The W
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Given the year is coming to a close, how about we look back at what we got up to this year, where we went and what we managed to photograph, but also what got away…
I had a few of trips this year, all of which ended up being firsts:
My Mum decided she wanted to see Golden Eagles, so in April we had an old-school family holiday to Mull. Photographically the highlight was a couple of trips aboard the White-tailed Eagle boat as they came in for a fish.
Over the May long weekend, I spent a day being shown around the North York Moors. Ultimately I didn’t come away with anything particularly special on the day (a mix of bad timings and unhelpful weather) but it gave me useful knowledge for any future trips I make. It also gave me the opportunity for an all too brief look at Bempton on the way up. I had planned to spend longer on the way home but forgot to account for bank holiday crowds.
June started with my first visit to the Farnes; with six hour drives to bookend the weekend and one night sleeping in the car, it was a knackering experience. The lack of sleep and unexpectedly finding myself in the middle of a horde of photographers on an Andy Rouse / Foto-Buzz trip didn’t stop me falling for the place as I had Skomer a few years ago. If only it was a shorter drive!
June closed with, for the third year in a row, a trip to the puffin colonies off the Pembrokeshire coast. The last two years I’d been to Skomer, so this year I tried the neighbouring Skokholm. What’s not already been said about the amazing experience of watching the sun set while surrounded by puffins and few people? If you’ve never been, correct that oversight asap! The only excuse for never going is you’re scottish and the Shetlands are nearer… Skokholm is both like and unlike Skomer, so I ended up writing a blog post on my views on their respective merits for photographers.
On time spent photographing nearer home, things didn’t quite go to plan. The year started well, with some trips down to Brighton for the starling murmurations. Come spring I had a couple of good sessions with my local little owls which then came to an abrupt end when a bee swarm took over their nest and they dispersed around their territory. Hopefully they’ll come back to their traditional tree next year and won’t be put off my the memories. My focus turned to badgers and hares but that was unsuccessful as they both continually outwitted me; I shall redouble my efforts in 2016. A combination of work and personal matters meant for the last quarter of the year I barely had time to pick up my camera, so a single session in Bushy Park for the deer rut was about the only thing added to Lightroom.
Little Owl on a Stick by Paul Whitbread, on Flickr
Over to you...
I had a few of trips this year, all of which ended up being firsts:
My Mum decided she wanted to see Golden Eagles, so in April we had an old-school family holiday to Mull. Photographically the highlight was a couple of trips aboard the White-tailed Eagle boat as they came in for a fish.
Over the May long weekend, I spent a day being shown around the North York Moors. Ultimately I didn’t come away with anything particularly special on the day (a mix of bad timings and unhelpful weather) but it gave me useful knowledge for any future trips I make. It also gave me the opportunity for an all too brief look at Bempton on the way up. I had planned to spend longer on the way home but forgot to account for bank holiday crowds.
June started with my first visit to the Farnes; with six hour drives to bookend the weekend and one night sleeping in the car, it was a knackering experience. The lack of sleep and unexpectedly finding myself in the middle of a horde of photographers on an Andy Rouse / Foto-Buzz trip didn’t stop me falling for the place as I had Skomer a few years ago. If only it was a shorter drive!
June closed with, for the third year in a row, a trip to the puffin colonies off the Pembrokeshire coast. The last two years I’d been to Skomer, so this year I tried the neighbouring Skokholm. What’s not already been said about the amazing experience of watching the sun set while surrounded by puffins and few people? If you’ve never been, correct that oversight asap! The only excuse for never going is you’re scottish and the Shetlands are nearer… Skokholm is both like and unlike Skomer, so I ended up writing a blog post on my views on their respective merits for photographers.
On time spent photographing nearer home, things didn’t quite go to plan. The year started well, with some trips down to Brighton for the starling murmurations. Come spring I had a couple of good sessions with my local little owls which then came to an abrupt end when a bee swarm took over their nest and they dispersed around their territory. Hopefully they’ll come back to their traditional tree next year and won’t be put off my the memories. My focus turned to badgers and hares but that was unsuccessful as they both continually outwitted me; I shall redouble my efforts in 2016. A combination of work and personal matters meant for the last quarter of the year I barely had time to pick up my camera, so a single session in Bushy Park for the deer rut was about the only thing added to Lightroom.
Little Owl on a Stick by Paul Whitbread, on Flickr
Over to you...