The first one of the New year...

Well another one bits the dust - no pun intended. I have just submitted my first collection for an exhibition - the RPS Nature Group annual exhibition. I have no idea whether I will be successful- but nothing ventured nothing gained. If you want to see the full submission then click here.

Following on from what I wrote a couple of days about getting carried away this photograph is a classical case. I was on a very bumpy boat taking this photograph - blasting away think about what I wanted the gull to do to make it just that bit better when it struck me what I had captured. This was the death of one animal for another's survival. I stopped once I realised this - however, most of the people in the boat kept taking photographs and videoing the event.

It is all part of the unemotional aspect of nature - it really is vicious. Yet within that viciousness there is also great beauty and tragedy. One final thought - the Herring gull is now subject to a red alert, its population is declining - so by taking this young kittiwake it is helping to support a suffering breed.

Working on a project or two...

Greenfinch

A new year and new challenges - well not quite. No I have been working on photographing birds in the garden which hopefully will fulfil at least two projects, perhaps three. I have written about this before but this year I want to concentrate on just a few overall projects and then use the resultant product to service a number of different projects - that way I can concentrate on the photographs rather than think that this could do for this competition and so on.

Greenfinches and Goldfinches on feeders

Well the past few days have certainly fallen into this plan. So I have been freezing myself at home, and sitting in the warmth making some interesting photographs. Very rewarding.

Wren

I have not been neglecting the book project either. I have spent the past few days colour correcting the selected images ( I managed to cut the number down to 50, in part due to the problems of CMYK printing/colour correction.) One interesting thing that has come out of this is that most bird photographs seem to need little colour correction for a CMYK printer - not sure why that is - hope it doesn't mean I have been going about this thing the wrong way. Only time will tell!

Reed Bunting

One final thing - Flickr. I have become more obsessed by this over the past few days. This is just wrong and I am going to reduce my time spent using Flickr. Like any social network system you can loose yourself in this. That being said there are some outstanding photographs on Flickr, hopefully mine can be included in them in some small way

Working in the back garden...

Blackbird - Enderby.

It really is a winter wonderland - I'm really thankful that I can work at home rather than trudging into the office. Anyway, after doing some shopping I settled down for a days shot in the warmth of hearth and home. Whilst this was satisfying in itself it had two other purposes. The first is to make some work for this years British Wildlife Photography Awards - particularly the Wildlife in My Backyard category. The second is for my ARPS portfolio. I have still to finalise the portfolio - not a problem as I don't want to submit it until the end of the summer - so I can keep my options open. One final thing on this I am also going to use this work to enter ther RPS Nature group annual exhibition - so not bad for one set of photographs.

A strange influence is coming over me....

Wren - Enderby

I am being drawn to produce monochrome photographs of birds. The style is reminiscent of Nick Brandt - not sure why that is but I do love his work. I have been experimenting with different breeds of birds and, to date, it would seem that birds with a predominance of red does not work well - so robins are out. Perhaps it is a reaction to the strictures of the RPS Nature group? I really don't know but I like where it is taking me.

Chairman's day....

Fulmar - Seahouses

I spent an interesting day at the RPS Nature group's Chairmen's Day meeting at Oldbury. The day consisted of a series of talks about natural history photography. As usual with these types of days the talks were varying interest depending on you interest in the subject. So I found Martin Dyer's talk about wildlife photography on the island of Mull far more interesting than Gianpiero Ferrari's 'A Year of Wildlife'. This was nothing to do with the individual but rather their subject matter. Ferrari is very interested in moths and orchids, neither of which really do anything for me, whereas Dyer's work is more to interests.

In the afternoon Heather Angel gave a bravado presentation about her work at Kew gardens and then on her wider work. Both were fascinating but something kept going around in my head as she spoke, especially about her other work. Carbon Footprint. Her carbon footprint must be enormous. As she spoke I started to debate this - the individual talent against the greater good and I am not sure what the solution to all this is. She clearly is a hugely talented photographer but could her photographs be sourced locally, thus reducing her carbon foot print and perhaps going some small way to reducing the effects of man made climate change. I really don't have an answer to this but it kept going through my mind as she spoke. This was a shame as some of her work is simply stunning.

People, People People.....

Some of the Crowds at Donna Nook

Well I finally made it out to Donna Nook yesterday and the weather was wonderful - nothing like the weather predicted on the radio on the way up. You had to pinch yourself to remember that this was the North Sea coast in late October. I had taken my full gear with me - layers of fleeces, coats, hats and gloves. After dawn none of these were required. It was glorious. However, this was also a real problem as it brought out the crowds. I got there at dawn and so I had the place very much to myself. By the time I left, around 1 o'clock the place was heaving, the car park was jammed and there were squabbles about parking spaces - it reminded me of the seals when the pupping is in full swing - more about this in later.

