December 2011 Home
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A bit of a mish-mash of different images this month. I was hoping to concentrate on snowy scenes and woodland birds, but the weather has scuppered my attempts. You could be forgiven for not believing these images were taken in December. As you know, this winter so far is in stark contrast to last year. Here on the Fylde coast we have had one day of snow, and even that didn't last or settle. Add to that the constant overcast light and strong winds and your photographic opportunities quickly dwindle. Below is an image from an attempted Starling shoot which didn't go quite as planned. I did get some nice lighting for a little while though, at least.
More random images from around the coast. The Whoopers have been more accessible this year and I am just waiting on the perfect conditions. I wish I had been carrying a longer lens for the second shot here, This image doesn't quite do justice to the waves whipped up by the winds that day. A flock of Cormorants skimmed extremely close along the surface. In some frames of this sequence the birds were obscured behind the waves themselves!
One successful day this month has been a trip to Pennington Flash, and it's fantastic feeding hide. Mike spotted this Kestrel (last shot) and called me over to see, it stayed perched for a long while before leaving, allowing us to take flight shots. Unfortunately, it took off in the opposite direction we were expecting, making composition awkward.
Lens # 18 has arrived, the unique Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro. This lens is
the only one of it's kind in that it can magnify further than 1:1 macro without
the addition of extension tubes. The downside is that it is insanely awkward to
use! A tiny depth of field and equally tiny working distance, coupled with an
extremely dark viewfinder means this is only for experienced macro users. I'm
hoping to use it extensively in my next project on lichens, mosses and
bryophytes. As you would imagine from the subject matter, high magnification is
a must-have.
This first shot is of a clutch of snail eggs and embryos in my fish tank at
home. On liveview it was possible to watch the unborn snail's hearts beating, it
was an amazing thing to behold. The last shot is a rare Stinking Hellebore found
flowering somewhat early!
My fungi project is now finished, and marks the completion of the first half of my final year. I have put together a gallery of the final images (click below).
