CLICK / TAP PHOTO TO ENLARGE The heron is a busy bird this time of year in mid January with his nest building. He scouts around and collects branches of the right size, drops off the branch at his nest and goes out again. sku 60006

CLICK / TAP PHOTO TO ENLARGE Stained glass windows give hazy shapes and colours as they reflect into a church. Once again a very close encounter with a heron which seemed to remind me of the stained glassed windows of a church. sku 60007

CLICK / TAP PHOTO TO ENLARGE This photo was taken in Kent rather than Asia. To me it looks like a Japanese garden but careful composition can create an altered reality. sku 60008

CLICK / TAP PHOTO TO ENLARGE As they say in life - in the case of a human being - one can just the mood of a person by their expression. Portraits tell a lot about a person and in birds - the portrait shows details that are not noticed when a bird is a fair distance away in the trees on an island[...]

CLICK / TAP PHOTO TO ENLARGE The heron is always on the look out for his next meal. He surveys the lake and watches all the other birds around. sku 60010

CLICK / TAP PHOTO TO ENLARGE I was overjoyed at the blurred trees in the background as well as the "bow and arrow" look of his branch. sku 60011

CLICK / TAP PHOTO TO ENLARGE Like a Rorshach test - a test where an abtract ink blot can be interpreted differently by many people - these waters seemed to create a surreal scene for the heron to be swimming in. As photographic judges say - "a background can make or break a photo". Too clutter[...]

CLICK / TAP PHOTO TO ENLARGE Herons are very inquisitive birds. They peer through trees, they supervise from high tree tops, they sit on wooden posts rising out of the water. All the time they are surveying the area as to who is where and where their next meal is coming from. sku 60013 &nbs[...]

CLICK / TAP PHOTO TO ENLARGE The heron is a canny bird. It can sense danger and when observers are in close proximity. To get a close photo of a heron takes time and effort and persistence. As books say - approach a bird as if not caring that it is there. The less eye contact the better. I fol[...]

CLICK / TAP PHOTO TO ENLARGE One of my all time favourite photos to be captured at sunset. A super close fly by with his gull at sunset. I love the silky water at this shutter speed. The sun came through his wings as he flew past me at the lake. Thankfully his wings covered his head and meant tha[...]

CLICK / TAP PHOTO TO ENLARGE As with all photography - lighting is sometimes once in a lifetime. The gull made his turn and made the photo look like I am overhead as I take the photo. This is my second most loved photo of a gull that I have taken. The perfect shape of the gull as he cuts through [...]

CLICK / TAP PHOTO TO ENLARGE Gull photography to me is all about WING SHAPE. When birds fly close to the camera its about framing the bird and allowing for the wing shape and getting all that in the frame. sku 70003

CLICK / TAP PHOTO TO ENLARGE WING SHAPE is a case of regular assessment of the hover motion of the gull. The hover will produce more open wing shapes. sku 70004

Knowing or at least surmising when a bird will take off takes patience and judgement. Once again sunset enhances the scene. sku 70005

CLICK / TAP PHOTO TO ENLARGE Timing is everything is making that judgement as to when to press the button. The goal is to get the water splash on exit but this photo is one of my best to date. I am most proud of capturing the sunset reflection in the water during take off. sku 70006

CLICK / TAP PHOTO TO ENLARGE Preserving detail in gull photography is a rewarding task. Diagonals are always a dramatic addition to photography. This is one of my all time favourite photos of 2016. sku 70007