A Stag Do...

These two fine creatures were pacing around the edge of a wooded glade keeping a respectful distance from the dominant stag who was strutting his stuff and bellowing with gusto to declare his superiority and stake his claim. While he was spectacular these two were a bit easier to photograph and I particularly like the second shot. I hope you will agree.

Young and Beautiful

I was going to share some pictures of some of the stags today but looking through my pictures I couldn't resist posting some more of the new generation, they're so flipping cute.

It was such a treat to get up close and get these images I am so lucky.

The New Generation

So a few more soft images from my shoot at Dunham Massey yesterday and although the rut is all about the dominant males I also got some lovely images of some of the younger members of the herd. As I said yesterday the images are soft and grainy because of the high ISO, the first two were at ISO of 25,600 and the third was 20,000 due to the really poor light. I think the first two in the shade of the trees are really atmospheric images and I like them a lot. The third is just so cute.

Beautiful Creatures

After a few days of abstract images I wanted to get back to what I like best, wildlife photography. It is always quite challenging because you need a lot of patience, you need to be in the right place at the right time and you need to right conditions to get the perfect shot.

I decided earlier this week that come the weekend I would go to Dunham Massey to photograph the Fallow Deer during the rut. Yesterday morning the sunrise was spectacular, the light was perfect and as I drove to work I wanted to cancel my visits and set off with my camera and take advantage of the perfect conditions. Of course I couldn't do that, I went to work and just hoped for the best that Saturday morning would be just as perfect.

Jump forward 24 hours, I was up early and at Dunham Massey in time for the sunrise but sadly the sun couldn't break through the thick clouds and a light rain started to fall shortly after I arrived. 

As a result the pictures I got have a rather soft and grainy quality because I had to use a very high ISO combined with a fairly fast shutter speed to avoid getting blurry images.

I was able to watch a pair of young bucks briefly sparring and the clash of their antlers reverberated around the woodland. The air was also filled by the deep bellowing calls of the dominant stags as they tried to attract the females to their stand.

I have never witnessed this spectacle before so it was great to be there for it this year and without doubt I will go back another time when the conditions are better but for now I will make the best of the images I was able to shoot and I hope that you like these and the others that I will post in the coming days.

I have selected a third image for you but before you scroll down to it I have to warn you that it is a distressing image which I will explain below...

This stag half walked, half ran across a clearing in front of me and I noticed that it appeared to be limping I wasn't able to see at the time why it was having such difficulty  but I put it down to an injury caused in a fight with a rival stag.

At the end of my visit however I spoke to a ranger about the herd and I also over heard him telling another ranger that a deer had been found dead in one of the pools and that it had been killed by someone using a crossbow, he also mentioned reports of another deer with a crossbow injury to its leg. The rangers were obviously saddened by this and I shared their feelings, even more so when I got home to review my photos and I found a series of this stag with a crossbow bolt through its knee. While this majestic and beautiful creature seemed to be getting around I can't help thinking that it is unlikely to survive this injury because the rangers will not be able to separate it from the herd and treat it, it is after all a wild animal. 

I cannot understand the mentality of someone who would shoot deer like this, hunting for food is one thing and culling to maintain a healthy herd is another but this is unacceptable and is the action of selfish, idiotic people who in my opinion are scum.

Starburst and Tie Dye

Today I am posting the last of my selection of light pictures. I will have another go at this type of image in the future but tomorrow I will return to something from the natural world, I have something in mind but that will be reliant on the weather and light conditions tomorrow morning so wish me luck.

I like these two images the colourful spikes in the first and then the tie-dye effect in the second.

Light Fantastic

Hopefully yesterday you saw the first of my light painting efforts where I had tried to create specific shapes. I thought they looked ok but apart from the rainbow fan they were a bit clumsy.

I have looked through the other images I shot and I am pretty happy with the results, in particular the more abstract ones like these two in today's offering.

I love wildlife photography and landscape photography but every now and then I like to experiment with something else and this little experiment has been really satisfying.

Light Painting

This evening I have been experimenting with light. I would have to say with mixed results but there are some decent shots and here are a few of them.

Getting a smooth image required a steady hand and moving the light source at a steady rate.

The first image of a heart shape was really tricky but it sort of works.

The second is a bit like taking the jump to light speed or a portal to another dimension (at least it is to someone like me).