What I had neglected to remember that it was half term and it seemed that most of northern England had decided to descend on Donna Nook (this is a total exaggeration but it felt this way as the place is actually quite small!) I suspect I am a little bias ( well actually a lot) but people never cease to amaze me at how so ill prepared they appear to be for what can be a really cold place. Why people bring their dogs to a nature reserve is also a mystery but they did. I really am starting to sound like an old fart but this is an encounter with truly wild animals who do not take like dogs even if '...he won't hurt a fly...' - at least the bacon butty van was doing a roaring trade.

Well now I have got that off of my chest what of the seals? Well in truth there is not a great deal to report. To date only one pup has been born and the seals themselves are spread out on the sand under the RAF bombing range. This will change over the next few days and weeks when the place will really come alive - in every sense of the word. From a photographic prospective it was not really very good however from talking to the locals it would seem that the week end, when the range is closed and people have access to the beach, sees an influx of photographers chasing the seals. I really am having second thoughts about attending the RPS Nature group meet in November when we will go out onto the beach.

One of the early Grey Seals

On a much more positive note I decided to explore the northern part of the nature reserve. This was the best part of the day. Whereas everyone makes their way to see the seals the rest of the reserve is empty apart from a fine range of birds. You can walk for a couple of miles without seeing anyone. Even the RAF weren't bombing so there was no noise at all to suggest you are only a few miles away from some large conurbations - it really is a different world when compared to the scramble of the car park.

Brent Geese - just some of the birds found in the northern part of the reserve.

So what did I learn? Well I was able to have a good look around and I have changed my shooting plans accordingly. However, the problem of people is really concerning me - I suspect that Donna Nook is now too popular for its own good - it no longer is an encounter with wild animals but more like London Zoo on an August bank holiday. I will go again but I am seriously concerned about the Saturday beach visit.

Creepy things in the bog...

Banded Demoiselle

It is amazing this nature thing. Just amazing. It must be 4 weeks since I was last at the Narborough Bog and what a change. The last time I was there the bog was still underwhelming, things had started to grow but not by that much. Now well it's a jungle out there. I was walking through the reeds this morning and had a sudden cold shiver going down my back. Suddenly I felt I was in Jurassic Park and the reeds were filled with Velociraptor - they are that tall. I am over 6 feet tall and they tower over me - quite spooky.

Large White Butterfly

One of things that comes with this prodigious growth are all the creepy crawlies. These were what I was interested in - well actually the dragonflies, damselflies and butterflies. Again, this didn't disappoint. Whilst the larger dragonflies buzz by too quickly to capture (at the moment) the damselflies and butterflies are another matter. Once you follow the path deep into the reed bed then you are surrounded by hundreds of the creatures. Providing you are fairly still then you can approach them really quite close. Now I am new to this branch of photography so everything is snapped - the 1D really comes into its own. I have been following the advice of Colin Smith FRPS (in the latest issue of IRIS) and shot everything at a high ISO so that I get everything as frozen as possible. On the whole this is working but I suspect there is far more to things than that. Only time will tell.

Tomorrow I'm off to Wicken fen so hopefully some of the lessons I have learnt locally can be applied to one of the best places to see dragonflies. Lets see what the results will be.

One final thing - identification. What a complicated thing this is turning out to be. As I write this I am surrounded by all sorts of reference books used to ID the creatures. Again this should get easier as time goes on - well lets hope so.

Large Skipper

Wot Flower???

Well what is in a name?  Quite a lot actually.  I have been going through the codes of practice and 2008 exhibition CD for the RPS Nature Group and one of the overwhelming impression for me is the need for authenticity and correct scientific names or as the code puts it...' should convey the essential truth of what the photographer saw at the time it was taken...'.  Now this posses me with certain problems.   I have little problem identifying fauna but flora is another matter.  The three photographs illustrate this really quite well.

All three were taken in a local park which is part of a flood meadow.  This produces an abundant bloom this time of year, one that cries out to be photographed.  However, here is the problem.   I know these flowers are Meadow Buttercups and Dandelions - no problem there.  However, interspersed in the meadow are far more delicate flowers which I have no idea of their name.  I have gone through my pocket field guide and am no further forward.  However, they make a lovely photograph but would this be acceptable for the Nature Group?   

Of course I have no answer to this yet and I am sure this will not be a problem as there will be many helpful people who will be able to identify the errant flower,   But does this effect the validity of the photograph?  I suppose the answer to this is yes and no.  Yes as a record of the plant but no when considering the broader aesthetic value of a photograph.

To examine this further consider the flower photographs of Niall Benvie.  Here he takes really wonderful portraits of individual flowers.  However, when you see his set up and the way his final images are produced it really does place a question mark over whether they are an authentic record of the flower.  Indeed this really does raise a whole series of questions about the use of flash photography - does this record the '...essential truth...'?   

Now I am not critising the rules it just something I will have to get used to and I have to say it is rather interesting way to photograph.  Indeed, the better you know a subject then generally the better the photograph.  As the code of practice puts it '...The photographer should be familiar with the natural history of the subject; the more complex the life-form and the rarer the species, the greater his/ her knowledge must be...'

This will make for an interesting learning curve.

RPS Nature Group

I have joined the RPS nature group.  Not sure what this will lead to but there looks like some interesting events.