The Lily Pond

Whenever I go out for the day, invariably my camera goes with me. You never know when a shot will present itself and quite frankly I enjoy taking pictures. It's also good to keep practicing my art and keep pushing myself to improve. This photo of a duck in a lily pond was taken recently on a day out visiting an arboretum. This little pond lay at the end of a path and was surrounded by Japanese Maples. It was a gorgeous day and quite idyllic. I watched the ducks for a while but it was this little one, sat on his own amongst the lily pads that caught my eye.

I was pleased to find out recently that this photo won a bronze award in an International competition. I used my 70-200mm f2.8L and kept the aperture wide to blur the background lily pads.

Beauty on the Wing

I am incredibly lucky to live relatively close to three Bird of Prey & Falconry centres. I adore Birds of Prey and think they are incredibly beautiful to look at and watch in flight. I visit these centres fairly often and of course, my camera is always with me. I thought you might enjoy seeing some of my most recent photographs from recent trips to The International Birds of Prey Centre (http://www.icbp.org/) in Gloucestershire and the Cotswold Birds of Prey Centre (http://www.cotswold-falconry.co.uk/) near Moreton-in-the-Marsh. Both are excellent centres, committed to the well being of these birds and their conservation.

On both trips I used my EF 70-200mm f2.8 L IS USM lens. I find that it is a perfect lens for photographing birds that are perching or being handles as you don;t have to get too close and risk spooking them and it is also great with a x1.4 converter for capturing the birds in flight. I must admit a 400mm (or larger) would be preferable sometimes for catching the birds as they fly but if you watch and catch the moment I have found the focal length I work with to be fine, especially if you know where to position yourself so you can catch the birds as they come into land or catch their 'prey'. Check out the photo of the vulture in flight (above) to see my point.

Other than kit, I recommend patience which is a must when photographing all animals. Try and watch the subject for a while to see how it behaves. I like to try and capture aspects of their behaviour too and it is important to check your shutter speed if you want to try and freeze the motion, however, a little wing blur in flight can give the impression of movement. Take care though to ensure the bird's eyes and head are completely in focus unless you want to blur the whole image in an 'artistic' manner.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these images and that they might inspire you to go and visit a Birds of Prey centre near to you and take some of your own photos. Remember to always be respect of the birds though as some of the birds can be highly strung. If a bird seems upset, move away until it settles down.

To get the best shots, talk to the staff and ask where is best to stand for the flying displays, but make sure you do not get in the way of the birds flight. I love photographing these amazing birds and I'm planning my next trip back to the ICBP already.

Castle shoot

My preferred style for portraits is informal and natural and so I mostly like to shoot outdoors using natural light rather than stick to the confines of a studio setting. Of course, the downside to this is that I am not in control of the light and sometimes it can be very changeable! On this particular day the sun was quite strong, causing all sorts of shadows through the trees, but then clouds would cover it and the bright light would vanish in an instant.  The upside though, is that I can photograph clients in cool locations.

These two shoots were taken recently for a writer and the location of a ruined castle was perfect for them. My favourite is the first photograph as I love how the stone changes from the moss and lichen encrusted green and black to the red stone further up the tower. Finding the hole in the wall where the stones had been taken or fallen away was fantastic and just perfect for the shot. It actually made a great place to stand as there was the remains of an old spiral staircase which had obviously been built into the wall at a later date when the castle was further fortified.

Down town

Part of being a good photographer is to recognise that there is always something to learn. There is always a new technique or a different way to do something that adds to your overall skill as a photographer. Last year I decided to book myself on a course with Damian Lovegrove, a well respected photographer and trainer in the UK (www.lovegroveconsulting.co.uk) on the Urban Portraits workshop which was held in Bristol.

 We all met at the start of the day in a coffee shop before hitting the streets of Bristol with our lovely model Stina. Damien demonstrated his approach to taking portraits in an urban setting using natural light and off camera flash. The photos from the shoot that I have chosen to share here are all using natural light and were shot on a Canon 50D using a 70-200mm f2.8 or 24-105 f4 lens. (I will share some more photos from the shoot that used flash in a later post).

