Turn! Turn! Turn!

So, we are in the depths of winter... maybe some of us have been enjoying the BBC Winterwatch programme over last few nights and seeing just how nature copes with the dark and cold... You know after living in the UAE and now returning to the UK I am beginning to realise one of the main things I missed about NW Europe - seasons.  You see, out in the Middle East it is either very hot or just right. It never gets (well hardly ever) gets cold, rain fall is low or at worst a flash... Since being back in the UK I have reconnected with the seasons... re-acquainted myself with the turning of the year... We came back in high summer and I loved watching autumn and then winter slowly creep in - usually when you're not looking... So now, we can START looking. Even though we have a week left of January believe it or not spring is on it's way. Sure, we will have some cold stuff sometime... we nearly always do... but wildlife is definitely looking towards spring...

Last week's blog had a picture of mute swans being aggressive... that is just the start... So what can we see at the moment that heralds the beginning of spring...? In addition, what can we look for when we go for a walk in the countryside this weekend...?

Well... to start with certain trees are showing definite signs of life...

 Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) leaf bud...

Ornamental cherry (Prunus spp.) leaf bud... both almost on the verge of bursting... one frost now will damage the fragile leaflets within the bud...

Hazel (Corylus avellana) catkins above (male parts of the shrub) and flowers below (female structures)

This is one of the most obvious features of the hedgerows at this time of year... golden candelabras...

Alder (Alnus glutinosa), slightly different this time... above are this year's male catkins, but below is last years cone... you can see both easily at the moment...

Looking down and in the shade you can find...

Arum lily (Arum maculatum) also known as cuckoo-pint or Lords-and-ladies. Very common in hedgerows and in woodland. Initially the leaves are rolled like in the picture above, but soon open up to show the characteristic arrow shape... some with black blobs... some without...

Ivy (Hedera helix) flowers - vital for insects in the winter months...

Elder (Sambucus nigra) leaves... a plant early to start developing leaves, this sheltered individual was way ahead of the others I saw...

In addition to vernal activity, there are some vestiges of the winter...

Coriolus versicolor - a very common bracket fungi... captured here on a fallen poplar stump.

Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) seeds... known as keys... they stay on the tree for months on end, waiting for as suitable breeze for distribution...

Also, whilst out and about I came across this fellow...

Grey heron (Ardea cinerea) - they always look like grumpy professors to me...a look of resignation on its face...

Have I done anything else this week? Well... the weather hasn't been that kind but on a frosty morning I did capture these...

Trees in a winter landscape... Wicken Fen NNR

New River in winter... Wicken Fen NNR

Public footbridge over Monk's Lode, Wicken Fen NNR.

Burdock (Arctium minus) and ice...

Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) admiring himself...

Highland cattle - portrait in the frost... So a good day was had then, but the rest of the week was pretty quiet... I finally got round to setting up a shoot using my new guitar... Wildlife images taken using Nikon D2Xs DSLR + either Tokina 100mm f2.8 AT-X Pro or Nikkor 80-200mm f2.8 AFD ED all mounted on a Manfrotto tripod with Manfrotto ball-head...

I thought the monochrome look suited the instrument... I set the shoot up on top of our piano in the hall, making use of strong sidelight from the kitchen window and actually took the shot from the stairs which put me on the same level as the guitar rather than slightly below.  I like the shadow... I like the shot... I like the guitar... Nikon D2Xs + Nikkor 20-35mm f2.8 AFD + SB-600 Speedlight (remotely fired) adding a small amount of fill particularly through the sound hole.

You can keep up with me here - FACEBOOK  and interestingly, thanks to that social media site I have made contact with the first ever friend I made at school... someone I have not seen or spoken to for 40+ years... Great to meet again Alistair!

I am still using my FLICKR PAGE so if you use that then you can keep up with me there if you don't Facebook, and as ever I have a WEBSITE that you can visit - planning to upgrade that by the end of the month, so keep an eye on the link for that...

Finally, if you are in the UK, don't forget the BIG GARDEN BIRDWATCH this weekend...

I hope you all have a good week and I will hopefully see you soon...

TTFN

Isn't it nice to be home again...

It's been a frustrating week to be honest... Quinn has been at home all week with chickenpox so photography opportunities have been few... and to cap it all, he has been taken off to Stratford by his mother and God-mother to see a play - this gives me loads of spare time and a nature reserve within walking distance... typically the light is rubbish and this morning it is raining! I may get out later but I'm not counting on it...

However, the week did have some good points... Quinn got better and is his old self again, once the spots have gone...secondly, I have finally picked up my old camera bag from a mate in Coventry... I couldn't bring it back from the UAE due to weight restrictions so I had to leave it with a fellow photographer; her husband was coming to the UK later in the year and he kindly brought it over; it has been taking up room in a friend's house since August... Welcome home...Lowepro Stealth Reporter D550AW

My favourite shoulder bag and indispensable when shooting weddings or events... Great Bag...

Well... did I get out at all? Of course I did... I went for a wander around the fen yesterday afternoon... admittedly the light wasn't favourable but I had to go... I was experimenting with some bird photography... tricky without big expensive lenses; I have to use hides and hope the birds come close...
What I ended up with was...

Mute swans (Cygnus olor) starting to defend territory... a sure sign that spring may not be that far away...

