Merry Christmas!

I've been a bit quiet on here during December, and my 'Photo Fridays' have ground to a halt, but I'm intending to resurrect these again in 2013.  However, as some sort of recompense, I've finally got round to creating a Gallery on my website, and the image below shows what's in store, so go and take a look!



I've also been busy tweaking my website, so my home page now has more information (although this still needs more work), I've updated my 'Talks' pages to include Dan's Ten Top Tips, and there's now a 'share widget' on every page, so when you see something you like, a couple of clicks will share it with all your friends, whatever social network you're using, or email it, or print it... It's bottom right of every page, with lots of options, just hover over the '+' sign to find out just how many and varied.

So that just leaves me to wish you a very merry Christmas, and a happy new year, filled with wonderful photographic opportunities!

Cameraworld Free Advice Day

I'm going to be at Cameraworld in Chelmsford again for another Free Advice Day on Saturday 1st December, from 9.30am to 5.30pm.  It's a drop-in day, when you can just come along and ask me anything, whether you're stumped regarding a particular subject or technique, or need some advice about equipment, or just want to re-cap something that we covered on a workshop.  No need to book, just turn up!

Click the image below to take you to more details about the day

Photo Friday - Week 42

I've finally completed fiddling around with my new tuition leaflet design, adding new comments from customers, and deciding on the new photos for it, and it's now gone off for printing at www.inkylittlefingers.co.uk, so should be with me in a week or so.

So here's the leaflet design, very much based on the same design I've been using for the last 4 years, and the one that prompted my website redesign last year.  I'll post larger versions of the images I used soon, and my reasons for picking these shots.

Obviously I should thank the customers that have given me feedback following workshops, and have allowed me to use that feedback for the testimonials on the leaflet and elsewhere, as I'm sure it makes a difference to potential customers to see these sorts of comments.

Photo Friday - Week 41

I was doing some private tuition at Thorndon Park on Monday, and the woodland there is looking fantastic at the moment.  With this shot I was trying to show the rich colours of the beech trees, both their green, algaed trunks, and the vibrant orange of the fallen leaves.


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA 16-45mm f/4 lens @ 19mm, f/9.5, 3s, ISO80, polariser, tripod.

2013 Workshops

Just a quick one to let you know I've updated the Workshops pages to show details of the 2013 workshops until the end of May, so we have six 'Know The Basics', three 'Beyond The Basics' and two 'Close-up and Macro Nature Photography' workshops.

There's also a 'Garden and Flower Photography' workshop to be listed, it's on the 26th May 2013 and will be spent partly at Hanningfield Reservoir (in the morning), and partly at RHS Hyde Hall (in the afternoon). More details to follow...

Photo Friday - Week 40

I'm currently in the (slow) process of redesigning my tuition leaflet, and I need to get a shift on as I'm down to the last hundred or so of my current one, so I've just been looking through some more images that might be used for it, and I thought I'd post one of them.


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/6.7, 1/180s, ISO1600, handheld.

This was taken at Bedfords Park whilst running a private workshop for Lloyds Register Camera Club, and it's an immature Speckled Bush Cricket.  It demonstrates the great higher ISO performance of the K-5's sensor, I certainly couldn't have got anything looking this noise-free from my K10D at ISO1600.

Don't know yet if I'll use it for the leaflet, but it has potential...

Photo Friday - Week 39

Four photos today, three from a walk around EWT's Hanningfield Reservoir reserve earlier today, and the last from Fingringhoe Wick last weekend during my workshop.

I managed to get out for a walk just by myself today - no tuition, no wife or child, and I have to admit it was lovely, as I could spend as long as I wanted one each shot.  I'd gone there specifically to look for toadstools, and this was the first nice grouping that I came across.


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/8, 8s, ISO80, tripod, polariser, reflector.

One of the ponds (in Well Wood) was looking nice, and the leaves that has fallen on the water were being gently moved by the wind, so I used a long shutter speed to make a slightly abstract rendition of the view.


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/8, 10s, ISO80, tripod, polariser.

The last toadstool I shot was this one, and I used a flash above and behind the subject to help light to cap, and I was pleased with the result, looking like weak sunlight I think.


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/6.7, 10s, ISO80, tripod, polariser, off-camera flash.

This was taken up at EWT's Fingringhoe Wick reserve last Saturday, from Geedon Hide, overlooking the Colne estuary.  I liked the patterns in the mud in front of the hide, and used the 300mm lens to isolate them, processing as a high contrast black and white image to further abstract them.  We were all amazed at how quickly the tide came in here, within minutes the whole of the muddy foreshore was under water.


