I have officially joined PhotoTraining4U today as one of their masters, covering my passion of wildlife photography. The films I’ll be shooting over the next 12 months with the team will follow me as I work the land, from dawn to dusk. I will be showing members how I work, photographing wild animals within their habitat, showing their different behaviours and characters within photography. Going through the camera settings and what skills I employ myself in order to try and work with the wildlife I encounter out in the field.

Their website offers quality training for all photographers at an affordable price. The site is based on streaming video that capture photographers at work. PhotoTraining4U is aimed at both professional and amateur photographers alike and is structured into bite size learning films, over 800 at present, each around 20 minutes.

I have always loved helping people throughout my life and when I first started in wildlife photography this carried through. I know how hard it is to get help or advice when you are first beginning to take photos of wildlife – What works? What bag to buy? Is this lens any good? What camera settings? the list goes on. I like to show others the techniques that I have taught myself, what works and what doesn’t while on the ground, in the theatre of wildlife.

In this first film we go through where and how my love of wildlife, nature and photography began, forming the great passion I have for the natural world today which is the foundation to my work and images. The beauty of photographing wildlife is that it is always changing and evolving, encountering the unexpected and in this environment the photographer must learn to work with these changing environmental conditions and behaviours. The result cannot always be predicted, which makes fieldcraft one of the most important skills you have to learn to be fully connected to wildlife.

I always try where possible to ‘work the land’ as I put it, and stay away from staged or set up shots preferring the more natural image, as seen or shot when I encountered the subject, not changing an animal’s behaviour to obtain an image is so important to my work. You just never know what will turn up working in this manner, so being ready to capture what you see is key through composition, fieldcraft and the correct and simple camera settings.

I am not from the techie camera settings background, glued to the histogram strangled with numerous settings and different buttons and functions.  I show simply and real techniques in camera that work.  I know they work because they are what I use within my own work. An image should come from the heart via the human eye, the camera only captures what the person behind it sees most of the time. This interview in February’s Practical Photography illustrates perfectly how I work and where my true love and passion comes from for wildlife, in this case waders and spring tides in Norfolk. Click here to see the interview in PDF format or you can buy the magazine which is out now.

It’s important to me that in every image I take it represents an event that occurred in the wild, something that I witnessed and recorded with my camera. My skill lies in interpreting and presenting this in a way that invokes the beauty, mood and emotion of that special moment I captured.

The first interview on their site can be viewed here. If you’d like to join this site and see the amazing advice, videos, and help from many different masters not just myself then there is £100 pounds off the marked price of £229 per year.  Please quote JONES which is the discount code. This then will give full access to the site and all the help and advice. I will be filming several short films in the wild over the next 12 months, going through different advice and help that will offer you the best chances to capture those beautiful images of wildlife you want, at the same time learning more about the habitats and behaviours of the subjects your watching.

I really do hope the films and advice I will be offering here will be helpful, twinned with the help I have always given on my blog, facebook and twitter pages, which all form a strong base in which to show the beauty of wildlife and help and inspire you all into seeing just how beautiful wildlife is. Its been a great start to the year for myself, with a full page image in the BBC Wildlife magazine, a 6 page interview and images in Practical Photography, click here to see the article.

Thanks to all the people who have booked onto my 2012 photo tours and workshops. My India trip is now full, this will be the third year in a row now I’ve visited this magical place in search of one of the most beautiful animals on the planet, the Tiger. My Magical Mull June trip is full with a few places left for my October trip. I do have places left for my Madagascar trip which you can view here, Masia Mara trip, view the itinerary here and a few others. I’m really looking forward to 2012 and all the trips, plans and filming I have got in store. I hope you all make the best of your time within nature and capture those wonderful moments you witness yourselves, good luck.

And just before I go wanted to say there were some great winning images in the WWT photo comp for autumn, I had two category’s to judge which was nice with a very good standard all round so well done to all that entered. I have been asked back to judge the remaining 3 rounds where the overall winner will be announced later in the year, so good luck to all those that enter.

I have been really busy with one to ones and my own work over the last couple of weeks as I’ve noticed a slight nip in temperatures and the evenings are beginning to draw in.  I have found a few new sites that look really promising, more news in the future fingers crossed, and while spending quite a bit of time at one I managed to capture this male Stonechat in the setting sun, with the slight autumn colours forming the background.

