Hen Borth

 

Just one picture today, it is an image I have worked on this afternoon, trying hard to get it right.

I collected these pebbles from the beach at Hen Borth in Anglesey and originally I photographed them in the boot of my car while I was camping nearby on Friday night. I took the original photo using my mobile phone and I thought it looked really cool. I wanted to print it and hang it on  my wall but no matter how I cropped it or tried to resize it I couldn't get it to fit properly. It was so frustrating and after a while I had to give up. 

That's when I decided to recreate the image, this time using my DSLR and framing the stones a little better. I had to clean out the boot of the car from some of the dirt and grass left over from the camping trip and then referring to the original picture on my phone I organised the stones as closely as possible to how they were first time round, I took three shots using different settings and then selected this one. I had to do some spot removal in lightroom to tidy up the image. I then adjusted the shadows and brought out the blue tones to match with the colour theme of the other pictures this will hang with. I am really pleased with the result and I hope you will agree this picture is a real winner and so worth the effort I went through to create it. It is definitely too good not to share!

Lakeland Gem

 Even on a cold morning in early spring I had to wait my turn to get these images as there was another photographer set up on the jetty where I wanted to be but in these surroundings there is no need to rush, it just meant I had longer to take in the beautiful scenery.

Even when I set up my gear I was in no rush as these are all long exposures in order to smooth out the surface of the lake which due to the strong wind was actually quite choppy.

All three images were shot on my 17 - 40mm wide angle zoom and using a variable ND filter to compensate for the longer exposure times. The first image was at 21mm for 1.6 sec. The second at 17mm for 5 sec and the third at 34mm for 2.5 sec. I am so pleased I have the variable filter in my kit because it has allowed me to experiment and get some really interesting images.

I do love this spot, it has changed a little bit in the past few years, I remember being here in 2017 in the snow and the wooden jetty was very fragile with warnings (which I ignored) to keep off. Now things are a lot more sturdy so I didn't have to take any risks.

Almost There...

 I have sat many hours trying to get a decent shot of a Kingfisher. They're small and very fast so I have often seen them dart past or even fishing in the distance but it is not often that I have had one sit close enough to get a clear shot and when I have there has been little time to get the best shot possible. Many attempts have resulted in under exposed or blurry images and my aim is to get a crystal clear detailed photo of one of our most spectacular birds.

I had been watching this male bird fishing a little way across the mere, darting back and forth low across the water and even hovering high up before diving in to catch a fish. I had stopped off on my way home from work and it was so relaxing. I was thrilled when he came to perch on the post nearest to the hide and managed to get a couple of shots before he moved slightly further away. These don't have quite the clarity I am after but  I think I am getting there and I know that with a little more time, a lot of patience and a bit more practice I will get the shot I crave.

Even without the perfect shot though just the experience of sitting quietly by the water after a busy day taking in the scenery and enjoying the sight of this beautiful bird was priceless. I also got to watch a gorgeous Little Grebe fishing close by and more surprisingly a bat (possibly a Horseshoe Bat) out hunting in daylight, unforgettable  moments.

Dip Dip Dip

So the other day I told you that my goal for the year was to photograph a Dipper one of the most amazing songbirds in Britain, not because of its song but because of its amazing swimming ability. Due to the current lockdown it was starting to look like I would miss out. On my first trip out with the intention of photographing one I managed just one fleeting glimpse as an adult bird flew past me downstream.

A couple of days later I headed back to the River Wye in Derbyshire and this time in Chee Dale I was so excited to see this little beauty. I watched it feeding and then as it perched on this mossy log I was able to get some shots.  I am always super critical of my pictures and I know I can do better so I will definitely be on the lookout for more opportunities but I am pleased with these images and the memories that go with them.

A little further downstream I heard the noisy chatter of two more dippers, an adult bird feeding a hungry youngster. It is scenes like that that really underline why I love being outdoors and why I love nature and wildlife photography.

One Man and His Dog...

So when you saw the title of this post what did you think? 

Sheep dog trials perhaps. As I write that it amazes me that for 23 years between 1976 and 1999 Sheep Dog Trials was prime time TV in the UK, described as a BBC gem it had 8 million viewers in its heyday. But the flocks in this image are not sheep but birds and there's no chance of herding them...

