Wildlife Photography across the Water: So where did four years go then?

Tuesday, 25 October 2011

So where did four years go then?

It was four years ago today that Dave and I met in the early hours of the morning at my home in Stratford after quite a long while of 'virtual' friendship. The reason was to do a trip across to mid Wales that I had organised for ten people and Dave had come across from Switzerland for a long weekend.

Dave turned up the night before and we had an evening out in Stratford before heading across to Wales early the following day for some photography of British birds of prey, captive in a controlled environment, and a run down to Gigrin Farm for the Red Kites on the day after that.

It was a fun weekend and we got some good images.

Here are a few from the archives that were taken with either my first original 5D and the 1Dmk3. Getting Red Kites in flight was a very fraught process for all five individuals that were using the 1Dmk3, which at that time was in its first set up, so we hadn't been through the multiple levels of firmware, and two recalls for hardware upgrades.

The result was that the Red Kite images were taken with the 5d, with its apparent backward AF system. Well at least it did AF accurately unlike the mark3 at that time.

Here are just a few from that weekend. We also photographed a beautiful Goshawk, Barn Owl and a Tawny Owl at the Mid Wales Falconry Centre.

Dave (in Canon days)

Long Eared Owl

Common Buzzard

Hybrid cross Peregrine/Saker Falcon

Wild Red Kite at Gigrin

Wild Buzzard at Gigrin

PS - Just two months or 61 sleeps to Christmas. Time to get shopping ladies, and 60 days left for the guys

Martin

1 comment:

robbieb25 October 2011 at 08:35
Hi Martin & Dave, I remember that trip to Wales very well and have some great memories from then as well. So thanks again very much and also really great blog.

Robbie
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Bio's

David Courtenay, a self taught wildlife and nature photographer, has been capturing images for over 30 years. He has had a passion for wildlife since early childhood and remembers being glued to the television whenever Survival, Wildlife on One and other natural history documentaries were shown. In the 2006 he swapped his established career for the life of a wildlife photographer, such a move demands a measure of uncompromising passion and commitment.

David has travelled extensively throughout Europe as well as spending more than 7 months in India working with local guides and trackers in search of Bengal Tiger, Asian One horned Rhino and Asian Elephant. He has also photographed Wildlife in Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sumatra, Africa, Canada and America. Working closely with Conservation companies he tries to raise funds to help Wildlife that has been put on the endangered list by poaching and habitation loss

Martin Dyer has had a passion for avian wildlife since childhood, particularly raptors. Photography was also another keen interest and it was with the specific availability and control of the whole process that digital offers that Martin was then able to combine the two in 2003. Based in the UK, Martin is a regular visitor to Scotland, specifically the Isle of Mull to watch the Eagles resident there. Other trips to Europe and around the UK are usually part of Martin’s agenda in a typical year.

However, as a firm believer on making the most of the local patch, Martin has spent a lot of time and hard work creating a wildlife garden which is reaping the rewards with many new species and varieties of wildlife. A keen member of a number of wildlife photographic groups, Martin is keen to expand his portfolio into other areas of wildlife, and has already established a wide portfolio of images of fungi.