I’ve also been revisiting my Watervole site, watching where this fellow feeds and comes ashore, I was able to photograph him on the riverbank here, just sniffing the air in the image below,  such wonderful creatures to watch.

Birds are on the move everywhere now and autumn is a great time of activity as young birds seek their own territories as migrants birds undertake their extraordinary journeys around the world.  All around our coast you’ll see alot of action too, with Seals, wintering flocks of birds, vast influxes of Pink foot, Brent Geese.

I really look forward to welcoming our winter visitors that spend their time on our shores during this time, returning in early spring to the breeding grounds back home. The bounty of food that litters the land during the autumn months brings many species out as they gorge on natures offering before the cold of winter sets in. You also get lovely light with the shorter days and colder temperatures all adding so much to any image.

Whooper Swans are one of my favourite as they travel south from their arctic breeding grounds to spend their winters in the UK, a beautiful and elegant bird.  Another great event in natures calendar shortly is the deer rut, an event that reaches its peak in mid October.  This year as well as visiting the sites within the UK I will be making my way north to Scotland hoping to capture this amazing event within the dramatic surroundings this part of the UK offers, along with some lovely autumn light fingers crossed.

The Red deer stag is Britains largest land mammal, during the rut they advertise their presence, power and control over a harem of females with dawn roars which echo for miles.  When rivals cannot be separted on their roars alone things turn physical then as the stags with antlers locked push each other, trying to force the other to the ground.  The risks are high though with massive, sharp antlers which can inflict seroius, even mortal wounds.  The rewards though are great, as the dominant male wins the chance to father all of the next years offspring from the harem.

Lots of wonderful events within natures calendar coming up over the next few months which I am hoping to capture with my camera.  Wildlife changing with the seasons, one such animal I have spent a lot of my time on during the summer months is the Mountain Hare which turns white with the onset of autumn/winter.  The Peak District is a great place for this mammal and outside of Scotland is the only other place they live in the wild after being introduced some years ago now.

Towards the end of September I will be at the Outdoor Trade show at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire with 511 Tactical UK clothing stand.  I have been testing some items kindly sent to me from 511 over the last six months in different climates, I have found them to be really comfortable and very hard wearing in the field, a full review will be posted soon on my blog.  Ray Mears, TV presenter who also uses this brand of clothing will also be there on the Monday so if you are in the area drop in, or alternatively see their website here for full product range.

PhotoTraining4U is aimed at both professional and amateur photographers alike and is structured into bite size learning films, over 800 at present, each around 20 minutes. It’s online quality training for photographers for an affordable price.  This type of training enables photographers of all levels to learn new techniques on every subject.

After a recent meeting I am pleased to say I have been asked to do some filming with the team, covering how I work in the field, giving helpful tips and advice in order that people can capture those amazing moments in nature that they see.  At the same time learning more about key elements when working with wild animals, that in turn will help you read what’s happening around you, giving better results with your own wildlife photography.  I will update my blog once the filming is complete which is due to start in the last week of September.

All the new dates for my workshops and photo tours are now up for next year, please click here to see them.  Thanks you to those who have booked onto the Beauty of Wildlife 2 day wildlife workshop I am doing in conjunction with Calumet Photographic, Manchester. I look forward to meeting you all and helping you capture and see the beauty of wildlife.

I have a few places left for my Winter Waders, Norfolk 3 day photo tour in December.  The Wash is England’s largest tidal estuary and one of the country’s most important winter feeding areas for waders and wildfowl and you’ll be spellbound as you watch tens of thousands of pink-footed geese from Iceland leave their night time roost site and head inland to feed. Norfolk in the winter offers so much in the way of wildlife and my aim on this 3 day workshop is to get you some of the best images of the winter wildlife Norfolk has to offer.

And lastly, I have an exhibition called “The Beauty of Wildlife” for one week from Sunday 27^th November until Sunday 4^th December 2011 at the amazing Winter Gardens in Sheffield. Officially opened by Queen Elizabeth 2nd, on 22nd, May 2003, this is one of the largest temperate glasshouses to be built in the UK and a beautiful place in which to display my work, with trees, plants and other fauna around creating a peaceful and tranquil environment.

