Canon EOS R6, 800mm f5.6.
Incoming
400mm f2.8, EOS R6, Eye detect AF
Morning
The King
A close up of a King, with a 800mm lens and crop sensor body. Enjoying going through my vast archive and finding gems like this.
Hope over the horizon
Trinity of Lenses
I think I now have my go-to set of lenses at long last, something wide, medium and tele. Sounds simple enough, but I have gone for some rather extreme lenses to allow me to express my artistic vision, in camera, in the field….
12-24mm f4 at 12mm, on the EOS R6
Canon 70-200mm f2.8, at 70mm on the EOS R6
Canon 70-200mm f2.8, at 200mm on the EOS R6
Canon 400mm f2.8 IS, with the R6. A bit of lens flare.. but meh…
University Talk
It was nice to speak briefly online to Aberdeen University students about photography and tiger conservation, as well as sharing the stage with two very talented photographers. Hope I can continue to inspire the next generation of ‘Tiger Wale’.
A New Begining
The recent past has given me an even greater appreciation of local wildlife. Whether it be Swans at my local park, or Deer in the countryside, there is so much natural beauty so close to home. It can be challenging creating novel images of commonly photographed local subjects, but that will be the challenge for 2021. A new project, a new beginning…
Red Deer Stag during the first few minutes of sunrise, taken on the EOS R6, and 70-200mm f2.8.
Mute Swan on a foggy morning, taken on the EOS R6 and the 50mm f1.8.
Little Owl
Kingfisher
RSPB Bempton
Whoever we are, whatever we do, its important to note….
….nature is healing.
2020
2020 has been a tough year for tigers… loss of tourism revenue, a virus, and a decrease in funding for wild tigers left in protected years could lead to a fall in numbers again. I’ll be doing what I can in life to not allow that to happen….
https://conservewildcats.org/
https://donations.zsl.org/wildcats/
https://conservewildcats.org/globaltigerday20/
Maya
India, post-monsoon, October 2018. Tigress T12, known locally as Maya (Hindi for illusion) gives us a 'side-eye' before following her mischievous cubs into the forest. Maya resides in the core of the park, and being a brazen wild tigress is a favourite amongst visitors to the park. It is estimated she brings in the majority of the reserves income (around £8K per day), and is vital to the local economy.
I hope that the parks can open very soon, as poaching has been rampant since the outbreak of Covid19, as tigers like Maya face even more threats. I also hope I can see her raising her cubs to adulthood once again.
Good luck to her and all the other species that exist under her shadow...
Canon 1DX, 400mm f2.8
Shepreth Hedgehog Hospital
The once common hedgehog is under threat from human activity more then ever. Hedgehogs are injured by pets, cars and impacted by human development. We have seen populations dwindle. Rough estimates put the population in England, Wales and Scotland at about one million today, compared with 30 million in the early 1950’s. A huge fall by any accounts. There are many rehabilitation centres in the UK, including the Hedgehog Hospital at Shepreth near Cambridge, where animals are treated and rehabilitated for release back into the wild. Below are some images of one of our most recognisable species, and the good work being carried out at the hospital.
Rescued animals are kept in comfortable boxes with old blankets
During rehabilitation the hogs weight is monitored.
Post Monsoon Jungles
Tadoba tiger reserve, India, is beautiful and lush post monsoon. The jungle exudes colour, vibrancy and spirit and is fantastic for wildlife viewing at this time.
On one day we encountered this beautiful young sambar deer stag deep in the forest. He was quite relaxed, and also curious during the brief encounter so I took a few shots.
However, it pays to be cautious and alert in the jungle…
As you never know what may be hidden amongst the vegetation…
Tadoba reminiscence
I do find value in going back to my raw file archive from time to time. Tadoba in 2014 was just as active and as beautiful as it is today, and is currently my premier tiger reserve for photography.
Not a sign you see every day
We believe there was a leopard in the grass, but like the sambar deer, we could not catch a glimpse, only feel it’s presence.
The areas dominant male passing through the main lake in the reserve.
Last light. Red light. Beautiful light.
Heron
Local locations are often key for wildlife photography, as you can take time to understand animals behaviours and patterns. This heron used to hunt in the same place every morning, so it was just a case of waiting for the right moment…
400mm f2.8 IS, 1dx.
Donna Nook 2020
A new year, a new start. I decided to leave the 1DX at home for a change and went with the EOS RP for a change. The edge to edge focusing, flip screen and dual pixel auto-focus worked well for slow moving seals, and allowed me to get some unique angles from behind the fence. Disappointingly, there were several people walking through the colony, but fortunately they were not there long!
400mm f2.8
400mm f2.8
400mm f2.8
400mm f2.8
50mm f1.8
400mm f2.8
15mm f2.8 from behind the fence
800mm f5.6
800mmf5.6
400mmf2.8
Red Grouse in the Peaks
Photographing Red Grouse in the Peaks was a pleasure thanks to the tracking skills of local photographer Tes. Wildlife aside, the peaks and valleys were beautiful, and drew out the landscape photographer in me. All shot on the usual canon gear… hope you like.
The dark side…
Tigers of Tadoba - The Junabai female
Introduction
All animals have unique personalities, in some species this is easier to see than in others. With wild tigers being generally shy and elusive, it takes time to get to know the individuals, and this is what this new blog series will focus on. To capture great images of tigers, we need to understand them beyond basic biology and behaviours, but try to understand them as individuals….
The Junabai Tigress
The name Junabai consists of two words, Juna, meaning old and Bai meaning lady, and is additionally a region in Tadoba tiger reserve. The tigress is actually only 5 years old herself, and was initially a very shy and elusive tigress, but has now grown very bold and beautiful. We first came across her in 2018, when she had a litter of 3 beautiful cubs. Today, she has a new litter of 4, and it is these I hope to view on my next excursion.
Tracking the tigress involves understanding her movements, territory, listening for prey alarm calls and reading the signs printed on the roads…
Sometimes we find her deep in bamboo thickets, but more often than not she prefers the path of least resistance when patrolling her territory and comes out into the open.
Her territory in October can be very beautiful and lush. It is primarily bamboo forest in the north of the park.
Here she was seen resting in a nice shady spot as the temperature started to rise to a mild 35 degrees.
One of my most memorable encounters was the morning she led her 3 cubs across her territory. She was very relaxed in our presence and allowed for not only great photographs, but a truly memorable experience.
Bold and beautiful.
I’m not obsessed with always trying to get images with eye contact, I allow these moments to occur naturally, so when they do it is more worthwhile.
Last but not least, here is one of her cubs from 2018. I hope her new litter is just as bold and photogenic for us.
King of fishers
A kingfisher about to stun a fish before swallowing against some evening light. Sometimes it’s just a single moment of serendipity that completely changes an image and it’s these moments I seek.
Canon 1dx, 800mm f11, 1/250th sec