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA*300mm f/4 lens @ f/8, 1/125s, +0.5EV, ISO100, handheld.

Photo Friday - Week 38

A couple of recent photos tonight, one from the Close-Up and Macro Nature Photography Workshop I ran at Thorndon Park earlier this month, and the second one that I took when seeing the Red Deer at Bedfords Park.

The first is a Toadstool, growing amongst moss on the side of a log, which I shot by holding the camera against the log, bracing it as best I could, using Liveview to see whether it was in focus or not, as I couldn't get my head down to the viewfinder.  Turned out okay...


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/6.7, 1/3s, ISO400, handheld.

For this one I was just lucky the squirrel paused where it did, allowing me to fire off a few frames before it disappeared up the tree.  It was late in the afternoon, the sun was down behind the trees, and a higher ISO combined with a longer than ideal shutter speed was required.


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA*300mm f/4 lens @ f/4, 1/60s, -1.5EV, ISO800, handheld.

Red Deer Rut (Video)

I don't often 'do' video, but this evening the Red Deer rut over at Bedfords Park was in full swing and still images don't do justice to the sound of the bellowing stags, so I made use of the video capabilities of my DSLR.

Bedfords Park Red Deer Rut from Daniel Bridge on Vimeo.
Pentax K-5, Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4 lens @ f/3.5, handheld.

Photo Friday - Week 37

Last Saturday I popped along to Maldon with the family for a walk along the river front, and found lots of gulls and starlings around the cafés by the lake.  I wished I'd taken my 300mm lens along, as I would have got some great portraits of the starlings, which were looking superb in their new plumage, but I just had my 50mm with me, so settled on some shots of the gulls as they flew overhead.


Pentax K-5, Pentax FA 50mm f/1.4 lens @ f/6.7, 1/1000s, ISO200, handheld.

Free Advice Day at Cameraworld

I'm running another Free Photography Advice Day at Cameraworld, Chelmsford, on Saturday 13th October 2012.  You can drop in at any time to ask me anything about techniques, equipment, composition, or even porridge.

The day runs from 9.30am until 5.30pm, and you can find out more here.

Photo Friday - Week 36

It's getting to that time of year again, when we can find toadstools and other fungi throughout our local woodlands, and they're great subjects, especially if you've got a macro lens.

I'd normally advise using a tripod, as it allows you to ignore the shutter speed and just concentrate on getting the depth of field as you want it, at the lowest ISO for the best image quality, however, this first shot was a snap looking straight down on a parasol toadstool, and I've cropped it down quite heavily to this composition.


Pentax K10D, Pentax FA50mm f/1.4 lens @ f/3.5, 1/180s, ISO400, handheld.

This is my more normal way of shooting fungi - a tripod, polarising filter and reflector all help to control the lighting and composition, and I would have used a remote release and the mirror lock-up mode to ensure a crisp, shake-free image.


Pentax K10D, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/16, 1.5s, ISO100, tripod, polariser, reflector.

Just go for a walk in your local woods, and keep your eyes peeled, especially if there are log-piles around, as these are excellent for fungi.  If you're wanting to find the red and white spotted Fly Agaric toadstools, look out for Silver Birch trees, as these are closely associated with these classic fungi.

Photo Friday - Week 35

A day late I know, but I was out with the camera in the morning, then busy all afternoon and evening, so here's a shot from yesterday, at Essex Wildlife Trust's Lower Raypits reserve near Canewdon.  I'd been commissioned to go along and get some photos of the landscaping work going on there at the moment, which is mostly being done by digger and bulldozer.


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA16-45mm f/4 lens @ f/6.7, 1/500s, +1.0EV, ISO200, handheld.

Photo Friday - Week 34

Some shots taken during my last Macro workshop at Hanningfield Reservoir in August, when we found a particularly helpful Grasshopper, which seemed intent on posing for us.


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/6.7, 1/60s, +0.5EV, ISO400, handheld.


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/6.7, 1/180s, +1.0EV, ISO400, handheld.

And just to show how settled it was, here's three of the workshop participants shooting it at once!


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/6.7, 1/250s, +0.5EV, ISO400, handheld.

Photo Friday - Week 33

So it's technically Saturday now, but I've not gone to bed yet, so it's still Friday as far as I'm concerned...

A couple of shots taken during the 'Beyond The Basics' photography workshop at Bedfords Park last Saturday, both down by the lake, where we found this lovely little bistort (I think) flower, which was very popular with the hoverflies, and a Long-winged Conehead cricket.