I will be in attendance throughout the week.  There is also coffee and light refreshments available within the site. So if you are in the area then please pop in to say hi and have a look at the exhibition. And if you have any questions or require any help or advice on the equipment you are using then I will do my best to help. Look forward to seeing you there.

In October I will be running a two day “Beauty of Wildlife” workshop in conjunction with Calumet Photographic, one of the leading photographic suppliers in the UK. It will be the first workshop of many planned with this leading camera supplier company.  The first day will be based at their Manchester branch, where we I will go through camera settings, compositions, setting up of each person’s camera and sharing/passing on my knowledge in order to improve individuals photography.

I will also show you some slideshows, touching on the various different skills needed for wildlife photography, use of light, what to look out for, fieldcraft and lots more. Tea and Coffee will be provided during the day and I’ll answer any questions in regard to wildlife photography that you may have in order to improve or move along your own existing skill level. I demonstrate to everyone that attends my one to ones and workshops what works and cut through all the ‘minefield’ of what’s best and what should I use, which mode etc that can drag people down.

I will replace all of that with a usable workflow that works on the ground, the same as I use, with no secrets, no hidden settings. Once clients have seen this I feel it gives them a more relaxed approach to their own work, knowing full well they weren’t really doing a lot wrong in the first place. I am self taught with over 30 years of knowledge of wildlife, which is the real key to wildlife photography.

The second day, unlike the first which will be classroom based will be in the beautiful Peak District. As a wildlife photographer the great outdoors is my office, a place in which I capture the beautiful images I am blessed in seeing. The beauty of photographing wildlife is that it is always changing and evolving, encountering the unexpected. In this environment the photographer must learn to work with these changing environmental conditions and behaviours, and the result cannot always be predicted.

My images represent an event that occurred in the wild, something that I witnessed and recorded with my camera. Learning to get close to wildlife without disturbing the life of the animal is the key to my work and this approach enables me to get close enough to capture the animal’s beauty and behaviour which both feature strongly in my style of photography, showing a wild animal within their natural habitat being the foundation to my work today.

Fieldcraft is the most important tool in a wildlife photographer’s box I believe, because if the animal is not use to human contact, isn’t tame or use to you putting food out, then they will be very difficult to get close to in the absence of hides.

Learning fieldcraft skills will improve your photography, as a subject going about its life, free from human contact always makes for the best photographs. I feel you cannot learn real and true fieldcraft from anything other than a wild animal, in the wild. I have never worked with captive or tame animals as their behaviour is too contrived for me and is as a result of contact with man.  I will show you simple and key elements to fieldcraft on the second day where you’ll greatly benefit from the wonderful wildness that is the moors of the Peak District and its wildlife.

Many clients who attend my workshops all go away with a better understanding of photographing wildlife, where it’s not about what you have but how to best use your equipment to obtain those lovely images you see with your eyes. Things change very quickly in the wild and I will give you ideas and a workflow that empowers you to capture and improve your own work. Seeing an image takes time, this skill can be learned by watching your subject and understanding its behaviour.

The Red Grouse by nature is a very elusive bird, always hiding away and making best use of the habitat in which to disappear, as shown in this wide angled image of a Red Grouse hiding, blending in very well.  They will see you long before you see them.

We will start early to capture the beautiful wildlife as the sun rises against the backdrop of the Peak District which will make for some amazing images. During our day in the Peak District we will be concentrating our efforts on Red Grouse among the autumn/winter landscapes and Mountain Hares, the only place outside of Scotland where there is a healthy population of these mammals.

We will also have the opportunity to see Short Eared Owls and many other birds which stay in this area all year, and don’t migrant like alot of other birds.  You will need to provide your own photographic equipment or alternatively you can hire equipment from Calumet Photographic, Manchester and we will meet in Buxton train station car park.  It will be a great day, where you will learn alot more about the ‘wild’ in wildlife photography, capturing images that will be around you, gaining subject awareness which again is key to capturing a wild animal’s character and behaviour.

So if you would like to book onto this wildlife workshop then please click on this link, which will take you to Calumets website. If you would like to hire any camera equipment for the day of which I will help and go through with you on the first day then again just ask at your time of booking. I look forward to seeing you in October and should you have any questions or queries don’t hesitate to contact myself or Calumet Photographic Manchester.

