Got Your Valentines Day (Sun 14th Feb) Gift?

It's that time of year again, Valentines Day, it's fast approaching and even though we know it a lot of us leave it until the last minute to buy a special gift for that special someone. So this year why not get in early and surprise your lover with a romantic photographic print with a custom message (optional), available here - Valentines Day Prints.

Order by Monday 8th Feb to make sure you get it in time! (UK only)

Photographing Bees In The Garden

Now photographing insects is something I have never done before, however, I have noticed a fair few bees and wasps in my garden recently and although I don't have a macro lens I thought I'd give it a go. Obviously I couldn't get too close with a telephoto lens but with this in mind I tried to capture not only the creature itself but also an interesting composition around it. Using a large aperture o give me a shallow depth of field I was able to create blurred backgrounds so the main focus remains with the bee and the flower it is collecting from. To add a little impact and more colour I was able to use the grass behind the subject as a backdrop to help the purple flowers and colour of the bee to stand out even more, and with the bright sunshine this has enhanced the composition nicely.

Later in the week I was able to borrow a macro lens and although I had to wait for the rain to clear and the sun to shine, I was able to get a handful of very close up photographs of this bee, and as it was my first attempt I was quite please with how it turned out.

RSPB Reserve - Pulborough Brooks

A few weeks ago I took a day trip over to an RSPB reserve, Pulborough Brooks in West Sussex, armed with my camera and praying for a bit of sunshine which luckily I got on and off throughout the day. Previously I have only visited a couple of RSPB sites and not only loved them for their natural beauty and the chance to be out in the country, but also because of the wide variety of birds and other animals that you can see with a bit of patience. So not knowing exactly what to expect I arrived at Pulborough Brooks and set off into this rather large and very beautiful reserve, stopping almost every few steps to watch birds, butterflies and rabbits, and also to try and snap a few of them too. Unfortunately I am somewhat restricted by my 100-400mm telephoto lens as it mean that I have to get closer to the subject than is often possible, particularly from the hides that are, in this instance, set back from the wildlife. This is to be expected to an extent because the RSPB aims to preserve and protect our natural world and I respect that. So despite my technological restrictions I made the best of the day and had the opportunity to photograph some birds I haven't so far, along with deer and rabbits which was a welcome surprise, and also to learn more about being out in the field. I realise that it would have been exciting to be able to zoom in even closer but for one of my first field trips I am pleased to say that I did get a few decent shots and will be continuing with wildlife and bird photography and hopefully developing my skills further.



In these photographs you can see a Song Thrush perched on a branch and chirping, wild rabbits and a grey heron in flight that was some distance away but I took some shots nonetheless. The top image is of the view that greets you as you arrive at the visitors centre at the reserve, for more information about Pulborough Brooks RSPB nature reserve CLICK HERE.

Sunlit Leaves & Flowers Photographed

Whilst I was waiting patiently for some birds to appear in my garden for me to photograph, I noticed the light filtering through the leaves of the tree to my right creating a dappled effect on it's delicate white flowers, so seeing as though our flying friends weren't cooperating I turned my lens to photograph this tree and its flowers instead. Using a shallow depth of field and focusing on the flowers through the leaves in the foreground has giving a soft foreground of shape and colour whilst enhancing the bright white sunlit flowers behind. Had I used a smaller aperture and allowed the foreground to be in sharp focus too, it would have caused the image to be confusing and over cluttered with no real focal point. I like the 'jungle' feel of this shot, vivid greens and the overgrown enclosed atmosphere.