Extra Winter Wildlife anyone?

September 9 2010

Our Winter Wildlife photo-tours are all now fully booked but there is still a slot to add an extra tour. If you're interested in booking a place, please do let us know as we're presently gauging interest. Can't promise any snow, can't guarantee against too much snow - pays your money, takes your chance!

Dates are likely to be March 5-11 2011.

http://www.northshots.com/photo_tours_view.asp?ID=9

Individual or species?

August 29 2010

This month's Outdoor Photography magazine carries an interesting piece by Peter Moonlight on the number of photographers now visiting the Donna Nook grey seal colony in Lincolnshire - anecdotal evidence suggests upwards of 200 on a busy day. The site is managed by Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust and they are increasingly concerned about the impact of irresponsible photographers on pup abandonment.

So how do we define 'irresponsible'? Every photographer I know that's been to Donna Nook blames someone else and claims that their finely honed fieldcraft or professional status exempts them from being 'irresponsible'. But if we define the term by the causing of disturbance - no matter how insignificant- then every photographer who visits, is 'irresponsible' whether they're prepared to admit it or not. For the record, I am one of those implicated.

The 'problem' is not unique to Lincolnshire's seals. Wherever there is an opportunity to get close to wildlife, it's inevitable that a photographer/filmmaker will take that opportunity. The images find their way into the public domain and more photographers visit. Their images get seen and so on and so on. But I'm not sure we can have it both ways.

Even at a political level there is a mandate to encourage public engagement with nature. Those responsible for fulfilling that task often rely on imagery as a catalyst to cajole that engagement. That is exactly what has happened at Donna Nook - with tens of thousands of people now visiting the main seal colony each year; it's a PR success story.

The irony of course is that the UK grey seal population has increased dramatically in recent decades - not because of over-zealous photographers but certainly in spite of them. Ditto Bass Rock's gannets and Wales' red kites.

I'm not condoning irresponsible photographers and for what it's worth, I won't be visiting Donna Nook until management changes, but we can't expect to celebrate Britain's wildlife through the medium of imagery and then reel at the consequences.

Prague closes to Wild Wonders.

August 27 2010

The Wild Wonders of Europe outdoor exhibition in Prague has drawn to a close but it's stay in The Hague has been extended into September.

To see a video of The Hague opening ceremony with Princess Irene of The Netherlands, visit: http://www.wild-wonders.com/video.asp

It's all over.

August 25 2010

Tardy blog updates mean two things:

1. No new pictures to show.
2. No new pictures to show because I've not left the office.

Actually that's not completely true but as cold air wafts through the office window, I reluctantly conclude that summer has passed me by and a new season is beckoning. To be fair August is a dreadful month in my book. Often wet, always midgy and little in the way of inspiration. So summer might have been a non-event but the wonderful hues of autumn are not far away - bring it on!

New Frontiers.

August 14 2010

I'll be delivering the first of a series of AV shows, entitled NEW FRONTIERS on September 3, which I've just realised is the evening before The Scottish Nature Photography Fair in Perth. So if you're travelling north to SNPF, why not drop by?

The host is the Renfrewshire RSPB Group (a very friendly bunch) and the venue is The MacMasters Centre, Donaldson Drive, Renfrew (just off J26 of M8). Start time 7.30pm.

Just drop us an e-mail if you need any more details.

Feast or famine.

August 5 2010

I feel a bit like a winter squirrel or mouse. I've been on a few forays of late - gathering a harvest of images to see me through the lean times. Now I've scurried back into my hole (sometimes this office can only be described thus) to cache my goodies. I won't see the light of day until my next foray, such is the administrative burden of modern photography.

My plight is eased every so often as an image catches my eye - not through its rarity value but more often than not, because of unusual lighting.

New gadget.

August 1 2010

I'm not a huge gadget fan and I try not to get drawn into buying stuff that I'm never going to use. That said, I've recently acquired a Lee Big Stopper Filter and although I've only dabbled, it's really quite cool. It's basically a 10-stop ND filter which slows shutter speeds for some great effects. This blurry-cloud 4 minute exposure over Bass Rock, gives you the general idea. But be warned, there's a 2-year waiting list if you want one! And of course if we all go out and buy one, it won't be long before we're all complaining that it's all been done before!

Still no flash?

July 14 2010

As the pressure to deliver 'different' is cranked up, it's inevitable we all creep closer to the line of non-conformance. This means that appreciation for individual work becomes more subjective, with opinion increasingly polarised as a consequence.

This is another image - this time of a sea eagle - where purists might question what was wrong with the flash.

Is the flash broken?

July 12 2010

I always smile when I think of the story a friend told me about one of his silhouette images. Upon presenting it to a (then) postal forum, one of the respondents questioned why his flash hadn't gone off!

I guess you're either a fan of silhouettes or not. I am and I go out of my way to try and incorporate that heady combination of an under-exposed subject against a bright background. Sometimes it works, sometimes not, but I've never tried it with a flash!

Saving the world.

July 11 2010

It's a tough job saving the world but it seems that photographers everywhere are on a mission to do exactly that. You have to be careful when you proclaim a cause of course - there are plenty in the wings waiting to point out inconsistencies in your stance; those that are only too happy to undermine the bedrock of your passion.

I's very easy to call yourself a 'conservation photographer' but what does it mean? Does it mean taking animals from the wild, putting them in a fridge and then photographing them against a perfect background? Does it mean renting a wildlife model and then selling prints of that model to 'heighten awareness'? Does it mean travelling the world clocking up a hefty carbon footprint to 'bring back the story'?

I know a fair few 'conservation photographers' who do all of those things on a regular basis. But it's OK because they are 'conservation photographers'. Let's face it, conservation photography is the latest convenient way to justify doing what we want, when we want. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of photographers doing some fantastic communication work, but for the majority it's a convenient term entitling them to a green halo.

This can be a petty, political business laced with jealousies and self-serving agendas, more often than not born from deep-seated insecurities. For peat sake, it's nature photography! Within the wider scheme of things, we're insignificant, self-indulgent chancers.

And me? I'm not perfect, nowhere near. But I do try to do what I do as responsibly and as fairly as I can. I want to do my bit, I want to make my living and I want to avoid getting dragged into a worthiness competition. I take the odd flight, I wear leather shoes and it has been known for me to eat battery chicken. There, I admit it!

There are some good photographers out there who seem pre-occupied with looking over their shoulder at what the competition is doing. I don't care if they brand themselves as 'conservation photographers' and neither should they lose any sleep wondering if I buy Fairtrade coffee.

It's been a while since my last rant, but sometimes, just sometimes...