Over the last seven days I have had four one to ones. Two in Norfolk photographing Barn Owls and Waders -thank you Ian and Daniel.  Then travelling onto the Peak District for two days of one to ones photographing Red Grouse, Dippers and Watervoles with repeat customer Andrew, many thanks for your company gents. The weather was testing at times but I hope you all got everything and more from your one to one days with myself and look forward to seeing you all in the future. Many thanks.

Norfolk is the birth place of one of England’s greatest heroes, Admiral Lord Nelson, born in the village of Burnham Thorpe. He was destined for greatness from a young age, going on to lead our fabulous Royal Navy. The Vice Admiral, died on board HMS Victory on 21 October 1805, and was reportedly proud of his Norfolk roots and referred to them in a victory speech.  Now Norfolk has returned the favour by calling itself “Nelson’s County” on new road signs. Norfolk is one of England’s most beautiful counties with its legendary big skies and vast beaches, it’s a paradise for wildlife 12 months of the year.

The dawn light is one thing I truly love, a sense of warmth and being alive fills me upon seeing the new dawn break, and there is no better time in the day for me. After the recent wet weather I got really lucky as she was being kind to me and my clients whilst on their one to one, where I cover the many places, going through help and advice within this amazing county.

Across natures calendar the breeding cycle is coming to an end and in most parts animals are feeding their last offspring. With only the slight high pitched begging call gracing the countryside as you walk around. Most wildlife now are resting, feeding and building up their own body weight in order to have enough strength to migrate to warm climites during the next 3 to 4 weeks. There are those that stay with us all year, where they now have more time, having reared their families. We also welcome our winter visitors very soon, with the small advance parties of waders, and geese having already arrived from their summer breeding grounds here in Norfolk.

While I was driving from the different sites I noticed that there were many poppies starting to bloom, showing their distinctive red colour among the blander colours of the countryside. This image below is as shot where a wall of trees was holding back the sun’s rays, with only a few rays penetrating through and falling onto this lone poppy growing at the roadside. It instinctively caught my eye, with the sun lighting up the colours and finer details of this beautiful flower, showing sometimes the simplest of images are all around us.

A large part of my time was spent looking for Barn Owls and to see how they’d all got on throughout the last few months. I visited several sites and the adult owls were showing well, hunting in the various forms of light I had, from beautiful sunlight to a little overcast on one of the several days I was there.  When you are showing clients around a place you know so well its great when a chosen subject you’ve spoke about turns up and I am really glad to say the Barn Owls gave my clients the opportunity to witness them at work, quartering and hunting in pure silence.

Gliding effortless over the farmland, always scanning the ground below. Amazing birds that have captivated me from childhood with their sudden appearance, gaining eye contact with you for a split second then disappearing as quick as they arrived. They truly are the masters of this habitat, never failing to get your heart rate racing once they appear and go about the job they were so well equipped to do.

A pleasure to see and photograph after the two extreme cold spells they’ve endured in 2010 and 2011. I will be returning to Norfolk next week with one to ones as the Spring tides start in earnest again.  These happen 2-3 times a month throughout the autumn and winter months.  These spring tides are the biggest and best tides for witnessing the thousands of birds roosting on the mudflats, being pushed closer to shore.  Sights and sounds of nature that are amazing and never forgotten so I’m really looking forward to these days and capturing a different take on this breathtaking event in nature.

I’ve been running one to ones on these days now for sometime, where we spend the morning watching this amazing spectacular in nature, then the rest of the day we photograph Barn owls, Waders and the winter migrants that slowly arrive on mass throughout the next month or so.  I have a few places left also for this years Winter Waders in Norfolk, a full 3 day, 2 night photo trip showing you these and more wonderful sights during the winter months.

GDT / European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2011

My photograph “Spring Tide” capturing thousands of waders taking off during a Norfolk spring tide made the final of this prestigious award. With several of my images making the quarter, semi-finals also. The image captures the movement of those birds by using a slow shutter speed, giving the image a real sense of movement. With nearly 1000 photographers from 39 countries, who entered almost 14,000 pictures into this GDT competition.  My image made the final in the Bird category.

The European “eye” as I call it has always greatly inspired me and my own work, capturing more of the story behind the photograph and subject, showing the habitat and brilliant, simple compositions makes this competition one of my favourites, with some truly amazing images. Many thanks to my clients over the last several days, hope you enjoyed Norfolk, for more information on my one to ones or photo trips I run the please send me an email here .

