Entries Tagged ‘Buxton’:

The north Norfolk coastline is a place I never get tired of.  Everytime I visit it never fails to amaze me with the beautiful spectacles in nature that I witness.  At the moment Geese (Brent, Greylag, Pink-foot) are arriving there daily.  Their numbers swelling each day as you watch them assemble altogether on fields, the noise is deafening but its amazing to watch as they feed, constantly watching for predators, calling each other, always in complete communication. 

The next time you see a large group of Geese on the ground, just take a moment to watch them and you will be amazed at the way they stick together, how they see everything and are talking to each other all the time, its the perfect example of strength in numbers and the simple but successful way in which Geese live alongside each other.

Over the last 4-6 weeks I have noticed that the number of waders have been really low, with their number being dispersed further around the coastline from Snettisham, but in general the numbers have been low mainly due to the warmer weather we are having after the very cold start to the year, its delaying alot of wildlife I feel.  So after spending the weekend there on one to ones it was great to see the number of waders back up to the levels you’d hope and expect to see at this time of year.  Where most if not all are not looking their best as they go through their moulting period.

With the darker mornings and the onset of winter just around the corner the tides come in sometimes now while its still dark.  This happened to us this weekend, so we were  treated to the massive flocks flying  just feet over our heads in the dark, which was an amazing experience to witness.  Your sight is not great so you rely on your other senses to see whats going on which only heightens this amazing  experience.

As the light came up and the birds were flying around, they started to settle into the pools or pits as they are better known in front of the hides there.  I showed Phil, one of my clients on this day, how to use a slow shutter speed, capturing movement in a photo which in turn conveys the sheer power, movement and size of the flocks here.  Something spooked the flock and they all took off together, its been a long time since I saw this, as the whole lot, some 1-2 thousand birds went from a dormant, sleepy state into this powerful take off I captured in the two above images using a low shutter speed and low ISO.

They then settle back down into these pools sleeping and waiting until the tide retreats before heading back out to sea.  One of natures most amazing spectacles that if you are lucky enough to see the experience will stay with you forever.  The number of other birds that live in and around this coastline is vast, where they all feed in their different ways, I often feel in all the mayhem that these birds get forgotten about and passed over in favour of the massive flocks.  My advice would be to look everywhere once you are there and you’ll see so much other birdlife just going about their business in this rich and very diverse area of the north Norfolk coastline. 

The Great Peak District Fair is this weekend 16Th, 17Th October at the Pavilion Gardens, Buxton.  I will be displaying my images in various different formats along with my Limited Edition Tiger prints where 50% of the profits from each sale go towards 21 Century Tiger, a charity that gives 100% of the money to helping wild Tiger survive in the wild. 

The fair is an experience of everything that is great about the Peak District, where you can enjoy the delights of the finest local products, amazing foods with over 90 exhibitors the weekend promises to be fun for the whole family with live music and much more so if you are in the area pop in to say hello at the same time enjoy the delights of this very busy and amazing fair set within the beautiful Pavilion Gardens.

Over the last few weeks I have been approached by various different people from different organizations who have asked me if I would do some presentational talks.  Upon meeting me my real and genuine passion for the natural world and the origin of this passion comes flowing out, which I feel would form a strong basis to any talks that I may do.  So while displaying my work at the Pavilion Gardens, Buxton, Derbyshire this weekend during their Arts and Craft event I was asked again by a few people from a couple of different clubs.

Its an idea I have been thinking of for sometime as my beginning into wildlife and photography has a real beginning and story, one I’d like to share and hopefully inspire people with, so that you too can see and benefit from the beauty of nature all around us,  at the same time going out exploring, watching and capturing what you see, to show others of the beauty of wildlife and how it can enrich your life.

My journey to become a wildlife photographer was born out of a love and fascination of the natural world from a young age upon receiving my first wildlife book called Animal World.  This was an 8th birthday present from my mum and started my love and fascination for the natural world.  My representation of this world is my interest for creating a unique and artistic reflection of what I see and my images are simplified visions of this seen through my eyes, with the emphasis on composition, lighting and colour at the very heart of each picture, capturing their beauty, fascination and graceful expression with each image.

From those early days I spent so much time being at one with nature, close to and watching, hidden from view on the off chance that I would see a certain animal. I distanced myself from children’s games and activities instead heading to a nearby stretch of wilderness within the mass housing estate I grew up in. By learning to get close to wildlife without disturbing the life of the animal, almost forgetting the outside world and becoming part of the animal I was getting close to, I began to understand the animal better, gaining many skills by observing their behaviours while at the same time giving the subject complete respect which allowed me a private window into their personal and private lives.

This skill is one of many I use within my own wildlife photography today derived from those early encounters with nature.  This lose yourself to nature approach enables me to get close enough to capture the animal’s beauty and behaviour which both feature strongly in my style of photography, showing a wild animal within their natural habitat being the foundation to my work today through the images I see, then framing them through my camera’s viewfinder.

Where my creative and emotional attachment to nature is at the very heart of each image, creating a unique and artistic refection of my time in the field. It is my intention to use these reflections of the natural world to bring people’s awareness of what beautiful wildlife we have on our doorstep and all around us and the importance of conservation and the need to preserve our national heritage.

I will be presenting 3 talks at the North West Bird Watching Festival on the 21st November at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Martin Mere  here I will be going through tips and advice on wildlife photography and fieldcraft as well as presenting a powerful slideshow of my images showing the beautiful winter wildlife that you can see during our winter months, some are migrants to these shores during this time and others become easier to see.  After each talk you are then welcome to join me around some of the pools at Martin Mere where you can try out some of my tips with guidence.

I have also been invited to help with their Annual Photographic Competition- WWT Photo Competition .  A One To One day with myself will be presented as one of the available prizes for the competition.  I will update you with more details in the coming weeks.  In the meantime if you would like to make a booking with me to do a presentational talk then please contact me for more details.

I will be displaying my work at this weekends Art And Design event at the beautiful Pavilion Gardens,Buxton,Derbyshire-3rd,4th July.Fine art prints,canvases,my Limited EditionTiger Prints, and much more will be on display,also four-coming trips,news and advice.There are more events throughout the summer planned which included this years Birdfair in August

The event showcasts the very best in: Art,Furniture,Ceramics,Silverware,Glassware,Jewellery,Textiles,Photography and so many other design led products from across the region.Its set in the Victorian extravaganza of cast iron glass,which offers newly refurbished facilities including cafes,coffee bar,gift boutique,and art gallery set in this historic listed building,all set in wonderful gardening.I will be on hand to answer any questions in regard to wildlife photography as I operate an ‘Open’ door policy where I enjoy helping and showing people how to take better images of nature with my simply approach and techniques I employ and use myself.So if you are about in the area on Saturday or Sunday please pop in and say hello.

In the mean time I have just returned from Norfolk working on some of my projects there and tomorrow I am setting off again for two days where a client has booked two days with me,so really looking forward to that as at present my camera is never away I am that busy.Looking forward to this weekend in Buxton and meeting those that can make it,in the meantime good luck with your photography.