Samsung NX1

Samsung NX1

A month or so a go now I was contacted by Samsung, through Bright Media Publishing, and asked if I would like to be an "Imagelogger". For this they would send me a brand new Samsung NX1 camera with vertical camera grip and 16-50mm 'S' class lens for me to use and try out for an 8 week period. In return I would upload several images a week to Samsung for them to use, and share across all their platforms to advertise the camera, and in return for this I would be allowed to keep the camera at the end of the 8 week period...

What a deal! I of course said yes... I get a free camera worth just shy of £2,500, they get some (hopefully) good images and the BWC gets some great exposure... Win win!

Samsung Imagelogger - taken by Izzy Coomber

The camera arrived on Christmas eve, but the kit lens was not available... and still isn't... Would of thought they would of had all that side of things organised, but in the mean time and for the rest of the test period Samsung have kindly loaned me two longer lenses which I asked for to help with the wildlife photographs I will be taking. An 18-200mm lens, which to be honest is not too bad at the wider angles but forget about it above 150mm, and the 'S' class 50-150mm lens which I have to say so far I am very impressed with!

As well as myself, 4 other photographers have been asked to be image loggers to make up 5 of us. Looking at their sites I think I am the only "wildlife" photographer... I was surprised to be asked, but their is no doubt I have great access to wildlife models :-)

The eight week period will not start till we have our 16-50mm lenses, which should be fairly soon, but expect a few blogs posts over the next couple of months on this camera.

Me - taken by Izzy Coomber

I have been asked to do at least one blog post a week about what I think of the Samsung NX1, but having planned it all out... eh, I mean... by introducing a little anarchy I will do at least two. My reasoning behind this is I know a lot of you will just the interested in seeing the photos from around the BWC and not care what camera it was taken on, some may just want to see the photos from the NX1 to see what it is capable of. Others will be interested in what I think of the camera from a photographers point of view.

Every Monday, once it all starts, I have to upload my images to Samsung. Therefore around that time I will also upload the images I give them here for people to see.

Then later in the week I will do another post on how I have got on that week, what I photographed/tested etc and my thoughts and opinions... Those interested can then take them how they wish, but I will always be honest from how I use a camera.

Just to warn the photographers out there though... I am not a "camera geek"... I don't mean that in a negative way, all I mean is I don't know all the ins and outs of how a camera works... but I do know how to take a good picture, compose a nice image and get the best out of a camera I use.

Fox
"This content is created with the Samsung NX1, which has been provided by Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd"

I have to start the first week with an un-boxing, first thoughts post and finish up after the 8 weeks with a full review.

But just to get you interested/excited, here are a few initial test shots. Above, Frodo at the wider end of the 18-200mm.

Wildcat
"This content is created with the Samsung NX1, which has been provided by Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd"

This is Macavity above, and Elwood below. Both taken with the 50-150mm lens. I am not sure how they will appear on this blog, but I can assure you on my Mac at full size they are pin-sharp!

Otter
"This content is created with the Samsung NX1, which has been provided by Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd"

So there you go, exciting times. First "Official" post on this will be coming soon hopefully, but if you want to follow how I get on with the Samsung... as well as keep up with my other photos, extra BWC photos and news etc then you can now do so with the following (linked in the titles):

Facebook

This is where I will share photos through out the week I take, and any interesting shots from around the Centre.

Twitter

I don't use twitter, but have linked this account to Facebook. Therefore if you want to keep up with the photos, but prefer twitter to Facebook, this is the place for you.

Google+ 

I have an account on Google + for writing the blogs and youtube, but again only use them to share the blog posts I make. However if you prefer to use Google + to keep up with things, here you go.

Flickr 

My flickr photostream. I share some photos here with the BWC group, and if you are just here for the Samsung pictures... then I have made a "Set" to upload all the Samsung photos too.

500px 

Finally, this is where I post some of what I think are my better images. 

Feel free to follow, like and or share any of the above with anyone you think may be interests. If you have any questions on the camera, feel free to ask, and I will happily answer them if I can.

To see the camera and its specs, take a look here... Samsung NX1 And I will explain more on the first thoughts post.

Thanks for looking :-)

2014

Dancing adders

Happy new year to you all! I have three posts which will appear quite quickly in the new year, most likely over the next week. This first post is just a brief review of 2014 in terms of what I photographed. I am sure I have missed a lot out, and have not necessarily put in my best/favourite photos, but ones that remind me of what I did throughout the year. I have also limited it to 10 photos just to make me think a bit when selecting them.