Many Thanks.

The Arctic summer is magnificent, for a short season the sun makes endless circles above the horizon bringing a unique light and energy that is shared both sides of the Arctic Ocean.  High pressure is usually in charge at this time of year creating more stable weather and for a period of three months or so, we are treated to some of the finest shows on earth.

If you have dreamed of sailing amongst colossal ice-bergs, being surrounded by breaching whales or watching a glacier calve another million tonnes of ice into the ocean, then this amazing 14 day photographic adventure is for you.  Polar Bear is not a cruise ship, allowing for the very best opportunities for photography at a much lower perspective, as the yacht sits lower in the water giving you a truly special  experience.

Sailing in East Greenland is very far from the ordinary, a landscape which is dominated by jagged mountains and glaciers, dramatic cliffs and enormous ice bergs.  Scoresby Sund (70°32′N 24°21′W) which is the the largest fjord system in the world.  It is a sea in its own right, 200 miles deep with many linked fjords offering endless exploration.  The Sund is frozen and un-navicable in winter, however, a typical summer will allow a few short months for us to get in and absorb the atmosphere.

The timing of this 14 day trip has been specially designed with this in mind where it will give the very best and magical opportunities to everyone on broad.  You will see these amazing sites along with the breathtaking wildlife that live in this part of the world, where we will have almost 24 hours of sunlight a day, giving you that magic light a photographer always wishes for. We will have the boat to ourselves as Craig Jones Wildlife Photography has chartered the whole boat along with a small and expert crew to get us into the best places along this magnificent coastline.

One of the main animals we will be looking out for during this trip is the magnificent Polar Bear or Nanuuq as the Eskimos call it in this land of ice and home to this great Arctic wanderer. They spend most of their time at or near the edge of the pack ice, this is where they are most likely to find their food.  Due to the very nature and design of our craft will we be able to approach unseen and unheard in most parts where this will have a major effect on the sightings of various different wildlife in this region, Polar bears being one.

This was one of the main reasons for choosing this ship ; The Polar Bear instead of the ice breakers as it will have alot less impact on the environment, with lower carbon emissions, all helping in the fight against climate change and global warming, at the same time not disturbing the wildlife so much as we creep into the sheltered bays and coves, just perfect for wildlife photography.  Also as you can see from this video sound travels great distances under the ice where the animals both sea dwelling and land based hear everything.

Being powered by sails will drastically cut down on the noise our ship will make allowing wildlife to act normally in this area without any noise pollution from large turbine- engines.  At the same time providing dependable transport and accommodation way beyond the limits of other commercial boats, and very in keeping with my own style of wildlife photography where I like to work the land, photograph only wild animals, approach using fieldcraft, respecting the animal first and foremost, in turn helping them to relax and be less hindered by my presence.  This is the aim of this adventure, carrying forward this standard in this very precious and delicate environment.

With the amazing 24 hour light this means we can take full advantage of all opportunities that happen and present themselves to us as a group.  Whether that be Polar bears, Walrus on the ice or sailing through spectacular icebergs. We will also explore by zodiac and go ashore to capture the wildlife at the same time see and visit the local Inuit people that live here always under the expert guidance of the crew alongside myself.

Greenland is one of those places that is still slightly untouched.  This trip will take you right into the heart of the Arctic Circle. Greenland has around 15 different species of whales that are regular visitors to these Greenlandic waters, but only three of these – the Beluga, Narwhal, Bowhead are most common, with Blue and Killer Whales, also very popular in these food rich waters.  During the summer season it is Humpback, Minke and Fin Whale species that can be seen the most, where the blow holes are the first indicator they are around. The crew of the Polar front often witness these amazing animals in these water during the summer months, another major plus for us sitting lower in the water where we will be almost level with them as they surface for air.

The Land of Midnight Sun
Midnight sun can be experienced north of the Arctic Circle for a period lasting from a single day to five months depending on how far north you travel. In central Greenland the sun does not set from the end of May until the end of August. During this period, the soft, warm rays from the low-lying sun make the surrounding scenery appear almost dreamlike; icebergs and hilltops are bathed in a surrealistic palette of pink, purple, yellow and red hues.