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA*300mm f/4 lens @ f/8, 1/350s, ISO400, tripod.

I'd already spoken about how much I love my 300mm lens for this type of shot, and when the opportunity presented itself to show why, I couldn't help it.  Using the tripod allowed me to set the composition up, then wait for insects to come and feed.


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA*300mm f/4 lens @ f/4, 1/1000s, ISO400, tripod.

Although the 300mm lens doesn't allow anywhere near as high magnification as a macro lens, with a subject like this, with its super-long antenna, leaving some space around the subject is often a bonus.

Right, now I'm going to bed, off to Hanningfield Reservoir in the morning for a 'Know The Basics' workshop!

Photo Friday - Week 32

Last Sunday I was up at the Orwell Country Park near Ipswich, Suffolk, where I was available to offer photography tuition for children, as part of a Groundwork event with Ipswich Council and Tesco's.  Someone found this beetle, and I had to take some photos...


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/9.5, 3s, ISO80, tripod.

Scale's a bit unclear here, but the body is about 30mm from nose to tail.  Thankfully, it was very sedentary, and barely moved whilst I was photographing it, hence the use of a tripod, and the 3 second exposure.


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/8, 3s, ISO200, tripod.

I wouldn't fancy being on the receiving end of those jaws!


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/8, 0.7s, ISO200, tripod.

This image is one of the new ones I've now got showing on the TV at Cameraworld in Chelmsford.  I've completely revised the images there, so you have about 130 new photos to have a look at!

I don't know the species of this beetle, so if anybody else does, please let me know.

Photo Friday - Week 31

On Wednesday I enjoyed a family day out to Kew Gardens, and although photography only played a small part in the trip, I did get a few shots I was pleased with.

This is the Davies Alpine House, an unusual and eye-catching greenhouse.


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA16-45mm f/4 lens @ 16mm, f/8, 1/125s, +0.5EV, ISO200, handheld, polariser.

In the Palm House, there were, unsurprisingly, lots of beautiful palms, and I particularly liked the colours and patterns seen when looking up through the leaves.


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA16-45mm f/4 lens @ 26mm, f/8, 1/10s, ISO400, handheld.

In the same greenhouse, this Fig leaf caught my eye in a similar way.


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA16-45mm f/4 lens @ 45mm, f/8, 1/20s, ISO400, handheld.

We're hoping to go back and explore more, as it's far too big to see everything during one visit, and they have an exhibition of David Nash sculptures there too at the moment, which we really didn't get to see much at all.

Willow Emerald at Fingringhoe Wick

I ran a Close-up and Macro Nature Photography Workshop today at Fingringhoe Wick Nature Reserve near Colchester, and at one of the ponds (Pine Pond) we found an Emerald Damselfly that I thought was a Willow Emerald (Lestes viridis), which had been found at Fingringhoe for the first time (I think) in 2010.  It's a recent colonist of Britain, first found in numbers in Suffolk in 2009.  The British Dragonfly Society has details of the Willow Emerald here.

By no means an expert on Damselfly identification, I needed to double-check when I got home, but I'm sure it's a Willow, and here's my fairly poor record shot:


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/8, 1/60s, -0.5EV, ISO400, handheld.

Something else we saw was this cricket, which had a black stripe running down its back.  I've not seen one like this before, and it may well be a nymph of a conehead, probably a long-winged conehead (Conocephalus discolor).  Googling it does suggest that's what it is, I'm just surprised they have the long ovipositor at this nymph stage.


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/8, 1/125s, -0.5EV, ISO400, handheld.


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/5.6, 1/180s, +0.5EV, ISO400, handheld.

Lastly, here's a Grey Dagger moth (Acronicta psi) caterpillar, ID'ed in the excellent 'British Moths and Butterflies' book by Chris Manley.


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/6.7, 1/1000s, -0.5EV, ISO800, handheld.

It was excruciatingly hot today, but also a day of firsts for me, as I hadn't seen any of the above before.  Any comments or confirmation of ID appreciated!

Photo Friday - Week 30

I had a very enjoyable day over in Rickmansworth, giving tuition to a young, enthusiastic wildlife photographer, so it's a bit of a rushed Photo Friday today, and although he got some great shots of dragonflies and damselflies, mine fell a little short...

So, here are three photos that are amongst those I'm going to be putting on the TV in Cameraworld in Chelmsford very shortly - it's high time I updated the display, and I have around 120 'new' photos ready for processing to the required size.

