I think a need a manager. Or at the very least a navigator! I wasted a lot of time this weekend by being both disorganised and very lost. A sat-nav would not have helped much - as the location I was heading to was wrong in the first place. However, when I finally made it to Elmley Marshes RSPB reserve on the Isle of Sheppey I had a very good time. The replacement 400mm turned up on Thursday so I was eager to put it through its paces.
So far I am very pleased with it. I'm not sure I've quite got the 7D set up the way I had the previous one yet though. The morning was cold, dull and grey - but nevertheless afforded several shots of a lapwing (taken from the car on the drive in once I finally located the reserve!).
In the afternoon the wind got up and the sun came out. There were lots of waders on the mud flats. Most too far out for any decent shots, but it was great to see them and I enjoyed a happy afternoon watching them and the orbiting harriers. I got lost on the way home too, but that's a different story...
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Sunday, 17 October 2010
Saturday, 24 July 2010
The one that got away
Well, I had a great few days up in Northumberland, and saw lots of interesting things - including my first ever Sandwich Terns. However, although the forecast rain mostly held off the light was seldom good enough for photography. To add insult to injury the day I was in Seahouses the boats to the Farnes were not sailing due to poor sea conditions. So most of my reasons for going that way will have to wait for another time.
Instead of heading out to The Farnes I spent the day meandering along Bamburgh beach, dodging the jellyfish (I have never seen so many in one place). When I got into Bamburgh itself there were a large number of swallows feeding on the wing a few inches above the grass. I positioned myself on one side of the green and watched their antics for nearly an hour. They are so fast I was rarely able to even take a shot - but by some miracle I did manage to get two in focus shots out of the encounter. Not the best - it was quite dark so I really pushed the ISO to get a decent shutter speed, but I was rather pleased to have managed it at all.
Instead of heading out to The Farnes I spent the day meandering along Bamburgh beach, dodging the jellyfish (I have never seen so many in one place). When I got into Bamburgh itself there were a large number of swallows feeding on the wing a few inches above the grass. I positioned myself on one side of the green and watched their antics for nearly an hour. They are so fast I was rarely able to even take a shot - but by some miracle I did manage to get two in focus shots out of the encounter. Not the best - it was quite dark so I really pushed the ISO to get a decent shutter speed, but I was rather pleased to have managed it at all.
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Monday, 1 March 2010
Stirred and Shaken
This weekend was a stark contrast. A lovely peaceful day on the banks of Loweswater on Saturday, and then a hair-raising high speed blowout on the way home. The former was fantastic, the latter miraculous. I've lost a tire on the motorway once before, but not quite so dramatically. This time the car just bucked under me, slalomed and refused to come back under control. My guardian angel must surely deserve a bonus, because by some miracle I made it over to the hard shoulder without hitting another vehicle, and ended up wrapped around a lamppost. I am very fortunate to have walked away from it with nothing worse than a bruised shoulder and jangling nerves.
My camera gear was in the boot, and given the state of the car it is a tribute to Lowepro bags that it was undamaged.
I haven't had a chance to look at most of the images yet - but this is probably the highlight of the Saturday. Quite an expensive image though given that it cost me my car. But I guess it could have been much worse...
My camera gear was in the boot, and given the state of the car it is a tribute to Lowepro bags that it was undamaged.
I haven't had a chance to look at most of the images yet - but this is probably the highlight of the Saturday. Quite an expensive image though given that it cost me my car. But I guess it could have been much worse...
Sunday, 1 November 2009
Some like it damp
After a beautiful October, November has got off to a damp start. But for some things that is not bad. On Saturday I was down in the Forest of Dean on an annual foray into autumn. As has been the case in recent years there was not really the light to capture the full glory of this beautiful place. We did enjoy a trip around Puzzlewood (well worth the visit if you are in the area), and the fungi at least seemed to be revelling in the conditions.
Saturday, 5 September 2009
Encounters with otters
I love Mull.It's official. After nearly fifteen years of Highland visits I discovered Mull only three years ago. It has everything that Scotland has to offer, plus the widest variety of wildlife compressed into one relatively small island. When the weather is good you cannot beat it.
Last time I came with the express intention of seeing otters. This, apart from the briefest glimpse from my B&B window, I spectacularly failed to do. This time I decided not even to try. Consequently of course I have seen at least one otter every day. On Wednesday I spent over an hour watching a mother and two cubs fishing, playing and resting on the far bank of a loch. They were too far away for a photo, but great to watch. As I did so another otter emerged on the seaweed about fifteen yards from me affording me my first decent photo of an otter in the wild. I wasn't expecting it to get much better than that.
