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 on Ice

Otters on ice

I had a series of photos of our otters playing on the ice of their ponds in the national papers a few years a go. It was one of the first sequences I had published, and although I look back and think the photos could have been better, I am still very pleased to have been able to share them on such a large scale.

The photo above of two of our old otters on the ice together was the one that really caught the eye of many. Below are a few more from that series and others where ice was involved.

Walking on Ice

I know it is currently very warm out there, but I was asked to share these after the snow photos... so rather than leave it and inevitably forget, I thought I would put them up today.

On the Ice

Minnie was one odour original otters, and one of the first I ever worked with... pictured above... Sadly no longer with us.

Walking on Water

I love it when the top of the ponds are iced over, but still fluid on the surface. It makes it look like they are walking on water.

Climbing onto Ice

Often they swim under the ice and then break through and climb up on to the surface of it.

Swimming under the Ice

Swimming under the ice they seem to really enjoy, and often chase each other. One swimming under the ice one running on the surface of the ice. It is such fun to watch.

Minnie on the Ice

Our ponds really do ice up most years. Last winter was very mild, but in previous years the ice on the surface has got quite thick offering great chances to photograph them on top of it. I remember doing a piece for a local paper a couple of years a go about our otters on ice, and got completely misquoted... first time I realised first hand to take what is written in papers with a pinch of salt. I think I was asked what I thought of Celebrity Dancing on Ice, to which I replied "I don't know, I don't watch it" and got quoted as saying "They are otterly at home on the ice, and would give the celebrities a real run for their money. I think some "celebrities" name would not have a patch on Minnie on the ice." or something like that.

Falling through the Ice

They don't know how thick the ice is, or how thin it is, and so sometimes they do just fall through it while walking on the surface.

Otter through a Fish-eye

My most well known icy photo. This is Grace, and she has now toured the country in many a gallery!

Running on the Ice

One of my oldest, and still one of my favourites. Minnie running on the ice in the snow one year.

Thanks for looking.

What to expect...

Grinning Fox

Welcome all to my new blog, "Matt's Photos". I am looking at this blog as a sister blog to the BWC Keepers Blog, and as a place to share some more of my photos. For more about this blog click the link above. There are also links above to find out more about me, the camera gear I use and links to the BWC blog and my photo sharing sites etc.

For this first post I thought I would just show you ten photos from over the years. These will give you and idea of what to expect on this sister blog. Hope you enjoy.

Above is a photo of Flo our friendly fox, taken with a wide angle lens which gives it an almost comical feel. This was the first photo I took which I was REALLY pleased with. It took a while to grow on me, but is now one of my favourites. It is a lovely portrait, but a little different. Not taken with a remote trigger as many think, I was actually behind it at the time.

Winged Assassin of Bluebell Wood

Above is Florence flying over the bluebells. I have been lucky enough to have many photographs in the papers over the years, but this is possibly the most famous.

Day Old Badger Cubs

Working at the BWC I am lucky to see many unusual or very rare sights. Above is not a great photo, but it is something I like showing people. It is of two, one day old badger cubs. Even from day one you can see that they have the classic black and white striped face!

Lucy Flying a Barn Owl

I have a very hard working and dedicated team of keepers, that work hard to maintain the high standards of welfare and presentation we have at the Centre. It is like photographing them in action, and if possible unaware, to get more natural poses. It is good for the records and as souvenirs. It is a shame the barn owl was moulting above and so had half a tail, but you can only work with what you have got.

Dance of the Adders

Different behaviours are always fascinating to me, and arguably my most anticipated every year is the "Dance of the Adders". This is one I took in the first year I had a camera, and still possibly my favourite. Taken from outside the enclosure, and so shows the great opportunities you can get here even with out the exclusive access of our photo days.

Fox Smelling Daffodil

My favourite fox, Pickles, sadly non longer with us. Sniffing the daffodils. This is the first photograph I took that got noticed and encouraged people who have never been to the Centre to follow my photography.

Autumn Hedgehog

 I love using the light, and backlight in particular. I also love colour, and the above shows both nicely.

Fisheye Otter on Ice

I was once told that a fisheye lens is good, but you can't use it for wildlife. After this I was determined to prove them wrong. I love my fisheye lens. It takes great quirky portraits, but can also be used well in other ways. The above is my most highly awarded photo, being Highly Commended in 2012's British Wildlife Photographer of the Year. It was amazing to see it in the gallery alongside other great amateur, and many amazing professional photographers work.

Beautiful Bonnie

One of my first, and still one of my favourite, of all photos. Showing Bonnie, the pine marten, off to her beautiful best. It is not the best technically, but still I love it and that is all that matters.

Vole's Eye View

The editing I do is minimal, and tends to only be slight tweaks in levels and cropping. Apart from the obvious photoshopped images for fun, I could probably count on one hand the number of images I have actually "manipulated". The above is one of the ones I did manipulate, it is also a little soft and not of high quality. But it is unusual, different, and so one of my favourites.

Thanks for looking.