I thought this was a nice scene with the twitcher out on the sands focused on the flock of wading birds gradually coming closer as the tide rolled in. I really like the way the dog is standing focused in the same way as his companion completely still so as not to scare the birds away.

I also really like the layers of colour and light in this scene and the way the wind turbines seem to hover on the horizon.

Little Egret

The bright white plumage really gleamed as this lovely egret took a few moments rest while out fishing on the mere at Mere Sands reserve. A fellow photographer commented that egrets are pretty poor (that's a cleaned up version of what he actually said) when it comes to fishing unlike the grey heron that was also fishing nearby. The two species do have different styles of fishing that is certain; while the heron sits sentry like with infinite patience and then spears fish with lightning fast reflexes the egret is far less patient, he shuffles about and disturbs the fish and then makes a grab as the fish scatter before him.

That being said this particular bird seemed to be doing pretty well for himself as he caught some decent sized fish (I may share a photo in due course) while I watched, the disparaging photographer had long since left however so didn't get to see how effective this style of fishing proved to be.

Holy Grail

For so long I have wanted to photograph a Kingfisher, I got a few shots in this location a couple of years ago but they were not really very good as the bird was  much further away and only stayed put for a few seconds. It has become a been a bit like the search for the holy grail.

I cant say how many times I have gone back and how many hours I have sat patiently waiting without even the slightest glimpse. This Saturday I went back, after a long and stressful week in work I was happy just to sit quietly to clear my head and unwind even though it was really cold (just above freezing) and with heavy rain on its way. I was so thrilled when this beautiful bird flew in and perched nearby and sat scanning the water for its next meal. He moved to a different perch and then onto another (I am saving a couple of shots for tomorrow) again patiently searching for a tasty snack. He stayed around for almost 15 minutes giving me plenty of time to get several shots and basically making my day.

I really am pleased with these pictures although I know they could be better, the light and weather conditions meant that I needed to use a wide aperture and very high ISO which gives the images a grainy quality and trying to compensate for that I have lost some of the finer detail. So in the search for the perfect shot I am sure to go back. Who knows how long I might have to wait but I am up for the challenge. 

In the meantime I am pleased to be able to share these shots and if you like them please look out for more tomorrow. And feel free to leave a comment below...

Fantastic!

I can't begin to say how excited I was to get up close to this beautiful fox. It was sat on the side of the road and when I got out of the car to try and take a few pictures it trotted across the road and sat no more than two metres away.

The light was poor as it was the end of the day and it had started to rain so these are a little grainy but I could have sat for ages admiring the beauty before me. It was as if it was posing for me and I have several wonderful shots. I was itching to share these pictures with you but I have only picked a few for today and will save some more for another day.

It appears to be smiling and I love the regal profile in the third image. 

Kingfisher

Over the next few days I will be sharing some random shots from past photo expeditions.

Today's offering is this beautiful kingfisher spotted at Mere Sands. It came after several hours waiting but stayed for less than 10 seconds so this was a super lucky shot.

A Fleeting Visitor

So for today here are two more shots of the beautiful Kingfisher that I had waited so long to see. I love the poses but wish a) he had stayed still and b) that I had had a more steady hold of my camera. Nonetheless it was a real treat to capture these images and a joy to be able to share them with you...

Rail Strike Bonus

No one likes a rail strike, however much you might sympathise  with the cause the disruption is always a little too much to bear.

Today's strike on Merseyside was no different and it meant that I had to make an unplanned trip taking my daughter to university. I had a few hours to kill so decided to head over to Mere Sands Wood, for a photo session.

I had been there last Friday and in the hope of seeing a kingfisher I'd sat for three hours in a hide with a couple of other photographers having been told one was a regular visitor. Sadly on that occasion I was unlucky.

I have seen kingfishers before but I have never been able to photograph one.

Until today...

I had been waiting for a while with very little to see and was almost at the point of giving up when I saw this little gem fly across in front of me and then settle on this perch. He was only there for about 30 seconds so I had to act quickly to get this shot. I managed to get a few pictures but I am going to save the others for some point in the future.

Last summer I got to photograph hummingbirds for the first time and today I got to photograph the iconic kingfisher. Hopefully I will have more opportunities in the future but I am sure I will never forget this fantastic first.