This unusual phenomenon is due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis in relation to its orbit round the sun. North of the Arctic Circle it means that the sun can be seen around the clock during the summer months. In contrast, the dark polar nights are characteristic of the region during the winter. In the southerly regions of Greenland that do not lie within the Arctic Circle there is no midnight sun, although the nights certainly do remain light during the summer months.

This amazing adventure can be seen here with links to the ships quarters and layout of the ship.  This is where you will live and spend time when not out on deck, watching as we pierce through the sea. It will also show you some information on this ex-round the world racing yacht, giving you the idea of life on broad. The photo tour is for a maximum of 10 people where there are double quarters for couples as well as single spaces for lone travelers.

I feel this trip is very unique and bespoke for the many reasons I have already mentioned and Greenland is becoming a place that is creating great interest around the world so I feel privileged to be leading this photographic trip alongside such a brilliant ship into these Arctic waters. I have had some great interest from many people around the world as well as here in the UK where places are limited to 10 people only.  The UK people that book will have a group flight where we all fly out together to Greenland.  The guys who’d like to book from other countries can meet us there on the Saturday morning, then we all broad Polar Bear together and head out into the wilderness.  For more information please contact me here

“Amongst the higher latitudes, the light, scenery and wildlife seem to work together, providing the perfect ingredients for great photography.  We have been lucky enough to visit the most stunning environments you could imagine, encounter whales and dolphins close enough to touch and watch glaciers calve enormous icebergs before our eyes.  Photography is a passion held amongst us all and we love sharing what we have seen” .. Harriet Norton – Polar Front

Just a quick post to say a big thank you to the organisers from WWT Martin Mere for inviting me to this advent, the general public who turned up and booked onto the three talks I did yesterday at Martin Mere  Birdwatching Festival. They all ran over time, all three workshops were fully booked, each almost running into each other.  A great day and I hope the folks that turned up enjoyed it as much as I did.  It was nice to see a few people I have not seen for a while and lots of new faces so hello to you all again, if any of you would like any further advice on what I touched on then please don’t hesitate to contact me. I have a few more talks planned over the next few months which I am really looking forward to, if you would like to enquiry or book me for next year then send me an email.

This is one of the slideshows I presented on the day capturing the beautiful wildlife that lives in and around our coastline, from first light until last light.

Autumn is a great time to get out with your camera as the ground is laden with fruits and nuts forming a carpet of food.  A very rich bounty in which all animal’s take advantage of this extra food source before the onset of Winter.  Capturing behaviour in some animals during Autumn makes for some beautiful encounters with wildlife. The most commonly known one is the Deer Rut , which was very late this year, I have been to several places around the UK over the last month and seen some brilliant behaviour and great moments.

This time of year is also one of the best times to see and witness one of the most secret and shy birds within the bird world, the Jay, part of the Crow family.  You only normally hear these birds in the tops of trees, but during the plentiful bounty on offer during Autumn you’ll see them on the ground feeding on the acorns and other nuts and fruits the trees shed at this time of year.

The changing seasons and the yearly life cycle of animals, plants and trees will enable you to photograph many different images throughout the year, which will tell the story of the changing weather and colours of the different habitats in which the wildlife live in.  The season of Autumn for me is arguably one of the finest times of year to enjoy and view wildlife with a backdrop of amazing colours, while most summer birds have now gone. Vast numbers of new arrivals make up for their departure, with the likes of Fieldfares, Redwings, and various Geese and Ducks that spend the winter months with us.

One of my favorite winter visitor’s is the beautiful Whooper Swan that have started to arrive from Iceland along with the slightly smaller but equally beautiful Bewick Swan.  When they have all arrived numbers can surpass more than 1,000 Whoopers in and around the various places I visit, one of the best is on the North West coast of the UK.  So graceful and elegant for a large bird they truly are beautiful and amazing to watch in flight.

I have also been photographing a real comical and funny bird, always on the move and constantly calling  as they climb and pose up and down trees with great finesse and ease, the Nuthatch.  I wanted to try and capture a few different view points of these charismatic, iconic woodland birds with their bold mannerism’s.  I waited out of site to where they were landing, hoping to capture their cheeky side within an image.  The following two photos I feel demonstrate this, with the amazing colours of the autumnal woodland as the back drop.  Very funny birds and just one of the many wonderful animals you can photograph now as they feed on this rich source of food nature provides them with during Autumn.

