Wildlife Photography across the Water: time in the field

Monday, 14 September 2009

Time in the field

Today i was up early and down at the lake before sunrise, I set up in my usual Kingfisher spot but didn't really expect to get anything-why? well the sun rises behind me but the lake is surrounded by tall conifers, My side of the lake doesn't get any sun until after noon, I have yet to see the KF on my side of the lake in the early hours and i guess that's because its easier for the bird to see through water with light on it rather than in shadow-I was right, The KF was around all morning and never once came near me but was pretty much always in view, This was not a waste of my time as i spend alot of time observing my chosen subject-learning its habits and in the case of the KF when and where it likes to perch and fish, Over a period of time you can put together all the info that you have gathered over the weeks/months and then really get to grips with the shooting-where it comes as a matter of fact rather than hoping, I have done this with various subjects like badgers,fox,swans and grebes and all have ended up with a nice portfolio of each subject-project fashion-find a subject and work hard on it until you have all the material you need or carry it over to another year if your subject migrates/hibernates-Time in the field is very important if you want to be consistent

Dave

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.