On Friday in the company of an otter-mad family from Yorkshire we found two more in nearly the same place. A stealthy slither across the seaweed covered rocks put us about twenty-five yards from these. As we settled down to watch, a car went by on the road behind us and one of the otters looked up to see what was going on. Right down the lens of my camera. Fortunately he did not see us.
After a short fishing expedition, the pair hauled up on the other side of us and afforded us another excellent view.
This, and several other unexpected otter encounters, have made this perhaps one of the most exciting wildlife holidays ever. In my personal 'top trumps'of British wildlife a wild otter beats almost anything else...
Last time I came with the express intention of seeing otters. This, apart from the briefest glimpse from my B&B window, I spectacularly failed to do. This time I decided not even to try. Consequently of course I have seen at least one otter every day. On Wednesday I spent over an hour watching a mother and two cubs fishing, playing and resting on the far bank of a loch. They were too far away for a photo, but great to watch. As I did so another otter emerged on the seaweed about fifteen yards from me affording me my first decent photo of an otter in the wild. I wasn't expecting it to get much better than that.
On Friday in the company of an otter-mad family from Yorkshire we found two more in nearly the same place. A stealthy slither across the seaweed covered rocks put us about twenty-five yards from these. As we settled down to watch, a car went by on the road behind us and one of the otters looked up to see what was going on. Right down the lens of my camera. Fortunately he did not see us.
After a short fishing expedition, the pair hauled up on the other side of us and afforded us another excellent view.
This, and several other unexpected otter encounters, have made this perhaps one of the most exciting wildlife holidays ever. In my personal 'top trumps'of British wildlife a wild otter beats almost anything else...
Saturday, 29 August 2009
Pre-trip optimism...
Looking out of my window this morning the sky is a cloudless blue, and low morning is highlighting the first tints of autumn in my neighbour's garden. After a grey few days it is a wonderful sight. It fills me with hope for the next few days. I'm off up to Mull for a bit and then coming back via the Southern Lakes. Very much looking forward to it all; but rather hoping that the light is good
I've just review my last my Mull shots. Some potential there in terms of subjects, buzzards, curlews, sea eagles, seals - but all uniformly drab and uninteresting thanks to unhelpful weather. Hopefully this year will turn up something more noteworthy!
I've just review my last my Mull shots. Some potential there in terms of subjects, buzzards, curlews, sea eagles, seals - but all uniformly drab and uninteresting thanks to unhelpful weather. Hopefully this year will turn up something more noteworthy!
Sunday, 8 February 2009
On penguins
It's been a while coming, but I am pleased to announce that some of my favourite penguin photographs from my trip to the Falkland Islands are now available for sale. I've created a new Photobox gallery, Quantum Penguin with a selection of images for sale. As time goes by I'll add a few more. In the meantime here are a couple of my personal favourite shots.
I loved the poise, the light and the reflections in this image of a group of gentoos as they waddled down to the sea.
King penguins are both colourful and graceful. Once again I like the shape and the colours in this image.
If you like these images then head over to Quantum Penguin and take a look at the rest!
I loved the poise, the light and the reflections in this image of a group of gentoos as they waddled down to the sea.
King penguins are both colourful and graceful. Once again I like the shape and the colours in this image.
If you like these images then head over to Quantum Penguin and take a look at the rest!
Wednesday, 25 July 2007
On the cost of procastination...
Leaving things to the last minute has become something of a habit. The benefits in terms of increased efficiency, and more free time have largely outweighed the occasional increase in stress levels. Except of course when there are real costs to be incurred.
Airlines, bless them, sell their cheapest seats first. I've never been totally sure why this is, since presumably there is no reason why any seat in the same class should be cheaper than any other. Okay, so there is an incentive to book early and I suppose a slight tendency to spread the load as people choose to fly a day or so later to get cheaper seats. On average, however, I would expect it makes no real difference to the loading or take-up, as people fly when they need to and book when they are aware of that need.
In my case, putting off booking for several months has cost me £60 - a not insignificant sum - and my booking is hardly last minute. Choosing to return on one of the busiest flying days of the year (Christmas Eve) is the main factor here. The question now becomes was that £60 worth the extra peace of mind I have gained by tying a few things down before booking, or should I have booked earlier (and used the money on camera gear)? I guess I'll never know...