The first is a Small Skipper butterfly shot at Hanningfield Reservoir a few years ago, but I like the pose, so here it is!


Pentax K10D, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/6.7, 1/180s, +0.5EV, ISO400, handheld.

Next, a shot of the pine trees at Beecraigs Country Park in West Lothian, Scotland.  Low light and the use of the polariser resulted in a 3 second exposure, and I've processed this in Lightroom to give it (hopefully) a nice bit of atmosphere.


Pentax K10D, Pentax FA50mm f/1.4 lens @ f/8, 3s, +0.5EV, ISO100, polariser, tripod.

Last is this shot of a Chaffinch from the hide at Lake Vyrnwy, Powis, in early July.  Nice soft lighting helps show all the little details...


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA* 300mm f/4 lens @ f/4.5, 1/125s, +0.5EV, ISO400, handheld.

Look out for them in Cameraworld in the next few weeks!

Photo Friday - Week 29

Three quick shots this week, two from a private tuition session I did at Thorndon Park in Brentwood last week, and one from today, when I popped over to Hanningfield Reservoir in the late afternoon.

If you like the Gruffalo, Thorndon Park is the place to go!  They have a 'full size' Gruffalo, the Gruffalo's Child, and now the mouse too, all expertly carved from wood by one of the rangers.  Great for kids, but I've found the adults like them just as much...


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA*300mm f/4 lens @ f/4, 1/180s, -0.5EV, ISO800, handheld.


The day we were at Thorndon was warm, but we'd had rain before the session, and a downpour near the end too, but I love those conditions for the look it gives the woodland.  These roots of a large beech tree particularly appealed, once they'd been pointed out by my student...


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA16-45mm f/4 lens @ 40mm, f/9.5, 6s, ISO80, tripod, polariser.


Just a grab shot of this wooden bench - I'm back again tomorrow running a macro workshop, so I may do a 'proper' version using my tripod.


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/5.6, 1/60s, ISO800, handheld.

Upcoming Workshops

I'm running a 'Beyond The Basics' Photography Workshop at Thorndon Park in Brentwood this coming Saturday, I know there are a few spaces left, so book on quick!  The next day I'm at Hanningfield Reservoir for a macro workshop, then Fingringhoe the following week for another macro one, then another 'Beyond The Basics' at Bedfords Park on the 1st September.  I'm then back up to Fingringhoe on the 2nd September for a 'Know The Basics' workshop, and I'll do another of those at Hanningfield the following week - busy busy busy!

Click the poster to view the different workshops I've got coming up - choose your level!

Photo Friday - Week 28

I missed last Friday's post, so here are a couple of pics from the last few weeks.

The first is from Wales at the start of July; a Spotted Flycatcher, one of a pair that was nesting on the outside wall of the cottage we were holidaying in.  With at least four youngsters in the nest, the adults would frequently pause on this post right outside the lounge window before darting off for food.  I set up the camera on a tripod with the 300mm lens, pre-focused on a point that I hoped would be the landing place for the bird, then took lots of photos.  I'd composed the image as a landscape format shot, to allow for different positions of the birds, so this is quite a crop down on the original.


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA*300mm f/4 lens @ f/6.7, 1/350s, -0.5EV, ISO800, tripod, cable release.

You'll notice it's raining in that shot, something of a theme for the holiday...

The second photo was taken right at the end of the day at my Garden and Flower photography workshop at RHS Hyde Hall, where I'd seen these planters earlier in the year, and I decided I should take a shot before I left.  I was attracted to the colour and texture of the planter itself, and the contrast with the ornamental grasses growing in it, which were blowing in the wind.

My first composition was much more relaxed than this one, and there was too much going on, with a second planter and more foliage included.  One of the participants reminded me of my own advice - to identify what interests you, then make sure that's the most prominent part of the image.  So I recomposed, with a tighter, more abstract design, and here's the result.


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/9.5, 2/3s, ISO80, polariser, tripod, remote (IR) release.

Photo Friday - Week 27

Nearly two years ago, when I first started telling people my wife and I were expecting our first child, they said "Ooo, that's going to affect your photography, you won't be out and about as much...", and my reply was along the lines of "well, it's my job, I'll still be out taking pics".  They were right of course, and I was mostly wrong...

These days, unless I'm running a tuition session or workshop, it's rare for me to go out for a days shoot simply for the fun of it.  Holidays are now very much governed by what my daughter requires, rather than whether there's a photo opportunity to be had, although the two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.  Recently however, when on holiday in Wales, with a pair of Spotted Flycatchers nesting on the outside wall of the cottage, and frequently perching on a post outside the lounge, I did find myself frustrated at not being able to spend as much time photographing them as I'd have liked.