The third shot blends two fanned images for quite a nice effect.

Golden Horizon

I love this shot of the sunset across the Fylde coast and Morecambe Bay that was taken during a recent camping trip. My son thinks the picture would be improved if I added a few Tie Fighters and that way it would resemble a scene from the Star Wars Force Awakens. 

I love the colour in the sky and the golden edge of the low clouds over the horizon where you can make out the silhouette of the wind turbines in the bay. In spite of the warm colours it was a cold night but I always love camping and that was a lovely night to sleep out.

Red Admiral

Photographing butterflies can be quite tricky and you definitely need to be quick off the mark to get a good shot. 

Today's shot while not the sharpest is still a good image showing off the beauty of this fantastic butterfly the Red Admiral.

Memories

I have been reminded today about the importance of memory and how the memories we have can be real treasures that enrich our lives. The things that happen and the things we do throughout our lives can shape us and help to define us and so it is important to hold on to important memories as far as we can.

Sometimes events or moments from our past might seem lost but they can actually be buried deep just waiting for a little prompt to bring them to the surface.

Today's pictures are just that. prompt for me. As a child I read a book called The Children of The New Forest by Captain F Maryatt. The book was first published in 1847 and the copy that I read as a child had been a book prize awarded to my mum in school some time in the 1950's. I loved the story of children growing up in the New Forest in the midst of the English Civil War, learning to become independent while their father was away fighting for the King. It ignited an interest in English History and it also touched something in me because I was lucky enough to live close to the forest and visited it regularly so I felt a connection with the children in the story.

I haven't thought about the book for a long time until this evening when I was selecting these images. While these shots were taken at Dunham Massey and not the New Forest they sparked a memory of the book and I can picture the children living in a cottage something like this deep in the forest with deer regularly visiting the garden. How idyllic!

Just Chillin'

The other day I posted two versions of the same image one in colour the other in  black and white and the consensus seems to be that the colour image is the better of the two. I know it is subjective and personally I think the black and white is more effective but I have to accept that I may be alone in that.

Anyway I also pointed out that there were a couple of deer in the pictures but they were pretty difficult to spot so here is a picture that I took of one of them.

Deer photos have been something of a talking point recently with people getting up close and taking selfies potentially putting themselves at risk of harm as the rutting season begins. I am lucky that I can get pictures like this without getting too close and so I don't spook the deer but here at Dunham Massey in spite of signs warning the public that the deer are wild animals and potentially dangerous there were many people including families with toddlers approaching the deer taking stupid risks. As much as I love these creatures I think I would rather stay on the safe side.

Close up in the Garden

I'm staying out in the cold tonight and it's grey and cold so I thought for my blog today I would share a bit of summer colour which I hope you will enjoy 😁

A Dilemma

So here is what I think is a great shot of the stable block and pond at Dunham Massey, the pond supplies the power to the water mill via the sluice in the foreground.

The dilemma I have is "which is the better image?"

In both I love the reflections which are crisp and clear.

I love the warm colours and the blues in the first image but I really like the black and white image which to me has more character. 

Let me know in the comments which you prefer.

Also can you spot the two deer soaking up the sun? You might have to enlarge the image to find them...

Young Bucks

It was great getting close up to these handsome young bucks, the one in the first picture was so relaxed in the sunshine he could barely keep his eyes open. 

The second one was being plagued with flies but seemed to be taking it in his stride.

Red & Gold in the Veg Patch

I spotted this gorgeous flower growing in a vegetable garden alongside Rainbow Chard, cabbages and broad beans. I was surprised to see it there and I was immediately drawn to it.

I have looked through hundreds of pictures of flowers trying to identify it but I had no luck so if you can help me out I would be very grateful.

I love the different elements of the flower, I have cropped the central section to show off the soft feathery stamen which are a delight. I also love the lush velvety petals in a deep burgundy red fringed with yellow complementing the yellow fronds at the centre. It really is a lovely flower.

Saharan Sandstorm

Today Ireland and the West Coast of the UK have been battered by the tail end of Hurricane Ophelia and sadly three people have died in Ireland as a result of the storm. Driving conditions have been tricky and in places homes are without electricity so it is a dramatic change from the lovely weather we had over the weekend.

