At this time of year the activity on the local lakes is at its most photogenic. Taken in May 2021 at the lakes in Berkshire, UK on a rare sunny morning.
My daily visitor
Having been inspired by a video of somebody building a hide at the end of their garden I set out to create a lazy version of my own. The chair on the patio, a log from the woods, a few handful of bird food and a camouflage cover for my lens. Then for the difficult part – sit and wait. Over the last two weeks loads of birds have visited whilst I was looking through the window but once I go outside with the camera I am limited to this chap who never fails to pop by and say hi.
Lake side wildlife
Somedays you can wait in the hide for hours for something good to come along and then you realise that the bird feeder behind you is a hive of activity!
The wildlife in Richmond Park
Deers at play around the lakes in the middle of Richmond Park, London.
Windsor Great Park
An early morning photoshoot around Windsor Great Park’s deer enclosure.
Enjoying the wildlife on your doorstep
The blue tits have been very active this spring and yesterday they brought their new chicks down from the nest and feed them in the tree next to the patio. I’m not sure wether all this wildlife was as active pre lockdown or wether we are now taking the time to stop and enjoy watching it. Either way, it is a joy to watch.
Lock Down Wild life
To edit or not to edit?
As Travel Photographers and Wildlife Photographers we face a dilemma. We want to record what we see and offer the best representation to our followers but we also want to produce the biggest impact with our work.
The leopard in the tree with the washed out sky in the background is the true representation of what I saw. I sat in a boat on the Chobe river for hours waiting for the sunset to change the sky or the leopard to move and offer a better back drop, but no, she was happy sitting against the African bleached out skyline whilst her cub (in the bottom photo) played along the river bank.
The top photo, with the replacement sky has been one of my most successful photos in competition, it is a true representation of the leopard – but not the African skyline along the Chobe river.
Which is best, what is right, how much editing should we do? What are your thoughts – all criticism welcome!
Chasing the dragonfly…
Somedays you can sit and wait all day for the Kingfishers to come to your hide but luckily nature brings its own entertainment to keep you busy. In this case it was dragon flies galore.
All taken with a Canon 6DII & 100mm to 400mm with a 2x adaptor at 800mm
Lake side wildlife
The wildlife around the local lakes out enjoying the UK summer.
Kingfishers in the morning sun
Early morning wildlife shoot at the lake side hide.
Black and white cats
Big cats from the ‘Big Cat Sanctuary’ given the monochrome treatment.
Big Cats
Zimbabwe’s elephants
Zimbabwe’s big cats
All seen in Zimbabwe’s reserves or along the Zambezi river which boarders Zimbabwe – taken 2017
Florida Keys
In Florida Keys it is all about sunsets, beaches and looking good!
Wildlife from the banks of the Chobe river
You may think that the spectacular wildlife that you’ll see on an African safari is going to be land based, but don’t underestimate the beauty of the feathered wildlife along the banks of the river.
Malaysian Highlights
A three week tour of Malaysia hardly scratched the surface but hare are just a few moments that sum up the vast and diverse country.
