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Written by Steve Hedges
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Monday, 12 December 2011 17:19 |
A varied weeks' work If you read my blogs and Facebook page on a regular basis you might be forgiven for thinking that all I ever do is photograph wildlife and landscapes. Whilst I love to photograph both of these, as a full time working photographer, I tackle a wide range of subjects on a regular basis. My last week of photograhy included photographing the local council leader and a number of other dignitaries outside a building site, a portrait sitting, a morning's bird photography, a commercial photography job, which involved photographing a highly reflective metal box in a factory (quite a challenge when it came to setting up the lighting) and running a photography workshop on the Kent coast. So as you can see, being a photographer is a very varied and interesting job. I have been a professional photographer for over twenty years and I love it just as much now as when I first started. And whilst, without doubt, landscapes and wildlife is a firm favourite, I think the reason is that the work is so varied. |
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Written by Steve Hedges
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Thursday, 08 December 2011 17:43 |
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Photography get-together Had a very good morning's photography with a few friends last Tuesday. We went to a local nature reserve called Blue House Farm. My insistance on an early start seemed like a bad idea at first because we seemed to be in a wildlife-free spot. For the first couple of hours there was no photography at all. The key to wildlife photography though, is patience. After a while, there was plenty of action. Lots of Brent Geese were flying past along with Shelducks; Canada Geese made an appearence plus the star of the show: a Marsh Harrier. The closest subject was a Reed Bunting which is a Sparrow-sized bird which perched on a branch a couple of feet away from the hide we were in. The picture below is completly un-cropped which shows how close this little chap was. After posing nicely for a minute or so, he made his get away. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 12 December 2011 17:16 )
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Written by Steve Hedges
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Tuesday, 22 November 2011 19:58 |
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Brent Geese in flight over Leigh-on-Sea Essex One of my favourite things about autumn, apart from the Red Deer rut, flocking Starlings and autumn colours is the arrival of thousands of Geese to our shores. In Essex, one of the best photo opportunities happens to be very close to where I live, at Leigh-on-Sea on the Thames estuary. In October thousands of Brent Geese congregate in quite a small area to feed on eel grass which is very rich. It helps to replenish their energy after a long migration. After a few weeks the Geese tend to disperse to various feeding grounds around the coast. The sight of of these Geese flying in at sunrise is a spectacle not to be missed. The best time for photography is about an hour before or after high tide because the Geese will be closer to the shore and therefore bigger in the camera's viewfinder. If you can coincide this with sunrise or sunset you're on to a winner. It's not just the sight of thousands of Brent Geese that's so brilliant, it's the cacophony of sound that accompanies them that really completes the experience. Throughout winter huge numbers of Geese, Ducks and Swans will be resident in the U.K. So if you get a chance why not go and have a look for yourself?
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 22 November 2011 20:33 )
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Newmarket Racehorse training |
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Written by Steve Hedges
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Wednesday, 02 November 2011 16:17 |
Racehorses training at Newmarket Suffolk I recently travelled with a one of my photographer friends to Newmarket, Suffolk to photograph the many racehorses being trained and exercised. We spent a very enjoyable three hours or so capturing these magnificent animals in full flow. I started off using a fast shutter speed to freeze the motion of the horses but I felt that this approach didn't really emphasise the speed and power of the thoroughbreds, so I switched to a slow shutter speed and used a panning technique. Although much of the sharpness of the image is lost when panning, I think it gives a much greater sense of speed and motion, which is what I was trying to convey in this instance.With over 2500 racehorses stabled in Newmarket it's a great photography location. If you do visit, just keep an eye on the warning signs or you may end up standing where you shouldn't!  
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 02 November 2011 16:50 )
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Written by Steve Hedges
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Monday, 11 July 2011 16:11 |
Photographing a Barn OwlI got a call recently from a friend telling me of the whereabouts of a Barn Owl, hunting. Because this particular Owl had chicks to feed it meant she was hunting in daylight. One of the great things about late spring are the long evenings and extended daylight. I had had a long day in front of the computer and couldn't decide whether to go out that evening to try and capture my favorite bird of prey on camera or wait until the next day. In the end, great available light made up my mind. I got straight out. I'm really glad I did. The light was really good, the Barn owl turned up. I only had to wait 30 minutes or so. I got four or five good flight shots, plus a really nice shot of a Brown Hare. The whole shoot only lasted about an hour. I tried to spot the Owl on subsequent evenings but to no avail. I think the moral of this blog is get out straight away if the light's good and the information is fresh. Don't wait until tomorrow, especially when you take into account the changable weather we get in this country. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 11 July 2011 16:35 )
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