The water vole has become very hard to find these days and I knew my trip to Cromford canal in the Derbyshire Peak District may not be a fruitful one. However, I don't come away disappointed as I find the best location ever for little grebe (dab chick) Not only are they abundant but are far less wary of humans due to the number of people walking the canal. I really couldn't have got better images with beautiful autumn light.
The Red Deer Rut has to be one of the UK's most spectacular wildlife events. But near Sheffield?
In this weeks video I go to a place I only recently discovered to capture film and images of the Red Deer rut. I would normally head to the Scottish highlands to witness and photography this spectacle. However, last year that changed when the covid pandemic lead to reduced travel. It was only by searching on line I discovered images of the red deer rut taken at a place called Big Moor just to the west of Sheffield. Intrigued I headed off up there and managed to catch the back end of the rut. This year I return much earlier to try and capture the behaviour of these wonderful animals. As I say in this video please remember these are not park animals used to the encroachment of humans. For the safety of yourself and the deer please use your common sense and stay at a sensible distance.
Astrophotography - A new old Project!
Its been almost ten years since I sold my astrophotography kit. At the time I was using an extremely heavy mount and telescope combination that didn't fit in with my desire to travel light. Instead I concentrated on my wildlife and landscape photography. With the new lightweight travel mounts on the market I decided now was a great time to give one of these small versatile mounts a go. And so begins the journey of re-learning everything I thought I knew and perhaps even getting over my phobia of the hours spent processing in front of that computer screen. This week I introduce you to some of the kit I am going to be using before getting on with the full setup of the Skywatcher Star Adventurer in the coming weeks.
Family Holidays are great but what if you want to get out for some Wildlife Photography?
I often find that I want to get out for some wildlife photography when on family holidays. That's often because the places we visit are different environments to my home and can lead to encounters with less well known species. In this video I manage to get out for some wildlife photography while on a short three day visit to the Scottish Borders. With so little time I have to evaluate the possible from the impossible while still keeping the rest of the family happy. Watch to find out how I got on
Bird Photography - Close to Home
With a lot of travelling on the cards over the next few weeks I decide to head out into familiar territory with no clear plans. Sometimes those unplanned sessions give you the chance to unwind and not worry about what does or doesn't pass in front of the camera. Sometimes just being out in nature is enough. Join me as I unwind at my local RSPB reserve Langford Lowfields.
Wildlife Photography with a 60 Year Old Lens!
After using a 30mm Pentacon lens from the 1960's to create some Infrared images a couple of weeks ago I had the crazy idea to try and take wildlife images with a lens of similar vintage. This sounded like a good idea at the time! Find out how I got on in part one where I make life easy for the lens by shooting garden birds just to see if the optics are up to it before some more strenuous tests in further videos.