So, out for a pre-bedtime walk (my daughter's bedtime, I mean) along the lane by the cottage, we found a couple of Ringlet butterflies, but I could only grab a couple of quick photos with my wife's Canon G9.


Canon G9, f/2.8, 1/60s, +0.33EV, ISO125, handheld.

Thinking about them later on, I thought I'd pop back up the lane to see if they were roosting in the same spot, and perhaps I could then go back out at dawn (ha ha ha, the thought of it!) to get their photos with them adorned with dew.  Almost as an afterthought, bearing in mind this was now around 10pm, I grabbed my camera.

I'm glad I did.  The wind had dropped to the gentlest of breezes, barely stirring the grasses.  One Ringlet was still there, droplets from the earlier rain still clinging to the stems around it.  I had to use live-view in order to focus in the half-light, and still needed to increase my ISO to 400 to avoid too long a shutter speed, 2 seconds was short enough to keep things sharp.  It still felt odd to be photographing a butterfly after 10pm though.


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA*300mm f/4 lens @ f/5.6, 2s, ISO400, tripod.

I dragged myself out of bed an hour or so after sunrise, the butterfly had gone though.  I'm glad I made the effort the night before, but it would have been much easier to get something decent when I saw them the first time, but a toddler demanded more of my time.  Perhaps that will change*...

*I know it's only going to get 'worse'. :-)

Photo Friday - Week 26

I've been in Wales, so would have liked to have posted a few photos from there, but haven't had time to transfer the Raw files from the laptop to the desktop, let alone actually process any yet.

So here's a couple of photos that I'm using in the Garden and Flower Photography Workshop this Sunday.  I would say "ring Hanningfield to see if you can book on", but I know it's fully booked.  We'll be there in the morning, then heading over to RHS Hyde Hall for the afternoon, should be a great day, fingers crossed for the weather...


Pentax K10D, Pentax FA 77mm f/1.8 Limited lens @ f/2.0, 1/1500s, ISO100, tripod.


Pentax K10D, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 Macro lens @ f/6.7, 1/30s, ISO100, tripod.

Photo Friday - Week 25

Just a few photos from recent tuition sessions, the first two from the lake at Weald Park in Brentwood, the third from Hylands Park in Chelmsford.


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA*300mm f/4 lens @ f/4.5, 1/750s, +0.5EV, ISO800, handheld.

This was quite a crop in on the original frame, but I liked the droplet, and the open beak, and the quality's there, so why not?


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA*300mm f/4 lens @ f/4.5, 1/1000s, -0.5EV, ISO800, handheld.

Taken from the hide overlooking the lake at Weald Park, I was drawn to the abstract patterns made by the reflections under the trees.


Pentax K-5, Sigma EX 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/8, 1/180s, +1.0EV, ISO200, handheld.

With a bright grey sky, wider shots of the house at Hylands weren't the best option, and of all the details of the building, I keep coming back to this simple view of a shuttered window.

Photo Friday - Week 24

Last Saturday I was lucky enough to be photographing the Essex Wildlife Trust AGM, something I've done for the last 3 years now.  In 2010 Chris Packham gave the keynote speech, last year Nicholas Crane was the guest speaker, and he opened the Crag Walk at Walton-on-the-Naze too.


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA*300mm f/4 lens @ f/4.5, 1/350s, +0.5EV, ISO800, handheld.

This year saw Michaela Strachan taking to the lectern, and very good she was too, giving an entertaining speech which included a sing-a-long (What A Wonderful World), opening the new visitor centre at Abberton Reservoir, and generally being very smiley and photogenic.  People aren't my usual subjects, but Michaela was a pleasure to photograph, very enthusiastic and seemed to enjoy the day.


Pentax K-5, Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro lens @ f/4.5, 1/250s, +0.5EV, ISO800, handheld.

Someone else who always gives inspiring and interesting speeches is Professor Chris Baines, president of Essex Wildlife Trust, and champion of urban wildlife.  Here's a pic of him listening to Michalea's speech...


Pentax K-5, Pentax DA*300mm f/4 lens @ f/5.6, 1/250s, +0.5EV, ISO800, handheld.

It was a great day, and resulted in me sending 150 photos through to EWT, so hopefully they'll be of use in their publications over the coming year.  I wonder who'll be the speaker in 2013...?