Sunday 15 March 2015

I got a bird that whistles...

...I got a bird that sings...and it has been a busy week - shooting almost everyday; processing, downloading, insurance shoots...spring arriving...insects on the wing...yep...for wildlife photographers the year has begun...As for results...it has been a mixed week - I have taken some images of which I'm proud and some that have disappointed when viewed on the big screen...but that is how it goes...I have had many images accepted by Dreamstime and some I thought would be commercial have been rejected (occasionally it appears to be hit and miss whether or not images get accepted or not)...Two trips to Wicken Fen and several visits to the local Country Park and river have yielded...







Arum lily leaves...





cow parsley leaves...





groundsel...






leaf litter textures and hues...





meadow pipit...






reedbed reflections...






wind pump vanes against the sky..


Whilst looking round my garden I came across the following...




7-spot ladybird emerging from hibernation...






field speedwell...






grape hyacinth...






hairy bitter-cress...





pink hellebore...

But my favourite images of the week were from a close encounter with a pair of whooper swans (tundra swans if you are in the USA) - confiding (if a little aggressive)...
















who would have thought that a swan had that in their mouth...






Quite often I am asked about transporting gear or "what do you carry your camera in" type of thing; so this weeks gear spot is about my favourite method of carrying gear whilst in the filed. Although I go through phases, when out and about locally for a few hours I tend to use a belt system with cases or pouches...



I favour the Lowe Pro Street & Field system - all my bags bar one are by Lowe Pro  - I have always trusted them for build quality, design and functionality. Here you can see the deluxe waist belt with various lens pouches and a flash pouch. The ones used depend on what I am photographing...this morning I will have pouches to hold my 20-35mm f2.8; 80-200mm f2.8; 300mm f4 and a small pouch housing my ring flash. I carry my camera in hand or mounted on a tripod. The system rests on the hips so most of the weight is taken by my legs but I do use an additional shoulder strap for stability. This system allows me to have both hands free at all times; I can lie down or squat down to capture something without the gear slipping or making me over balance...If you shoot a lot of outdoor images I would recommend looking at a belt system...there are others - Think Tank make a good one as well...As for other bags...the others will be featured in a future blog!!!

Now, since experimenting with my ring flash I have managed the following images...I particularly like the hour glass...








ink bottle...





wine glass...


...arum lily leaf - also using the ring flash...







and great crested grebe - nice gently shot but taken into the light doesn't show the bird off at its best... I prefer the one I took on Friday morning...




And that about wraps it up for another week...loving the fact that Spring is arriving and finally things are growing again...As ever I will be regularly updating my Facebook page... and my Flickr site... so if you want to keep checking there throughout the week...please feel free to share this post with friends and family alike...

Hope to see you all next week...

TTFN




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