Thursday, February 2, 2012
Mylittleeden
I know this blog is mainly photography, but I do like to feature some talented artists from time to time, and this is one of them, and also subject related since there are birds. Sarah is British but moved to rural Australia in 2010. Her flower and animal paintings are just stunning, and here are some of them: An eagle owl, a kingfisher, two beautiful irises - a yellow and a purple one, a wonderfully lifelike rabbit portrait and a red chrysanthemum.
Find out more by visiting her Zazzle store, Mylittleeden, or clicking on an image below. These are available as wrapped canvas prints /and or posters, as well as on some other products.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Last years birds
Well, I did manage to take one or two birds last year, the first is this nuthatch sitting on the garden table. It's a European or Eurasian Nuthatch, Sitta europaea, which is slightly different in colouring to the American version. They are quite tame here and always on the bird feeder in winter. Taken with the nikon 18-55mm kit lens
I'd taken a series of photos before, but none of them big enough to use on their own, so I had the sudden brainwave to make a collage. It's all the same bird but in different poses. This one was with the Nikon 70-300mm lens
Another collage is this Middle Spotted Woodpecker and chick, Dendrocopus medius. We had just parked near a lake when I saw the hole in a tree, and the woodpecker fly up to it. I took this with my "new toy", a 400mm Novoflex. It's a huge lens and I was in contortions almost on the floor of the car to get enough angle to point the lens out of the window. It had to be a collage as the chick disappeared every time the parent arrived! I think I still need to do some work on this one as it looks a bit dark.
Another lucky encounter was this Common Sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos, again from the car while we were parked by a lake. In fact, it was so well camouflaged sitting about 10 feet away, that we didn't notice it until it moved.
Another photo taken with the Novoflex, this time the Goldfinch, carduelis carduelis, was only about 6 feet away as it came to drink at the garden pond, so I needed to use the macro bellows.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Highton Ridley featured photographer
It's been a while since I updated this blog, but photographer Highton Ridley inspired me to get cracking by mentioning his well deserved bronze merit award in the 2011 International Loupe Awards photo competition. The image with the award is the July image in the 2012 calendar shown below. I've long been a fan of Highton's work which covers a broad range of styles from traditional fine art monochrome, to the use of HDR and other effects. Two of his works were featured earlier in this blog, but I thought it was about time he had his own special feature. All of these works shown below are available in his Zazzle store, but to know more about the man himself, you might like to visit his web site
Some more of his lovely work, these are just a few of my favourites that I've chosen to show: A night time view of the historic Barbican area in Plymouth UK., full of rich colours and reflections, this image is also being featured on a magazine cover. This is the place from where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail, as well as Sir Francis Drake.
Entitled "Last Surf of the Day", an early evening sunset with a golden sky shining through heavy clouds, and three surfers wading through the waves on a beach in Devon, England.
Flowers. Everyone takes photos of them, but not many manage show their true beauty as in this photograph. As a fan of contrasts, I love the gentle gold and pink petals of this cosmos flower lit by the evening sun against a dark background.
A beautiful study in textures and tones, a rough rope knot on a smooth wooden post in monochrome.
A portrait of a Dhol Drummer, capturing the rich colours and textures, and at the same time, full of the atmosphere of a musician absorbed in the rythyms.
It's been hard to pick just a few favourites, and I'd certainly recommend exploring Highton's work further!
Some more of his lovely work, these are just a few of my favourites that I've chosen to show: A night time view of the historic Barbican area in Plymouth UK., full of rich colours and reflections, this image is also being featured on a magazine cover. This is the place from where the Pilgrim Fathers set sail, as well as Sir Francis Drake.
Entitled "Last Surf of the Day", an early evening sunset with a golden sky shining through heavy clouds, and three surfers wading through the waves on a beach in Devon, England.
Flowers. Everyone takes photos of them, but not many manage show their true beauty as in this photograph. As a fan of contrasts, I love the gentle gold and pink petals of this cosmos flower lit by the evening sun against a dark background.
A beautiful study in textures and tones, a rough rope knot on a smooth wooden post in monochrome.
A portrait of a Dhol Drummer, capturing the rich colours and textures, and at the same time, full of the atmosphere of a musician absorbed in the rythyms.
It's been hard to pick just a few favourites, and I'd certainly recommend exploring Highton's work further!
Friday, July 22, 2011
More birds in photography
I've been struggling since my last post to take some wild bird photos. It's hard! the biggest handicap is time, and sadly I don't have a lot of it. You have to be patient, make a note of the birds habits and favourite perches. But more of that later.
As promised though a bit late, here are some more great bird photos - I think Steve's cormorant is one of my all-time favourites, and that robin singing his little heart out.
Steve, in the UK, writes:
Reed buntings are not a particularly rare bird in the UK, but they can be quite difficult to approach - although here I was very close; their fear no doubt overcome by the desire for food. During the breeding season reed buntings will often feign injury to lead an intruder away from their nest, typically staggering along dragging one wing before flying away when the threat has passed.