Wigeon (Anas penelope) and shoveler (Anas clypeata) flying over fenland...

Pair of mute swans...

 

In addition to birds I was as ever looking at habitats...

Lovely mosaic of habitats - open water, reed beds, damp, rough grassland and wet woodland...

Similar range of habitats but I like the stripes of colour here... golds and yellows with the purple of the birch woodland and the aquamarine/grey of the sky...

Looking back to the archives... I have found a few shots that can be processed slightly differently...

A couple of ornamental plants from the UAE...

The final bit of good news is that I have finally regained control of my FLICKR account - there were problems as I had stopped using the old email address and couldn't reset the password... Yet another place to view my pictures...of course the main place is HERE... FACEBOOK so don't forget to give me a like if you like... Office now set up how I like it... second screen for the laptop making editing images easier...

Still miserable outside... maybe clear up later... hope you all have a good week and I shall see you all next week...

TTFN

A New Dawn...

Half way through January... supposedly the most depressing time of the year... Is it? I'm not so sure, although being a photographer of Natural History and all things outdoors, when you stare at the persistent drizzle and low cloud for a fifth consecutive day you could come to believe it... But then, when the sun does come out and I can get out on the Fen and see this...

or this...

or this...

it can all seem worth while...

Whilst waiting for the clouds to break I had some fun in the home studio with some bought roses... Natural light from big windows helped...

...and although the results are OK, there is never the same buzz from photographing them as I get from getting dirty knees outside... Studio work is comfortable and warm. I can get a coffee whenever I like, download the images, check them and then shoot some more if necessary; lighting is more controllable and consistent.

Yet shooting in the filed has a frisson about it... what will I find (if anything); will it be well lit? will it be accessible? You just never know. Yesterday for instance I went out looking for alder (Alnus glutinosa) catkins having seen they were appearing. Alder is a common tree around the Fen so I figured it would be straight forward... Was it? No. Saw plenty but none within reach of the camera... too high up, or behind a thorn hedge; or across a dyke... So I will have to try a different part of the reserve maybe later today to see if any are available...

Last weekend I managed to get out and about around Scarborough and Filey - finishing off the Christmas and New Year celebrations. The weather was kind and I captured the following in Scarborough...

Lone walkers on a sun-rise beach...

Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) - a small wading bird that is becoming a common visitor to car parks on the coast...seems they like chips...

...and these from Filey...

Mud cliffs laid down on sandstone and limestone - result is Filey Brigg... fast eroding promontory...

Oystercatcher (Ostralegus haematopus)

That sort of wraps it for this week... As the year moves on, more and more subjects will appear... to say I am counting the days would be an understatement.. roll on spring... roll on wild flowers, dragonflies, butterflies, invertebrates in general... but I suppose what we need first is some snow? Any out there? I'm waiting for that...

So, for those of you who follow my daily posts on FACEBOOK will see a new feature - PICTURE OF THE DAY - which is promoted at the top... bigger than the other posts. It is either one I have taken recently or one from the archives... Keep a look out for that...

Have a good week and I shall see you next time...

TTFN...

On the morning from a Bogart movie...

The first blog of 2014 - what can it be all about you wonder? Well I thought I would do a recap of the previous 12 months... - many big decisions made and changes to lifestyle etc plus a momentous decision regarding the subjects I intend to shoot. A tale of contracts won, contracts lost and contracts I had to decline... 2013... what were you like?

The year started off with us still living in Abu Dhabi... the weather in January is perfect and photo opportunities do present themselves...

Always a great source of photographs...wherever you are in the UAE...

Bold colours and strong shapes...hallmarks of shooting in the Middle East...

I also was shooting commercially for several organisations...

I also received a commission to shoot the exterior of the Novotel, Dubai for an advertising campaign, however I had to walk away from this as the building wasn't ready before we were due to fly home... shame that, as it would have been a nice job to do...

Come July, we headed back to dear old Blighty... looking for a place to stay and the realisation that all the work I had done in the UAE building reputations and making contacts would have to be done all over again... back to the beginning...

I did a small job for some friends who have a B&B in Yorkshire...

... and also did some house sitting in a lovely, old farmhouse, also in Yorkshire...

Which enabled me to reacquaint myself with UK Natural History...

We now live in the Fens, near Cambridge in a house that backs onto Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve...

... and of course, an inspirational holiday in Scotland (despite the long drive...)

With these pictures fresh on my screen, I made the decision to predominantly shoot Images of the Natural World - it is my passion after all... I also decided to change the presentation of my images...

with a white border and my company name across the bottom... an artistic variable here is the font colour, chosen from the image itself...
It makes the images look more professional and complete...

Well, that was 2013... a variety of images that have become more and more biased towards the Natural World... I intend this trend to continue as we head into 2014. That doesn't mean I won't shoot anything else and I will still pursue commissions for portraits, weddings, advertising and promotions etc., and I will also continue to hold tutorials; but the Natural World is my life and has been for many years... photographing it is just an extension of me...

Stay tuned to the daily happenings on my Facebook Page and if you want to, give me a LIKE... These blogs will continue as they began on a weekly basis... comments always welcome whether you like them or not...

I hope 2014 is kind to you out there...

TTFN