Next up I will be sharing my favourite photos of 2014, and then introducing a new project I have been asked to participate in... very exciting, and it will lead to a regular weekly blog post for a couple of months. More on that later though, first lets look back on last year...

Every year the first thing I look forward to, if we don't have any snow, is the dance of the adders. I experimented with the macro lens this year and got some lovely shots I was pleased with. Above is one of my favourites, although I feel my back catalogue of this behaviour is still better. I am still waiting for that one really special photo of this event... maybe this year.

Stoat

I try and sit in on at least one BWC photo day a year, and one BWC Owl day a year. This gives me a good opportunity to get some fresh photos for the office to use, but also see how the day goes from a visitors view. Above is one of a stoat I took and is now used for the cover of this years leaflet.

Little owl

On the owl day I joined in on the above is one of my favourites, Scrappy peering around the edge of our stone wall set.

Bee swarm

Our bees swarmed a couple of times last year, and having a lot of photos of them all in a mass from before I tried something different. Changing the angle slightly came up with something I really liked.

Fallow deer

I was asked by the owner, David, to help with a project he is doing for a children's educational DVD and book. For the book he needed specific photographs, so with a list in hand off I went. It was the first time I have really taken photos to demand, but it was good fun and I learn't a lot from it. I am sure it will happen again in the future if the book is successful, but above is one of a fallow deer grazing.

Ironically I don't think the above photo was used, but it was one of my favourites front he shoot.

Harvest Mouse

Lucy "found" some nice corn over the summer, so we spent an evening photographing the harvest mice. You can look back in the archives for these photos, but this simple portrait above is one of my favourites.

Common Dormouse

While doing some routines in with our dormice this summer, we noticed one was up... very unusual, so after checking that they were ok I made the most of this rare chance to take some photos.

Emmy and Buster

Later in the year we had another otter cub born, little Ol' Buster. He has just started to come out more regularly. This photo above is of him on one of his first days out.

Tawny owl

Winter is always a good time for photography here. Although the days are shorter, the light when out is usually a little softer... especially in the afternoon, and you often get that nice red glow. We have done many owl days for ourselves and Andy Rouse, and Andy has recently decided to offer half and half days. I took this one late afternoon while testing the best times to use certain perches for the light. Previously we saw this location as a potential place to put the tawny owl, but were running late in the day.

Otters playing through the ice

Finally, the other day, I took this photo of Emmy and Elwood playing and chasing each other throughout the ice. Something I tell people every winter, but have never been able to show them... By luck I had my camera with me a couple of days ago while they were chasing each other, so I took a couple of snaps. Not the best, but it shows what I want.

Next week I will post my favourite images from 2014 before sharing new photos taken this year, and announce the new project I have been asked to help with.

Thanks for looking :-)

Recent Photos

Wildcat stare

Apologies for the lack of photos recently, work has been busy, but there will be a few more regular updates coming soon with a project I have been asked to help with for a couple of months. More announced soon.

Here are some of my recent photos taken over the last few weeks.

Wildcat

The above two trying something a little different with one of our wildcats Macavity.

Aluco in red light

Catching the lovely evening light with Aluco in one of our tawny owl perches for our owl days.

Highland Cow

We have three new Highland cows, which are being looked after by David (Centre owner). Had to take a simple portrait as they are such lovely looking animals, and then trying to see how friendly they are and how close I could get I of course brought out the fisheye lens.

Donalbain the highland cow

Looks like he is smiling in this one :-)

Malcom the highland cow

Trying the tail end

Member Gary K Mann kindly bought in some mirror carp for the otters for Christmas... Little Buster had a field day with his!

Buster with carp

Buster with carp

Buster

He is coming out a lot more frequently now, and really looking quite handsome.

Chasing on ice

This last one shows Emmy chasing Elwood, one on the ice one below it swimming. Always great fun to watch!

Thanks for looking.

Otters with Trout

Jake eating trout

Just a quick one today... A member to the Centre, Bob Matthews, very kindly brings us in trout occasionally to feed our otters. I wish I took a photograph of them in the tray now as they were the biggest trout I had ever seen! Thought we would treat the otters and see what they made of them.

They loved them of course, and they kept them going for a couple of days!

They all took them off and ate in private, and the light had gone, but I was pleased with these as record shots.

Above is Jake in the reeds, I nearly rolled into the water getting this one, but it worked out well. Got a series of these with him eating the trout.

Lilly eating trout

This is Lilly with hers above.