This young cormorant was photographed at Trentham gardens in Staffordshire; although the cormorant tends to be regarded as a coastal bird they are often seen well inland outside the breeding season. In recent years though inland colonies have become a common year round sight where suitable water bodies exist.
The UK's largest bird, the mute swan is a very powerful, yet extremely graceful bird. This image is probably the closest I've so far come to capturing that grace and elegance.
A postcard featuring a colour photograph of a robin in full song. Taken near Grasmere in the English Lake District, Cumbria, UK, Europe.
DigitalDreambuilder's store contains a real mixture of different designs and subjects, and photography from around the world, including these two birds. Who doesn't love a penguin! And, not the prettiest bird, but possibly one of the rarest:
The Waldrapp ibis, also known as the Northern Bald ibis, with black feathers, a long pink curved beak, red hued face and a bald forehead with a dash of feathers, is critically endangered. There are only about 250 of these birds in the wild, their natural habitats being the cliffs and coastlines of Morocco, Turkey and Syria.
They may be more familiar to you from ancient history as the bird was known in ancient Egypt as the crested ibis and appears on Egyptian hieroglyphs and tomb art.
This penguin is one of a family of Humboldt penguins whose natural habitat is South America. The penguin's plumage is black with flecks of white, the bird's chest white with a band of darker plumage. Patches of black surrounds the penguin's dark eyes and a patch of pink flesh at the base of the bird's beak. As penguins cannot fly their wings have evolved as flippers for swimming.
As promised though a bit late, here are some more great bird photos - I think Steve's cormorant is one of my all-time favourites, and that robin singing his little heart out.
Steve, in the UK, writes:
Reed buntings are not a particularly rare bird in the UK, but they can be quite difficult to approach - although here I was very close; their fear no doubt overcome by the desire for food. During the breeding season reed buntings will often feign injury to lead an intruder away from their nest, typically staggering along dragging one wing before flying away when the threat has passed.
This young cormorant was photographed at Trentham gardens in Staffordshire; although the cormorant tends to be regarded as a coastal bird they are often seen well inland outside the breeding season. In recent years though inland colonies have become a common year round sight where suitable water bodies exist.
The UK's largest bird, the mute swan is a very powerful, yet extremely graceful bird. This image is probably the closest I've so far come to capturing that grace and elegance.
A postcard featuring a colour photograph of a robin in full song. Taken near Grasmere in the English Lake District, Cumbria, UK, Europe.
DigitalDreambuilder's store contains a real mixture of different designs and subjects, and photography from around the world, including these two birds. Who doesn't love a penguin! And, not the prettiest bird, but possibly one of the rarest:
The Waldrapp ibis, also known as the Northern Bald ibis, with black feathers, a long pink curved beak, red hued face and a bald forehead with a dash of feathers, is critically endangered. There are only about 250 of these birds in the wild, their natural habitats being the cliffs and coastlines of Morocco, Turkey and Syria.
They may be more familiar to you from ancient history as the bird was known in ancient Egypt as the crested ibis and appears on Egyptian hieroglyphs and tomb art.
This penguin is one of a family of Humboldt penguins whose natural habitat is South America. The penguin's plumage is black with flecks of white, the bird's chest white with a band of darker plumage. Patches of black surrounds the penguin's dark eyes and a patch of pink flesh at the base of the bird's beak. As penguins cannot fly their wings have evolved as flippers for swimming.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Birds on Zazzle
There are some great photographers on Zazzle, and as a taster, I've asked a few people to contribute some birds. In a future post, I shall go into more detail as birds are some of my favourite animals - and some of the hardest to photograph! Many of these are available on other products too.
First up are some black swans (Cygnus atratus) which originated in Australia but are now fairly widespread, and a mallard duck doing some yoga exercises (or it could be just stretching a leg!)
From Bebops: This poster features two migrating Canada Geese sitting on a log in a shallow pond. Their brown, black and white markings are reflected in the water. The water ripples create a fascinating vertical pattern of reflected tree trunks. I have digitally enhanced my original photograph to create a watercolor effect. The second poster features a pair of house finches perched on a branch. The male has red plumage on his head and breast. The female is tan and brown with stripes. They stand out beautifully against the luminous green background. These belong to the American rosefinch family.
The Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) is a native of the American tropics, and Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) A north American woodpecker.
Sparrows sitting on a white picket fence, and an American White Ibis (Eudocimus albus)
A delightful tie with a pattern of flying egrets and some cut out Canada geese swimming around a mug.
This postcard features an original photo of a vibrant Red-Bellied Woodpecker rests in the dappled shade of a Peach tree. The poster is of a beautiful Little Blue Heron, searching for his dinner in a pond, surrounded by water Iris foliage.
Seagulls never miss the opportunity for a free lunch, and here one is homing in on some food being held out for it.
The White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on its wings. Adults have long red legs and a long pointed red bill. The two subspecies, which differ slightly in size, breed in the warmer parts of Europe (north to Estonia), northwestern Africa, southwestern Asia (east to southern Kazakhstan), and southern Africa. This stork is a strong migrant, wintering in tropical sub-Saharan Africa as far as southern South Africa, and also on the Indian subcontinent.
