Long Overdue
As is the norm of this blog, it's been quite a while since I last posted something on here. It became quite busy after the Easter holiday with exams etc. I also went through a phase of taking quite a lot of images but not having time or the want to edit them. However, I am getting back into it so here is an assortment of images.
When I went back to York after my Easter vacation, I had a wonderful encounter with a Black Swan. A couple of years ago, there used to be a pair of these Black Swans on the lake and they raised a family of cygnets, too. However, last year and this year, they just don't seem to have been around so I was thrilled to walk round the corner to see this Swan in the middle of the lake with early morning light and mist. Such beautiful birds and remarkably friendly despite their reputation.
Not long after photographing the Black Swan, I found a group of Snow Geese that were just sitting in the middle of the path and they were not bothered by me at all. I spotted this one with his head under his wing and really liked the side lighting. This was how I saw the image in my head when peering through the viewfinder... However, with a patch of grass on the left hand side of the image creating a green area, I deliberately dropped the exposure and masked that area out in photoshop.
Another Snow Goose encounter! I had been lying down photographing a Grebe and her chick when a pair of Snow Geese came swimming across the lake towards me. Slightly unnerved when they hauled out of the lake and walked towards me, I kept looking through the viewfinder and this female had a quick stretch. She then walked so close past me and continued on her way. They are so used to people that they never seem aggressive!
I often walk around the lake when I am out in the mornings. On this occasion, a few Snow Geese were watching as I walked past. This one seemed to be showing off in the early morning light by standing on one leg.
One of my last images from the University lake sadly. This is a simple image of a Mallard taking flight from the lake on a misty morning. I will definitely miss the spectacular light that could be had at the University lake, that's for sure. I am also pleased with how my photography developed over the last three years there.
Whilst I had been at University, I kept being told by my parents that there was a Woodpecker visiting the bird feeders at home. When I got back for the summer holiday, I went out one morning with my right angled viewfinder (its first outing) and, to my surprise, the juvenile Woodpecker came down to get some of the feed. I was fortunate I had the right angled viewfinder on as this shot wouldn't have been possible without it.
Whilst heading down to the nature reserve one evening in the hope of seeing an Otter, I photographed this Kestrel hunting for a meal for its young. I tried to capture the darker atmosphere in this image by shooting small in the frame and deliberately going for an underexposed image whilst aiming for a recognisable silhouette. I hope that it worked.
I have been reliably informed that this is a Common Spotted Orchid. When I first saw it, I knew I had to go for a portrait of it in the setting evening light. But with my telephoto, I needed to be about 3 metres from it to focus. This meant being half in a reedbed to get a good enough angle! Out came the right angled viewfinder as I couldn't get round the back of the camera to look through the viewfinder! I think it was worth it.
On the same evening that the Orchid image was taken, I was watching a Chaffinch singing from the top of the Hawthorn to define his territory. I was after a shot of the light through his wings when he took flight from one branch to another. That didn't really happen (I was too slow!) so I settled with a silhouette of him on the branches surveying his land.
The next two images collectively represent a wonderful encounter with the rare Bearded Tits that can be found at my local nature reserve. They have had a good breeding season this year but getting close can be difficult as you can't just wander into the reedbeds and they don't always like to come close to the hides. So, you can imagine the thrill when I walked past a gap in a hedge and saw three juvenile Bearded Tits on the other side feeding on the reed heads! Obviously, shooting through branches is awkward for autofocus lenses as they usually want to focus in on anything other than the bird. But with a little persuasion from manual focus and live view to check they were in focus, I managed a few images of the Beardies shown below. The fact the sun had just dropped behind some low clouds and that the Bearded Tits were in the shade meant that the images had a slightly flat look to them that, strangely, I liked. Usually I am all for contrast but it didn't matter to me this time - seeing them was my only focus.
So, quite a few images and it's sad that images from the University of York will now be a rarity but for photography, it was a wonderful period where I think I developed my own little style even if it may seem a bit quirky to some.
I hope you like these images. The next blog should be images from the Lake District holiday!
Matt
When I went back to York after my Easter vacation, I had a wonderful encounter with a Black Swan. A couple of years ago, there used to be a pair of these Black Swans on the lake and they raised a family of cygnets, too. However, last year and this year, they just don't seem to have been around so I was thrilled to walk round the corner to see this Swan in the middle of the lake with early morning light and mist. Such beautiful birds and remarkably friendly despite their reputation.
Not long after photographing the Black Swan, I found a group of Snow Geese that were just sitting in the middle of the path and they were not bothered by me at all. I spotted this one with his head under his wing and really liked the side lighting. This was how I saw the image in my head when peering through the viewfinder... However, with a patch of grass on the left hand side of the image creating a green area, I deliberately dropped the exposure and masked that area out in photoshop.
Another Snow Goose encounter! I had been lying down photographing a Grebe and her chick when a pair of Snow Geese came swimming across the lake towards me. Slightly unnerved when they hauled out of the lake and walked towards me, I kept looking through the viewfinder and this female had a quick stretch. She then walked so close past me and continued on her way. They are so used to people that they never seem aggressive!
I often walk around the lake when I am out in the mornings. On this occasion, a few Snow Geese were watching as I walked past. This one seemed to be showing off in the early morning light by standing on one leg.
Whilst heading down to the nature reserve one evening in the hope of seeing an Otter, I photographed this Kestrel hunting for a meal for its young. I tried to capture the darker atmosphere in this image by shooting small in the frame and deliberately going for an underexposed image whilst aiming for a recognisable silhouette. I hope that it worked.
I have been reliably informed that this is a Common Spotted Orchid. When I first saw it, I knew I had to go for a portrait of it in the setting evening light. But with my telephoto, I needed to be about 3 metres from it to focus. This meant being half in a reedbed to get a good enough angle! Out came the right angled viewfinder as I couldn't get round the back of the camera to look through the viewfinder! I think it was worth it.
On the same evening that the Orchid image was taken, I was watching a Chaffinch singing from the top of the Hawthorn to define his territory. I was after a shot of the light through his wings when he took flight from one branch to another. That didn't really happen (I was too slow!) so I settled with a silhouette of him on the branches surveying his land.
The next two images collectively represent a wonderful encounter with the rare Bearded Tits that can be found at my local nature reserve. They have had a good breeding season this year but getting close can be difficult as you can't just wander into the reedbeds and they don't always like to come close to the hides. So, you can imagine the thrill when I walked past a gap in a hedge and saw three juvenile Bearded Tits on the other side feeding on the reed heads! Obviously, shooting through branches is awkward for autofocus lenses as they usually want to focus in on anything other than the bird. But with a little persuasion from manual focus and live view to check they were in focus, I managed a few images of the Beardies shown below. The fact the sun had just dropped behind some low clouds and that the Bearded Tits were in the shade meant that the images had a slightly flat look to them that, strangely, I liked. Usually I am all for contrast but it didn't matter to me this time - seeing them was my only focus.
I hope you like these images. The next blog should be images from the Lake District holiday!
Matt
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