Emmy with trout

This is Emmy taking hers, jus tot show you how big they were!

Emmy taking trout

Thought she would struggle, but she took it with ease.

Emmy eating trout

And ate it happily on the island until Elwood came and stole it from her.

Thanks for looking.

Otter Cub - Buster

Just a quick post to show off the best photograph I have of Buster so far... probably already seen it on the main blog, but it is all I have!

After being out at the weekend two weeks ago, he has not since made another appearance while people have been around. He is fine though, I have seen him poking his head out of his holt, and am sure it will only be a matter of days until he is seen out more frequently.

Otters Playing

Otters Playing

Franklin is over a year old now, and due to be separated from mum and dad. The middle pond is currently empty, and so hopefully over the next week we will be able to transfer him there.

It will be good to move him over, but sad to see an end to him playing with his dad Elwood. Ever since Franklin was a cub, Elwood has shown a keen interest in helping to look after him. Even helping with his swimming lessons, which is something I had not seen the father do before, but play was always op of their list.

They would often be seen out chasing each other around the banks, and playing in the water. Usually without fail after the morning otter keeper talk they would spend ten minutes chasing each other around in the water.

With last week being the last few days of nice weather to possibly see this, I took my camera down on Sunday morning after the talk, and sure enough they put on a show. Here are a few pics.

Playing

Playing

Playing

Playing

Playing

BWC Photographic Day

Red Squirrel

I joined in on one of our photographic days a few weeks a go, and after having rain on the open days I did and dark skies on the owl day I had... both! for the BWC photographic day. It seems my luck was against me, but I still had a great day, got a couple of photos I am very pleased with and for two brief spells we did get a bit off light piercing through.

As always, we started with our red squirrels. The rain was light, and the skies were dark hence the low aperture and high iso obviously visible in the photo above, but I have to confess I really like this one. Also goes to show, push the iso up if you have too! Better to have a slightly noisy photo which is sharp than a blurry photo with no noise.

Fox

We tried the foxes next, but they were having none of it so we had to move on to the wildcats. But since we usual do the foxes second I thought I would show those photos second here too.

This is where the real advantage of a photo day comes to. Having the keeper with you for the squirrels is great, as we can even move them to a certain extent on to logs and branches for natural photos, but with the foxes, wildcats and otters you get to enter the pens with them and not only have a keeper but also avoid the barriers/mesh fencing.

Frodo

This gives you the chance to get some nice portraits, looking straight at you with a little help from a keeper, or off to one side.

Red Fox

The other advantage is being able to get close enough for something a little more abstract.

Fox Running

And if they are up for it, we can always get the animals moving a bit too for some action shots.

Wildcat

Next up is the wildcats. Once again, close up portraits is the obvious advantage, but we can get the cats running and even jumping for some great action shots. I didn't do too much with them during our session, but at the end of the day went back in of the last few minutes and with a brief spell of sunshine to take the photo above... one of my favourites from the day.

Wildcat Yawn

And who can resist a yawn shot when it shows itself!

Harvest Mouse

After the cats and before lunch, we bring out the hedgehogs and harvest mice for some more natural looking photographs on little sets. The mice are usually on teasel or corn and the hedgehog can be placed on the grass, bark or even leaves during the early autumn days.

Tawny Owl

We don't do too much with our owls, so as not to take away from our owl photographic days, but we do perch a tawny owl and barn owl for those who are interested and don't wish to come on one of our owl days. Ironically, this was my favourite photo of a tawny owl our of both our normal day and owl day I joined in on last month.

Blue Skies!

After lunch we start with the deer, and to be honest this is the one animal where there is not much difference to if you attended the keeper talk on an open day, but next is what I think is the best part of the day... going in with the otters. Once again it was very dull, but with a ten minute spell of beautiful blue sky! I just had to put on the wide angle to prove we actually did get a bit of light during this day.

Otter Swimming

With the otters we can get them on the bank, in the water and if they are up for it even a little bit of running. The big advantage here is you can get very low on the ground to get more intimate photos of them.

Otter

And as with the foxes and cats, it really shows the advantage of a photographic day over an open day. The low angle, inside the enclosure, and with a keeper keeping them interested and varying where they are.

Stoat

At the end of the day we finish up with our stoats, weasels, polecats, mink and badgers. You have no extra access with these than you would on an open day, but having the keeper there does help. They can help position the animals a little bit, and make sure they are out for you to photograph. A little bit of food of course helps keep them interested.

Thanks for looking.