A Steller's Jay and some baby robins - I'm not sure which but I would imagine they are American Robins.
From bkmuir, a peregrine falcon and a tern in flight.
An interesting mandala pattern made from seagulls, and a colourful southeast Asian bird, the Nicobar pigeon, the only remaining member of it's genus Caloenas.
The feral pigeon is often given bad press as a pest but has some pretty colours in it's plumage, and a Canada goose posing at the water's edge.
What bird blog would be without some cute ducklings - they must be amongst the prettiest of baby birds. The second photo is an injured owl recovering in a sanctuary.
Native to Texas, a photo showing a screech owl in it's grey phase, and a mousepad with photo of a Roseate Spoonbill which is a wading/shore bird also found in Texas.
First up are some black swans (Cygnus atratus) which originated in Australia but are now fairly widespread, and a mallard duck doing some yoga exercises (or it could be just stretching a leg!)
From Bebops: This poster features two migrating Canada Geese sitting on a log in a shallow pond. Their brown, black and white markings are reflected in the water. The water ripples create a fascinating vertical pattern of reflected tree trunks. I have digitally enhanced my original photograph to create a watercolor effect. The second poster features a pair of house finches perched on a branch. The male has red plumage on his head and breast. The female is tan and brown with stripes. They stand out beautifully against the luminous green background. These belong to the American rosefinch family.
The Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) is a native of the American tropics, and Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) A north American woodpecker.
Sparrows sitting on a white picket fence, and an American White Ibis (Eudocimus albus)
A delightful tie with a pattern of flying egrets and some cut out Canada geese swimming around a mug.
This postcard features an original photo of a vibrant Red-Bellied Woodpecker rests in the dappled shade of a Peach tree. The poster is of a beautiful Little Blue Heron, searching for his dinner in a pond, surrounded by water Iris foliage.
Seagulls never miss the opportunity for a free lunch, and here one is homing in on some food being held out for it.
The White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. Its plumage is mainly white, with black on its wings. Adults have long red legs and a long pointed red bill. The two subspecies, which differ slightly in size, breed in the warmer parts of Europe (north to Estonia), northwestern Africa, southwestern Asia (east to southern Kazakhstan), and southern Africa. This stork is a strong migrant, wintering in tropical sub-Saharan Africa as far as southern South Africa, and also on the Indian subcontinent.
A Steller's Jay and some baby robins - I'm not sure which but I would imagine they are American Robins.
From bkmuir, a peregrine falcon and a tern in flight.
An interesting mandala pattern made from seagulls, and a colourful southeast Asian bird, the Nicobar pigeon, the only remaining member of it's genus Caloenas.
The feral pigeon is often given bad press as a pest but has some pretty colours in it's plumage, and a Canada goose posing at the water's edge.
What bird blog would be without some cute ducklings - they must be amongst the prettiest of baby birds. The second photo is an injured owl recovering in a sanctuary.
Native to Texas, a photo showing a screech owl in it's grey phase, and a mousepad with photo of a Roseate Spoonbill which is a wading/shore bird also found in Texas.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
More draft horses
Following on from my last draft horse post, this is another photograph taken at the cheval de trait, or heavy horse, show in Cressat, France. This was just one of those moments that you hope to capture - a foal with it's eyes closed, with a thoroughly fed-up expression, resting it's chin on the back of another foal as if to say "Can we go home now?". There were some horses and people in the background, so there was a lot of work in Photoshop to remove them.
I also took a photo recently of my own Welsh section D mare, Vaynor Bay Lynn, as she was standing in the entrance to her barn, basking in the sunlight. She's about twenty three now, but wearing very well!
Lastly, I made a collage of the draft horses for a poster, a binder, and the front of this calendar among other items. Bay Lynn appears as December's pin-up, as well as a close-up of our other section D, Trehewyd Sulwen.
For those not familiar with registered Welsh, there are four sections, A-D, A being the smallest ponies, and D a more chunky pony or horse, good for riding and in harness. They are built like a small draft horse and come from a very small bloodline in the Welsh mountains, which makes them very hardy.
These photos are available on a wide range of products, including mugs, mousepads and greetings cards. Every horse lover should have one!
I also took a photo recently of my own Welsh section D mare, Vaynor Bay Lynn, as she was standing in the entrance to her barn, basking in the sunlight. She's about twenty three now, but wearing very well!
Lastly, I made a collage of the draft horses for a poster, a binder, and the front of this calendar among other items. Bay Lynn appears as December's pin-up, as well as a close-up of our other section D, Trehewyd Sulwen.
For those not familiar with registered Welsh, there are four sections, A-D, A being the smallest ponies, and D a more chunky pony or horse, good for riding and in harness. They are built like a small draft horse and come from a very small bloodline in the Welsh mountains, which makes them very hardy.
These photos are available on a wide range of products, including mugs, mousepads and greetings cards. Every horse lover should have one!
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