Autumn marks the transition from Summer into Winter and is a short season compared to the other three so make the most of it with the colourful foliage on offer, adding great impact to any photographs you take. With the cooler temperature’s you maybe lucky enough for some amazing sunsets as I was with this lone Kestrel hunting in the very last rays of light over marshland.

With so much happening now my best advice would be to just go out into nature and capture this amazing and visually beautiful time of year, your reward will be views of animals you may not be able to see during the other seasons of the year, at the same time witness these stunning colours. 

The migrants that these shores attract along with the special winter wildlife we have, finally show up in good numbers from now onwards giving you a unique insight into their lives, some of the best for me are Short-eared Owls that come down from the mountains to feed at sea level during our winter months, Mountain Hares that change colour to pure white to avoid predators and blend in with their snow capped landscapes along with Ptarmigan and many more species of wildlife where the only downside is that it becomes colder but you get to put more layers on!!.  Whatever you do you will not be disappointed with the beauty of mother nature.

I attended this amazing visual and inspiring event again this year alongside friend and designer/director of Traxwatch; Kevin Bromley. We were both amazed and inspired by the images presented by the different photographers from around the world.  Some very breathtaking images and a few firm favourites for me were the Bird Of Paradise images from Tim Laman .  They were stunning and I particularly liked the way in which he captured these images by climbing into the tops of the trees.  It was also great to see the locals building a hide there and watching the sun rise over the jungle valley beneath him was truly brilliant and something I love to do one day in my own work being a trained climber/abseiler.  

Kai Fagerström images where amazing too, telling a lovely story of abandoned houses being reclaimed by mothernature and becoming home to many animals including Badgers.  His image was a prize-winner in the 2010 Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, and for more than ten years, he has photographed badgers and other animals active at twilight in the area around his Finnish home, and for the past few years he has recorded the twilight and nocturnal activity of the wildlife inhabiting abandoned houses amazing, I really loved these images. 

Nice also to speak to Joe Cornish  I found his landscapes truly inspiring and learned a lot from his presentation. I don’t do a lot of landscape photography as such but I do love to capture a animal within their natural landscape which is very important to my work and watching and listening to Joe’s presentation was very interesting. It made me look at an image in a different manner to that of one with a living subject in. A recent image of mine in this years British Wildlife Photography Awards 2010 called ‘Frosty Morning’ has been included in their book which illustrates this ethos perfectly. 

The image was of a male Barn Owl quartering a field where the landscape formed a big part of the image for me, it was taken during the recent cold spell at the beginning of the year which stayed with us for several months while many animals suffered to find food.  The background was frozen solid and was in the shade at the time I took the image, compared to the rest of the image which was in the morning sunlight.  The Owl was hunting as temperatures where around -8oc, he did survive the cold spell though which was great news.

Really nice to meet up with Charlie Hamilton James again after the Birdfair and I am looking forward to seeing him again in the new year when hopefully he’s going to help me with my underwater photos of Kingfishers, which he is the master of.  A great show and nice to meet alot of nice people while we were there.  It was great for Kevin also with his remote camera system Traxwatch creating a lot of interest.  Kevin has chosen me to be one of the wildlife photographers to put this equipment through its paces and also promote this brilliant piece of kit along with Charlie,  where it captures video, time lapse, freezes images and much,much more so really looking forward to trying this style of photography I have not used in the past. Also really great to see one of my Barn Owl images on his product, which is brilliant and I wish you all the luck Kevin.

Yesterday I was back to what I love, acompanied by Steve where we photographed the Red and Fallow Deer in the morning light which was beautiful, always on the look out for a different image.  I captured this very soft and delicate looking young Fallow Deer feeding among this woodland.  I waited for him to pass through the few shafts of light penetrating the tree canopy to capture him in the amazing sunlight, the image can be seen below, thanks for a great day Steve and a few surprises there from folks along the way.

There is a wonderful link that has just been sent to me from the BBC Wildlife Magazine, where it lists Photography courses for all and you’ll see another one of my Barn Owls images on my very popular advert I have with them , the link can be seen here.  Have a look around the site, there’s some amazing images with great help and advice on lots of different topics.

The next time you see a large group of Geese on the ground, just take a moment to watch them and you will be amazed at the way they stick together, how they see everything and are talking to each other all the time, its the perfect example of strength in numbers and the simple but successful way in which Geese live alongside each other.

