Owls, bearded tits and a famous weasel

In my last blog I talked about the challenge of finding and photographing nature subjects in the UK. Since then, I’ve been out a number of times, concentrating mainly on one of my local nature reserves, Farlington Marshes, where I had recently photographed short-eared owls. My intentions were to improve on these images. Sadly, that hasn’t really happened, but I have had a few nice wildlife encounters whilst trying…

My travels are over, so what now? Wildlife photography in the UK

It’s been ages since my last blog. The last few months of our world travels featured a very hectic itinerary which meant writing time was hard to find, although I now have hundreds of images to process. Since then, our travel adventure has come to an end and we’re now back home.

So, having been fortunate enough to encounter fantastic subject matter all over the world, the question in the forefront of my mind is ‘what the hell do I photograph now?’. I’m back on the South Coast of England, which isn’t famous for its humid rainforests or toucan-laden trees. Instead I’ve got grey skies and LBJs. Looks like I’m going to have to search for some subject matter and learn to see the more subtle beauty in nature.

Gallery: The incredible landscapes and wildlife of the Atacama desert, Chile

The Atacama desert in Northern Chile is a strange but incredible region. Its landscapes are odd and otherworldly, but always beautiful. The sheer scale of the vistas are mind blowing. It also possesses unique and special wildlife, all adapted to living in the harsh, dry conditions. What a place. I hope these images go some way to doing it justice…

As ever, I’d love to gains some feedback (good or bad) on my photos or hear what you have to say about the subject matter. Get in touch via the comments below or beneath each image in the gallery. Thanks.

Photographing Hummingbirds: Part 2 – In the wild

In a recent post, I talked about photographing hummingbirds at feeders. In part 2, the focus is turned to photographing hummingbirds in a wild setting and the challenges that presents. I’m fortunate enough to have spent the last 2 months in the cloud forests of Costa Rica, studying and photographing these beautiful creatures. Here, I shall share my experiences, advice and of course, images…

Why I won’t be photographing animals in captivity

Recently, I’ve given a lot of thought to what wildlife and nature photography means to me; what attracted me to it in the first place, what drives me to keep doing it and in what circumstances do I gain the most pleasure from it? Through this introspection, I came to the decision not to photograph animals in captivity. But what about semi-wild animals? Hmm, this just got complex…

Photographing Hummingbirds: Part 1 – At feeders, without flash

One of the many wildlife delights which Costa Rica boasts is its abundance of hummingbirds. I’d caught glimpses of these beautiful creatures all over the country, but it was in Monteverde where I could first get really up close and personal with them. Then came the challenge of trying to photograph these flying gems…

So I was photographing a snake in a bathtub when an ornate hawk-eagle showed up…

Yep, this is weirdest headline I’ve ever written, that’s for sure. But true, crazily. As I write this, I’m sat in the classroom of the beautiful Cloudbridge Nature Reserve, where I am volunteering for two months. Anna and I have come here to assist with biological research and experience the cloud-forest environment; we have in fact been assigned a project studying hummingbirds, no less. But I digress, what about the snake and the eagle?

Gallery: Tiny creatures from Cahuita National Park, Costa Rica

A common basilisk in Cahuita National Park, on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast

A land hermit crab in Cahuita National Park, on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast

Leaf cutter ants in Cahuita National Park, Costa Rica

Leaf cutter ants in Cahuita National Park, Costa Rica

A yellow eyelash pit viper in Cahuita National Park, Costa Rica

Cahuita National Park on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast is another jungle-backed beach paradise. These are some images recently captured there on a day trip.

I welcome your feedback on my photos, both positive and negative.

Photographing the sacred herons of Petulu, Bali

Whilst researching nature attractions in and around Ubud in Bali, I saw mention of the Herons of Petulu. Further investigation revealed that just outside Ubud, in a small village called Petulu, thousands of herons would come to roost every night. No one really knows why these birds suddenly chose to start roosting in this place, let alone all at the same time, but they do nonetheless and have done since the mid ‘60s. Too intriguing to miss, Anna and I headed over there one sticky evening, armed with cameras, to check it out for ourselves…

Backing-up your photos whilst travelling

Losing your camera or having it stolen whilst travelling or on holiday, sucks, right? Realising that you didn’t have your photos backed-up and that you’ve therefore lost your images to-date too, sucks even more. Therefore, it’s an absolute no-brainer that you should back-up your images; I think we’re all agreed on that. The longer your travel for, the more pressing the need to reliably secure your images is. So, when travelling medium-to-long-term, what are your backup options?