Workshops like this are great for brushing up on skills or trying new things in a safe environment. It was great looking at the urban landscape and searching out locations that would make good photos. All the things I picked up that day were added to the skills I bring with me when I do a portrait shoot for a client, whether it be for couples, kids, families or a photo of someone special. It's the only way to keep developing as a photographer and to produce a great looking set of photos for the client.

If you are interested in booking Imaginography for a shoot, then please visit my website: www.imaginography.co.uk. Thanks : )

Chance Encounter at Wells Cathedral

I recently decided to spend a day in Wells in Somerset, which is famous for it's wonderful cathedral and historic past as well as being the main setting for the film 'Hot Fuzz'. I spent a happy day wandering around in the sun, sitting in the Bishops Palace gardens (which are so pretty and peaceful) eating ice-cream and generally acting the part of the sightseer. Of course I had my camera with me to complete the image.

Towards the end of the day I was walking around Wells Cathedral and admiring the wonderful architecture and taking photos when they closed part of it off for evensong, just as I got there. Disappointed I decided to make my way through the cloisters to the cathedral grounds. As I did this a door at the end opened and the choir neatly made their way past me to the cathedral nave. I couldn't resist taking a photo as they approached me through the late afternoon light slanting in through the glazed window arches.

Literally a minute or two later the door at the end opened again and a late chorister came out at a smart pace. Just as he passed me he dropped his hymn books and music. He quickly picked them up and then hurried along to evensong. i quickly raised my camera and captured his moment of haste. I didn't notice at the time but, when I got home I noticed someone was peering around the door into the cathedral nave; presumably wondering where their errant chorister was. As I've said before, for me at least, photography is all about capturing a moment and I was very pleased to capture this one. It has become one of my own personal favourites.

Weddings Past: Liz & Jake ~ 1st May 2010

These photos were taken at the wedding of Liz and Jake in 2010. It was a fairly small and intimate ceremony with family and close friends present to help the happy couple celebrate. I thoroughly enjoyed shooting this wedding, from the bride's preparations (even helping her dress!) right through to the ceilidh and hog roast. The bride and groom were obviously happy and their joy in their day was palpable. It was a fun and relaxed day and this is what I aimed to capture in the wedding photographs.

The weather man had threatened rain but luckily, just as for Prince William and Kate Middleton recently, it didn't rain on their parade and the day stayed dry. I was therefore able to capture them leaving the venue on the red carpet and guests were free to mingle outside drinking rum punch while I took the group photographs.

My style for weddings is relaxed and informal, mixing reportage, candid, detail and formal group photos. I always recommend a few group shots as it's a good record of who was there to look back on, and shows clearly the coming together of two families. I think it's important to get these photos done quickly and with humour though, so that they don't impinge on the day and guests don't become bored!

Happy Anniversary Liz and Jake. May the road continue to rise to meet you on your journey together and I look forward to taking photos of baby Freya!

Tiptoe Through the Bluebells

 The main reason I take photographs is that I love doing it. Plain and simple. I enjoy capturing that moment in time before it is gone forever. I enjoy producing something that is beautiful to look at and that others will enjoy as well as myself. I like the creative process, from deciding on the subject, or location and how it will look, through to choosing the correct kit, taking the photo and uploading it to the computer for post processing. 

 With Easter out of the way and some time to myself I decided to take a trip to the woods and photograph the bluebells. The Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire is home to some of the finest bluebell woods and this year they adorned the forest floor in abundance, stretching as far as the eye could see, into the trees. I found and followed a narrow path through the flowers and happily strolled and snapped away the afternoon.There was not another soul in sight and so I just had the birds and squirrels for company.

I always take along a waterproof backed blanket on trips like these. I have learnt from experience that my penchant for getting down low, often on my tummy, can get me a little mucky and often damp. It was while I was getting low for one of the shots that I found my ankle being assaulted by a wood ant. Apparently I was on it's route and it was letting me know. I quickly retreated before more rushed to it's cause!

I chose to use my 17-40mm wide angle lens for these shots and used minimal post processing afterwards as I like to get things right in camera as much as possible. Hope you like the three photos I have shared here. There are more on my Facebook Page. Just search for 'Imaginography' and why not like the page while you're there too? Thanks! : )