this quite a special image. It also makes me think how some of the best wildlife images are truly wild ones - uncontrived, completely natural... and a snapshot in time from a wild animal amidst its natural landscape.

As I write this, I am about to check the wind directions for the next couple of days. A westerly wind and I will be in my new hide - downwind of the deer, and in a spot that should see them walking straight towards me. Fingers crossed! If that doesn't work, then there's still the recent addition to the farm that may be 'photographable'. A beautiful short eared owl that seems to have taken to quartering the meadow - even in broad daylight...

The Snow that Was..

Finally I get round to posting this blog - this should really be February's post, but with one thing and another it's now mid-March... Anyway, the main action in February was at the feeding station, with cold weather bringing in good numbers of birds... and yes, I was lucky enough to make the most of that incredible snowfall - the best I've seen in years! Although I only managed one day in the hide whilst the snow was still falling, I was able to get some cracking winter images of long tailed tits braving the blizzard - with a nice stem of red dogwood as the perch - giving a much needed splash of colour.


This is one of those images I never get bored of.. and I've learnt something new - long tailed tits actually have a yellow eyelid - something you'd never see unless you photographed them up close.

The woodpecker has been a real star too - or should I say woodpeckers, seeing as there have been both male and female down to the food. One of them has slight reddish feather on the top of the head, so I'm thinking this might be one of this year's youngsters in its first winter.This is one of the first images I got from the hide -

Time to tail of the food soon, although I may try putting out some nesting material in place of the food for some behavioural shots... With a project as satisfying as this, it's certainly difficult to tear yourself away..!!

Next few week should see more trips to the dales, and hopefully some new frog/toad images - fingers crossed...

New Year Frosts

This seems like proper winter. I can't believe the temperatures are continuing to stay so low - o.k. it means turning the heating up, but in terms of photography it just doesn't get much better than thick frosts and snow... well, not for me anyway. The previous night was forecast to be ridiculously cold - possibly down to minus ten in some areas. Needless to say, I was up and out early...

Taking the usual road through Wharfedale, my eye was taken by a large bird flying behing an oak tree... A buzzard perhaps, I thought. Only when I cleared the next bend did I get a decent view - and then I realised that big bird of prey was a red kite, amazingly joined by two more as they floated at tree height, no doubt waiting to return to a dead pheasant that lay in the road; it's definitely cold! My photogenic destination today was Littondale - a spot above Litton by the footpath, with beautiful views looking back down along the valley. The scene was perfect. Thick frost coated the ground... the distant hills showed a dusting of snow... and a wonderful combination of light and shadow playing on the hillsides. A walk further on and the snow was thicker; providing a classic image of gate, stone wall and distant hill tops from a high vantage point. A good morning's work, and even though it didn't feel terribly cold... it was still time for a hot lunch.

My afternoon was rewarding too. Reached from Storiths, there is a cracking viewpoint to photograph Bolton Priory, and during the afternoon it becomes almost backlit. The surrounding trees are great too, with lovely side-lighting striking the green winter branches. I was happy with my exposures, and the gravestones surrounding the priory added an interesting dimension, as they gave a contrast of frost-free in the sunshine, and cold white in the shadows. It was now 3.00pm and the sun already near the horizon. Time to think about returning home.



How many more of these winter days to come I wonder? Roll on February....

An autumn day in the dales

With autumn probably my favourite time of the year, it's frustrating to admit that I got barely a few days of clear weather for landscape photography. When these days do come along though, I appreciate them all the more.. Last week was just one of those perfect mornings where everything was sweet - quality sunshine, side-lighting, clarity in the air, and some decent autumn colour lingering on the trees. This link shows just one image from that morning: www.paulmiguel.com/Paul%20Miguel/landscapes/dales/pages/buckdenaut.htm

My afternoon was not quite so inspiring in terms of weather, but a wildlife sighting made up for all that. As I waited for the light to break at Bolton Abbey, my eye caught a movement in the grass, and next thing I saw was a stoat streaking behind a tree and into a hedgerow... a fantastic sighting and very close too!! These animals are amazing and I think this made my whole week!! Now, if I could just get lucky enough to get the camera on one... One day it will happen!