Wandering thoughts and musings.

Although I have been practising nature photography for the last 18 months, and owned some sort of tripod for that entire time, this Xmas was the first time that I tried to use one in anger. My first attempt at the Ben Rhydding Nature Reserve was a total disaster which had me swearing never to use one ever again. I was trying to capture a "decent" picture of a red Kite. However I felt constrained by the tripod and missed several other "targets of opportunity" due to the came

As with the most of the UK we have been very short on sunshine, especially on the days I have available for photography. Imagine my delight when the weather app predicted a sunny Saturday, and my absolute amazement when they turned out to be correct! Staveley nature reserve looks glorious at sunrise and the wetlands attract a wide variety of bird life. It is certainly the place to practice capturing birds in flight and, if you walk the full perimeter, get some good exercise

In the month of November I discovered the Yorkshire Wildlife Trusts Staveley Nature Reserve located between Harrogate and Ripon. It is easily accessible and looks stunning in the rare Yorkshire sunlight, both at dawn and dusk. My visits to date have found it full of potential photo opportunities with with roe deer, photogenic farm stock, and a wide variety of bird life in evidence. The combination of hides, and a good circular 2 mile walk if you choose, has made it my new

One of the few disadvantages of photography in North Yorkshire is that you are often operating under steel grey skies just after dawn. In my case I am also usually under a canopy of trees. Although not ideal, this does bring the low light capabilities of the Canon R6 Mk2 come to the fore. Hen Pheasant (ISO 25600) Robin (ISO 25600) Grey Squirrel (ISO 16000) This weekends experiments showed that images at 25600 were struggling with a pixelated background, but that images at IS

Now that the leaves are starting to fall it is time for one of my favourite games, searching for some of JRR Tolkiens "Ents". The two from "last season" were taken on my Canon R10 with a 100-400mm lens. This seasons starts as it means to continue using my new Canon R6 Mk 2. The lens is the Canon L f/4 24-105mm. An Ent enjoying the morning sun. 31st Dec 2023 Leaning into the wind. 4th Feb 2024 Caught in the afternoon sun. 19th Oct 2024

Old harness. Cotton carrier harness in use. New cotton carrier G3 harness. One of the shocks of buying a 150-600mm Sigma zoom lens is how the heck do you carry it when scrambling around the countryside. After nearly falling 20ft into the river Nidd at Nidd gorge , I decided that a camera harness which allows both hands to be free was an essential safety item! Although aware of the cotton carrier range, as a new photographer I could not justify their "expensive" prices at the

Long tail tit. A landing great tit. A grey heron. Another upgrade to the website and hopefully the last for a while 😆. The main changes are behind the scenes but allow for much quicker updates and a more diverse page layout. Moving into Autumn (I think I missed summer when adjusting a setting on my camera) I am hoping for some nice fresh days and clear skies for photography. Having added the wonderful High Batts reserve to my list of regular haunts I will be looking for ev

A big first for me, whilst sitting in a hide at the High Batts Nature Reserve , was seeing a stationary Kingfisher. The almost monochromatic background was all in camera, and caused by a combination of a steel grey sky with shards of sunlight coming through. The resulting grey reflections in the river caused chaos with the auto-focus, but gave a magnificent contrast to the colourful Kingfisher.

The weekend just gone was a glorious weekend in terms of weather and I used it to scout out a nature reserve that is new to me. The High Batts Nature Reserve is a members only reserve situated within a private estate. As a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) it has a wide variety of flora and fauna, with access being managed for the benefit of both. Operating as a charity with an annual membership fee of £11.00 for individuals, it is a fantastic resource for anyone w

Taken on a grey overcast morning under tree cover I was amazed to get these "action" pictures of a white throated dipper hunting on the river Wharfe. Given that these were taken hand-held from the riverbank, using a full 600mm zoom with a f/6.3 aperture and a 12800 ISO, I am delighted that this actually worked. The images are the result of some very heavy cropping so try not to pixel peep.

Whilst walking alongside the river Wharfe at 6AM one grey and muggy morning I encountered this guy coming the other way in search of breakfast. As he was approximately 10 feet from where I had previously seen an otter swimming, and much bigger than a ferret type animal, I assumed it was a "dry" otter. However others seeing some of these images on Instagram disagree. Consulting articles on the internet (a good one is here ), the colour and the face do suggest a mink. However

An early morning stint at the Ben Rhydding Nature Reserve provided a good learning experience with my new canon r6 mk2. Given that I am most often trying to shoot under a steel grey Yorkshire sky, and under heavy tree cover, a full frame camera was the logical next step for me. This morning was hot and humid even at 6am, and had a heavily overcast sky. However this did not impact the wildlife having a good time. I was particularly pleased with the picture of the Durrock whi