Fortunately here in Wirral things haven't been too bad and apart from the strong wind this afternoon has been quite warm and sunny.

The day did start off however with a very unusual phenomenon, a red sky and a very pale sun. By now as it is late in the evening as I post this no doubt there will be lots of pictures of this rare event circulating the web but what kind of photographer would I be if I didn't whip out the Canon and take a few shots and share them with you.

I have used my 150 - 600mm lens, the first image was shot at 600mm f40 at 1/125s ISO 100 and the second was shot at 600mm f40, 1/400s and ISO 400

The red sky is a result of sand from the Sahara whipped up by the storm being lifted into the atmosphere and as a result of the dust absorbing the blue light allowing more red from the spectrum to penetrate... or something, that's all a bit too much science for me.  

Anyway I really love these shots, I love the halo around the sun in the first picture and I love the smoky effect of the clouds in the second. I hope you like them as much as me.

Cracking The Flags

There's an expression for hot sunny days that the sun is "cracking the flags" so on a hot day visiting Dunham Massey a short break in the shade of the orangery was very welcome. While there my eye was drawn to the shadows on the stone floor and I think it makes a really interesting abstract image which I hope you will enjoy.

Tired Feet

Today's post comes at the end of a long day as I celebrated the wedding of my eldest son to his beautiful bride and while I don't tend to make my blog about my family I think it would be a shame to miss this opportunity

Of course with there being a wedding I have taken hundreds of photos and I have some stunning shots of the bride and groom but they're not for here.

The picture I have chosen to post however is a great reminder of the day. Everyone looked great in their finery and bling. The ladies of course wearing lovely shoes bought for the occasion found that as the day wore on style lost out to the need for comfort. I spotted these shoes belonging to the bride's mother, abandoned on the path and I think this image is a quirky souvenir of the day.

Creeper

I spotted this creeping fern growing on a wall alongside a canal while I was taking a call from a friend. I loved the way the individual fronds are curling and growing out in all different directions. I like the contrast of the warm green leaves against the cold stone wall and the dark stems.

On The Ropes

I can't really explain why but I find there is something about coiled ropes that draws me in and when I stumbled across this pile in a workshop at the boat museum I knew that at some point it would find its way into a blog post, and here it is...

Painted Lady

When you saw the title for today's post did you expect to see pictures of butterflies? 

Well although the pictures don't show butterflies I hope you are not disappointed by these shots of African Painted Dogs.

You can see from the picture above and from the two below that the name is well deserved

Cute and cuddly they're not but they are quite stunning creatures. They are also known as the Cape Hunting Dog but I think Painted Dog suits them better. They are an endangered species with less than 5,500 still in the wild. This is why the conservation breeding program at places like Chester Zoo is so important

Village Weaver

Yesterday I couldn't identify the birds in the pictures I posted (truth be told I didn't try too hard to find out) but tonight I didn't want to leave it as another unidentified beauty. So I did a little bit of research and found that this curious little yellow bird is a Village Weaver bird. There are different varieties of weaver birds so at first when I looked I wasn't convinced but as I scrolled through numerous images I became more certain that I had identified it.

As you may know (if you have followed my blog for any length of time) yellow is my favourite colour so it is little wonder that when I see a critter like this I am going to take a photo or two.

Something Exotic

A couple of shots today taken in the tropical forest at Chester Zoo. I won't pretend that I know what they are but they are beautiful.

On Alert

Continuing the cuteness from yesterday's post here are a couple of shots of some Meerkats. They always seem to be so watchful and on high alert which adds to their charm I think.

I have again chosen some black and white images  and although black and white can sometimes seem quite cold I think these two shots are really quite warm and with the light and shadows you get a sense that it was actually a nice sunny day.

So Cute, So Cuddly

I have chosen a couple of black and white images for today.  

Both of these adorable creatures are red or reddish brown but I think that even in monochrome they look great.

Shine On Harvest Moon

I love shooting the moon and last night's harvest moon was a brilliant opportunity. Brilliant because the sky was clear so I had an unobstructed view but brilliant also because the moon was super bright.

Because it was so bright I was able to shoot at quite a fast shutter speed and low ISO so the image is pretty sharp. 

The first image shows the moon pretty much as it appeared and in the second shot I have adjusted the exposure and white balance creating a more monochrome image which fits with how we more usually see the moon.