Sometimes it's not about the pictures. Just being in a place and seeing things with your own eyes is sufficient. Yesterday I spent an hour or more in a hide at Fowlmere watching a pair of Marsh Harriers in a tree. The harriers were beautiful, and the light was stunning - but they were just too far away for my lens. Seeing them through binoculars was a treat. After an hour or so, a third one joined them, and they took to the wing. Majestic.
I did manage a couple of shots of them in flight - but none of them are great; they still didn't come close enough for that. Nevertheless, I thought I'd post one up in penance for the lack of shots in recent weeks. In my defence, the weather has been foul, and I've been pretty busy - but I miss getting out there and taking photos...
Countdown to Falklands trip: 87 days.
Tuesday, 11 September 2007
Monday, 30 July 2007
On the exuberance of youth...
Young animals are always fun, not least because they have less fear than their adult counterparts and the fact that they are cute too makes them photogenic. This weekend I was entertained by a group of young wagtails. I swear there was a pair of grey wagtails who enticed me to stop, change lenses and set myself up, just to fly off as I was ready to start shooting. Nevertheless I did manage the following shot of a rather more helpful juvenile pied wagtail who stayed around to check me out...
Countdown to Falklands trip: 130 days.
Countdown to Falklands trip: 130 days.
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.
Saturday, 7 July 2007
On targets of opportunity
Well, as anyone who has been following the tennis will know - it has been a wet summer this year. Today, however, we finally had a day when good weather coincided with a completely free saturday, so I set off in search of buzzards. It was a fabulous day, and I did manage to find three buzzards - but they were photographically uncooperative, so I had to content myself with lesser targets.
A chance encounter with a wren (another uncooperateive species) yielded a halfway decent shot. And the yellowhammer was a completely unexpected bonus. Not the best day's work - but after a spell with so few images, extremely satisfying...
Countdown to Falklands trip: 154 days.
A chance encounter with a wren (another uncooperateive species) yielded a halfway decent shot. And the yellowhammer was a completely unexpected bonus. Not the best day's work - but after a spell with so few images, extremely satisfying...
Countdown to Falklands trip: 154 days.
Monday, 11 June 2007
On the absence of time...
Time is a funny thing. It races by when you're busy and drags when you're not. Which means that there is never enough of it in the right places, and far too much in the wrong ones - or so it seems. All of which in esence means, I have not been out with my camera in far too long, and I miss it. And to be honest, there is no excuse; I've allowed myself to lose sight of the things that really make me alive, and accepted pale substitutes. If I can't make time for the things I love, no-one else will...
Countdown to Falklands trip: 180 days to go
Countdown to Falklands trip: 180 days to go
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
Saturday, 28 April 2007
On the early bird...
There is no doubt early mornings are the best times for wildlife photography. Even if you don't come back with anything, there is something magical about being out whilst the world is empty and still. It was a slow dawn this morning, and I was up with the lark. The trickle of amber light, gradually emerging from hazy cloud to gild the bracken.
Skylark
The skylarks seemed to enjoy it too. I was surprised how close they let me get. Admittedly I was down on my front, crawling slowly, commando style towards them - they seemed more intrigued than bothered by my behaviour. Another pair of trousers well and truly ruined - but I think this pair of photos more than makes up for it!
Skylark
Countdown to Falklands trip: 224 days to go
Skylark
The skylarks seemed to enjoy it too. I was surprised how close they let me get. Admittedly I was down on my front, crawling slowly, commando style towards them - they seemed more intrigued than bothered by my behaviour. Another pair of trousers well and truly ruined - but I think this pair of photos more than makes up for it!
Skylark
Countdown to Falklands trip: 224 days to go
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