Monday 31 August 2015
Wednesday 18 September 2013
REVIEW: Click-up Hide from Outdoor Photography Gear Ltd
All this changed when I popped over to see the nice folk at Outdoor Photography Gear Ltd, near Warrington. I needed a couple of lenses and a tripod 'camo-ing up', and if you ask them nicely they'll actually do the measuring up and manufacture on the spot. That was the problem, you see - while the lady machinist got to work on my camo covers, I had a spare twenty minutes or so to look around their stock room. Fatal mistake. I instantly fell in love with their new 'Click-up Hide'. Easiest thing in the world to sell, to be honest (and I should know - I'm a salesman myself) because it is - da-dahh - photographer friendly.
I am a cynical, miserable old sod. If I can find fault with something I'll bleat on about it for weeks. But honestly, I can't find anything to moan about here. Coming in it's own carry bag, the first thing you notice is how lightweight it is. I could carry that anywhere. Once out of the bag, getting it set up is simplicity itself - pull one strap and one side clicks up. Pull the strap on the other side and - hey presto - the other side clicks into place. Hence 'Click-up' and not 'Pop-up'. Er, that's it. Nothing more complicated than that.
Coffee cup not included |
Look birdies - I'm a bush. Honest. |
Check out Outdoor Photography Gear's website at http://www.outdoorphotographygear.co.uk/
Saturday 24 August 2013
Wildlife photography and the art of getting closer
One of the maxims wildlife photographers like to throw around is "if your photos aren't good enough then you're probably not getting close enough". This nicely ties in with a question often posed by beginners to wildlife photography - "how do you get so close to capture all that clarity?" As far as equipment is concerned, the answer is simple but costly - go out and buy an up-spec DSLR and a lens of 300mm or longer. Whilst this last statement is certainly true, there is another major factor involved in getting great wildlife shots that is far kinder to your bank balance - get up closer!
Professional wildlife photographers get results because they put themselves in situations where they know they will encounter their chosen subjects. They will blend into the background by hiding fairly close to where they know they'll get great shots and they'll wait. And wait. And wait. Sometimes day after day, if that's what it takes.
For serious amateurs like me, I can't quite do that. Work life, family life, home life means that 'photo time' is limited to moments I can grab in between all the rest that's going on. So, with that in mind, how does the serious amateur, or beginner, grab some wildlife photo action without spending a week dressed as a bush up a hillside? Here's a suggestion to get you going......
The Photo Hide
In my experience, while there are plenty of hides and screens available at plenty of reserves up and down the country, most of them were not really situated with photographers in mind. Great for observing wildlife with digiscopes, but for the photographer the subject is often too far away for detail. There are, however, some dedicated photo hides that put you far closer to your subjects. Some are for hire and can be costly, but some are far more accessible. Take the photo hide at the RSPB reserve at Lochwinnoch in Scotland for example......
Don't forget - the less you have to crop during processing, the better the detail. |
Yes - that IS the same rowan twig! |
Crop away and still keep detail! |
Grab the in-flight action close to the feeder |
We all love a 'woodie' |
Here is a short list - very short at the moment - of similar non-commercial photography-friendly hides. Feel free to advise me of others you know of and I'll add them to the list.......
- RSPB Lockwinnoch, Scotland.
- Cromwell Bottom NR, Elland, West Yorkshire - excellent screen, built by photographers.
- Hatfield Moor NNR, South Yorkshire - great for close-up woodpecker shots.
Sunday 28 July 2013
Chanonry Point : Who stays put longest, wins!
The light was fading fast - but hey..... |
Chanonry Point is a little spit of land jutting out to sea, just north of the little Scottish town of Fortrose, on the Black Isle and is well known as probably the best place in Britain to see dolphins close-up. Bottlenose dolphins in this case.
Now, there is not really any point in just turning up at Chanonry and expecting to see dolphins, just like that. Doesn't work that way, I'm afraid. You need to be there after low tide, and anything up to two hours after low tide. That's when the dolphins know that their salmon lunch will have least room to manoeuvre.
To allow myself to get my bearings, I got there about 6 pm - two hours before the low tide at 8 pm - and the beach already had a good few people there with cameras mounted on tripods, including a group on a photography course led by a 'pro'. They'd been on the beach since 2:30 earlier that afternoon and, up to the point when I asked them hadn't seen a thing. Not surprising - it wasn't low tide. Around 7 pm, they packed up and left - presumably without much to show for the time they spent out there, and certainly without the dolphin shots they wanted. Here's where the 'Do your Homework Beforehand' bit comes into play. It's no big secret that the period after low tide is dolphin playtime - there are a number of references to this on the internet by Chanonry Point 'regulars'. I felt quite sorry for the snappers on the photography course. They had presumably paid good money to be there and had to go back to their lodgings empty-handed. If the 'pro' leading the course had structured the day around Chanonry's low tide point, things would have been different I suppose.
So, there I was at 8:00 - 8:30 - 9:00 and still not a dolphin in sight. Then, halleluja, someone I was talking to pointed out a pod of dolphins in the distance, heading our way. By 9:30 they were just feet from us, chasing salmon around the swirling waters. My patience had paid off. Those 8 or so bottlenose dolphins gave a superb display - jumping out of the water and splashing around. A phenomenal dolphin display that was better than anything you'd ever pay for (if you were that way inclined) and a perfect photo opportunity. The light was fading fast, I'll admit, and my ISO settings were rising to their eventual high of 1600 - but the photos were there and I was well pleased with the results.
The point I am making is that, in wildlife photography, patience and planning really does pay off. Who won the big prize that evening? Certainly not the 'pro' and his group of paying clients. Nope - it was the kids, the pensioners, the dog walkers, the amateur snappers with DSLRs, the happy snappers with compacts, and the folks using their smartphone cameras - not to mention people who were just content to look and enjoy. Oh, and me of course!
Sunday 20 January 2013
Thursday 17 January 2013
Ramshaw Rocks
Ramshaw Rocks in the snow - near Leek, Staffordshire. Canon 60D and Tamron 10-24mm ultra wide.
Monday 14 January 2013
Thames
Taken with an ultra wide lens from the London Eye pier, the boom and pier gives foreground interest. 4 exposure HDR.
Fire Escape Escapade
Big Ben and Parliament, taken from halfway up a fire escape at Guys and St.Thomas's hospital. 3 exposure HDR.
Peckforton Castle, Cheshire
Set my alarm for 6:00 in the morning for this picture of the gatehouse....
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