Firstly, thanks for visiting my bird photography website. I hope you like my photos.
Ever since my teen years, I've had a keen interest in birds and photography. Recently, inspired by some of the fantastic bird images published on the Web, I've tried to make the time to revisit and combine these interests.
Many bird photographers concentrate on getting photos of rare birds, even if these are only 'record shots'. What really interests me, though, is images that have a 'wow factor', even if these are of a common species. For me, this can mean several things (click on the links for my best attempts in each case):
a photo with real detail, such as a 'head and shoulders' bird portrait (example)
a shot that captures the beauty or essence of a particular species (example)
a photo that sums up an event in time, such as the life-or-death struggle between predator and prey (example)
an image that is photographically or aesthetically strong, e.g. with great lighting and composition (example)
In the hope of taking photos with these qualities, I invested in a digital SLR camera in late 2004.
Technical details for anyone who's interested... I bought a Nikon D70 camera, initially with the very cheap 70-300mm G zoom lens which I later replaced with a Nikon 80-400VR zoom. I tried a Kenko Pro 300 1.4x teleconverter, but without much success. In April 2006, I finally decided to take the plunge and buy a 'pro' 500mm lens. Since the Nikon 500mm f4 lens didn't have vibration reduction/image stabilisation, I went with the Canon equivalent, with a 30D camera body and Canon 1.4x extender.
The first thing I learned about bird photography is that it's far more difficult than it looks! I have spent countless hours learning about the birds themselves, where and how to get close to them, how to photograph them, how to process digital images, how to create a website and more. Despite this, I still consider myself a novice.
The other key thing I've learned is just how much pleasure you can get from every step of the process, from fieldwork to publishing/printing to competitions/exhibitions and so on. In particular, you never tire of your own favourite images. Even if they don't look impressive to other people, each one of them instantly transports you to the time and place that you took the picture, and recreates the transient connection you had with the bird. Try it for yourself!
If you're interested in any of the following, send me an email with the details:
general advice and tuition, including image critiques
illustrated talks
editorial or commercial use of my images (see my published images)
framed or unframed prints (see my page on ordering prints).