Over the last 4-6 weeks I have noticed that the number of waders have been really low, with their number being dispersed further around the coastline from Snettisham, but in general the numbers have been low mainly due to the warmer weather we are having after the very cold start to the year, its delaying alot of wildlife I feel.  So after spending the weekend there on one to ones it was great to see the number of waders back up to the levels you’d hope and expect to see at this time of year.  Where most if not all are not looking their best as they go through their moulting period.

With the darker mornings and the onset of winter just around the corner the tides come in sometimes now while its still dark.  This happened to us this weekend, so we were  treated to the massive flocks flying  just feet over our heads in the dark, which was an amazing experience to witness.  Your sight is not great so you rely on your other senses to see whats going on which only heightens this amazing  experience.

As the light came up and the birds were flying around, they started to settle into the pools or pits as they are better known in front of the hides there.  I showed Phil, one of my clients on this day, how to use a slow shutter speed, capturing movement in a photo which in turn conveys the sheer power, movement and size of the flocks here.  Something spooked the flock and they all took off together, its been a long time since I saw this, as the whole lot, some 1-2 thousand birds went from a dormant, sleepy state into this powerful take off I captured in the two above images using a low shutter speed and low ISO.

They then settle back down into these pools sleeping and waiting until the tide retreats before heading back out to sea.  One of natures most amazing spectacles that if you are lucky enough to see the experience will stay with you forever.  The number of other birds that live in and around this coastline is vast, where they all feed in their different ways, I often feel in all the mayhem that these birds get forgotten about and passed over in favour of the massive flocks.  My advice would be to look everywhere once you are there and you’ll see so much other birdlife just going about their business in this rich and very diverse area of the north Norfolk coastline. 

The Great Peak District Fair is this weekend 16Th, 17Th October at the Pavilion Gardens, Buxton.  I will be displaying my images in various different formats along with my Limited Edition Tiger prints where 50% of the profits from each sale go towards 21 Century Tiger, a charity that gives 100% of the money to helping wild Tiger survive in the wild. 

The fair is an experience of everything that is great about the Peak District, where you can enjoy the delights of the finest local products, amazing foods with over 90 exhibitors the weekend promises to be fun for the whole family with live music and much more so if you are in the area pop in to say hello at the same time enjoy the delights of this very busy and amazing fair set within the beautiful Pavilion Gardens.

My Photo-Tour to the amazing Masai Mara Migration 2011 is now live on my workshops page, Paul McDougall who I work with in Kenya has secured me a great lodge in a private location on the Mara, where we will be close to action and have some amazing encounters. Paul who owns and runs his own wildlife company in Kenya is ideally placed to let me know whats happening and the best sites, so naturally as I always endeavor to give each client the very best I can, I will be working alongside Paul during our stay there in August 2011 getting you the best experiences from on the ground.

The 8 day trip will be amazing staying at one of the best traditional safari camps in the Masai Mara, this small camp will be a very special experience away from the normal hustle and bustle of other camps, where the private nature of our camp will be perfect for observing nature as we are perfectly placed to see the amazing wildlife in the Mara. Places are limited to a first come first served basis,  5 people max, so if you would like more information or would like to make a booking then send me an email here or go straight to my workshops page and fill in the booking form.  I am currently working on plans to also run a trip to Uganda for Mountain Gorillas and a ’Wolves of Ethiopia’ photo-tour, capturing this beautiful animal high on the Sanetti Plateau of Ethiopia’s Bale Mountains,  only species of wolf found in Africa.

I am also working with a national charity, leading a tour to see the Orangutan.  I will update you with more details in a few weeks. The trip will be led by myself with expert guides on the ground, where we will be staying in the jungle overnight, being at one within the forests these animals live in.  Lots going on and all genuine trips enabling people to not only see but to capture beautiful images of these very different and stunningly beautiful animals in their natural habitats.

Habitats in which I have first hand, expert knowledge in having served in the armed forces for a number of years, working in these very different environments unitising all my climbing, abseiling, tracking, survival skills and many more, hopefully being able to show people the beauty of each one of these animals. I will update my blog in the next few weeks on these trips, giving a unique opportunity to visit these places on earth, learning about their different ecosystems.  What a year it plans to be, many thanks.