The good news is my Falklands holiday is now all booked, apart from two nights accomadation in Chile. It looks like I'm definately on my way!
Countdown to Falklands trip: 136 days.
Airlines, bless them, sell their cheapest seats first. I've never been totally sure why this is, since presumably there is no reason why any seat in the same class should be cheaper than any other. Okay, so there is an incentive to book early and I suppose a slight tendency to spread the load as people choose to fly a day or so later to get cheaper seats. On average, however, I would expect it makes no real difference to the loading or take-up, as people fly when they need to and book when they are aware of that need.
In my case, putting off booking for several months has cost me £60 - a not insignificant sum - and my booking is hardly last minute. Choosing to return on one of the busiest flying days of the year (Christmas Eve) is the main factor here. The question now becomes was that £60 worth the extra peace of mind I have gained by tying a few things down before booking, or should I have booked earlier (and used the money on camera gear)? I guess I'll never know...
The good news is my Falklands holiday is now all booked, apart from two nights accomadation in Chile. It looks like I'm definately on my way!
Countdown to Falklands trip: 136 days.
Sunday, 20 May 2007
On joy in unexpected places...
Last week I walked a section of the South West Coast Path with a friend of mine. To keep the weight of my pack down, I took the painful decision to travel without a long lens. This meant also deciding not to regret the various missed opportunities, but rather to enjoy the wildlife with my eyes rather than my camera. It also meant that our cross-country speed was much improved!
For the best wildlife encounter of the week, however, no long lens was required. Two badgers visited the patio of our B&B and came close enough for a decent shot even with my 17-85mm lens. I've never been this close to a wild badger, let alone photographed one. So, forty minutes of quality badger time was an unexpected joy - a handful of decent shots a thoroughly unexpected bonus. I had a silly grin on my face for most of the next morning...
Countdown to Falklands trip: 202 days to go
For the best wildlife encounter of the week, however, no long lens was required. Two badgers visited the patio of our B&B and came close enough for a decent shot even with my 17-85mm lens. I've never been this close to a wild badger, let alone photographed one. So, forty minutes of quality badger time was an unexpected joy - a handful of decent shots a thoroughly unexpected bonus. I had a silly grin on my face for most of the next morning...
Countdown to Falklands trip: 202 days to go
Friday, 13 April 2007
On the stupidity of one size fits all...
In trying to arrange travel insurance I ring a well known insurance company. My call is taken by an Indian gentleman. I wonder if it is an off-shore call-centre? He is pleasant and friendly enough but, like most call-centre operators, he is tied to his script. At the point where I tell him that the £1500 baggage cover (with £400 pound maximum single item limit) is not enough he does not know what to do and continues relentlessly with the script. There is no option to talk to anyone else or customise the policy.
One of the problem with the modern world is that there are too many choices which are no choice at all. There are scores of travel insurance companies offering policies with nearly identical limits. As far as I can ascertain no-one offers anything different! I would be happy to pay more for a bespoke policy which covered my actual needs.
So now I'm looking at doing specialist camera insurance and travel insurance as separate entities. Ho hum...
Countdown to Falklands trip: 239 days to go
One of the problem with the modern world is that there are too many choices which are no choice at all. There are scores of travel insurance companies offering policies with nearly identical limits. As far as I can ascertain no-one offers anything different! I would be happy to pay more for a bespoke policy which covered my actual needs.
So now I'm looking at doing specialist camera insurance and travel insurance as separate entities. Ho hum...
Countdown to Falklands trip: 239 days to go
Sunday, 25 February 2007
On customer service
So I'm trying to find out flight information and I wander into Thomas Cook in Kingston. It seems like a reasonable move to me, after all they are a travel agent. Sadly, however, I am served by a dead-eyed Saturday girl, who is clearly dreaming of being elsewhere and who informs me "We've just got a new flight system, and I don't know how to use it". She takes my phone number - someone will call me later. Only of course they don't.
But then round the corner it is a different story. STA travel, and I am served by Jen. Smart, knowledgeable, chatty, interested in my requirements. Twenty minutes later I have the information I need. When I get around to booking my flights, I know where I'm going back to.
Countdown to Falkands trip: 286 days to go
But then round the corner it is a different story. STA travel, and I am served by Jen. Smart, knowledgeable, chatty, interested in my requirements. Twenty minutes later I have the information I need. When I get around to booking my flights, I know where I'm going back to.
Countdown to Falkands trip: 286 days to go
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