Dartmoor

I went on a trip to Dartmoor in South Devon with some friends from my course. Dartmoor covers 954 square kilometres and the moorland includes many interesting tors. These landmarks are exposed granite hilltops, and provide great points of interest in landscape photographs. We planned to visit a few of these especially those higher up after a forecast of snow in these areas! Having left Falmouth incredibly early we managed to arrive before sunrise but due to it being so overcast we missed the warm colour you would usually see. In between snow storms I managed to capture a few successful landscape shots, and experimented with both colour and black and white photography.

Dartmoor is home to a variety of wildlife. Mammals include the iconic dartmoor pony, but also common species like rabbits, foxes and deer. With its range of habitats from high grassy moorland to deep wooded valleys and farmland it also provides a home for a variety of bird species. On this trip I spotted buzzards and meadow pipits. We also stopped to photograph these dartmoor ponies! They are very tame around people compared to the ponies on Bodmin moor. 

#dartmoor

Kennall Vale

It's been a long time since I updated my blog! So theres a huge amount to catch up on... In September last year I started on my course studying marine and natural history photography at Falmouth University. It's been amazing having access to great camera gear and  learning more about photography. This collection of work comes from a project I did focusing on Kennall Vale nature reserve in Cornwall. I will try and keep more up to date with my work!  : )

Kennall Vale is a 20 acre nature reserve full of history. From 1812 to 1910 the area was actually the site of Kennall Gunpowder company. Now a tranquil nature reserve it has been managed by the wildlife trust since 1985. You can still see reminders scattered around the forest of the industry that was once dominate here, from ivy covered tumbledown buildings and rusty cogs to a milestone submerged in the river itself. It is home to a variety of wildlife, key species being the dippers and grey wagtails you can watch with patience from the river bank. Frogs and toads also make their home in the woodland and I was especially happy with this photograph of a common frog surrounded by autumn leaves. I used a wide aperture with some leaves slightly overlapping the lens which gave the image a warm orange haze enhancing the autumn atmosphere.

The landscape at Kennall Vale is magical, and I think the photograph below sums it up well. With the river flowing past and an old mill stone in the foreground remnant of the gunpowder industry here.

I found this coral slime mould a fantastic subject to photograph! Coral slime mould’s individual fruit bodies are 0.5-1mm wide and 1 to 10mm high. It’s something that could easily be passed by but upon closer look it is remarkable and looks like tiny pieces of coral.

Ibex Mountain

One of the mountains just down the valley from my godmother's house, in the Aiguilles Rouges National Nature reserve has become known to my family as 'Ibex Mountain'. The locals will all tell you that if your up on slopes at 5pm the Ibex will all come out to play. I was really keen to get some photographs of this iconic species in the wild so we set out to find them!

We started our hike mid-morning climbing up beautiful forested paths and enjoying the shade for the first part of the climb! An hour or so in to our walk we heard a strange squeaking sound almost directly beside us and following this sound I discovered a new born mammal, which I think was probably a possum! It was a great start to the walk, although I decided not to take many photos because I didn't want to disturb it's hiding place! For the next few hours we were climbing in the midday sun, and it was very tiring - although much better when my dad offered to carry my camera bag! Eventually we arrived at our destination two lakes surrounded by rock faces, and a fantastic spot for local wildlife. We didn't climb right up to Lac Blanc this time but found we preferred this spot, we had the place to ourselves. 

For lunch we sat on a huge rock in-between the lakes; the perfect vantage point for me to use the binoculars to see what I could spot.    Ibex live at higher altitudes, preferring the steep rocky terrain, especially during winter to avoid deep snow, so it seemed the perfect location for them. Scanning the rocks I noticed a male Ibex sat down in the shade, and we watched him climb effortlessly up vertical rocks! Just as I was taking a few photos, my dad said he thought he saw a marmot far away on a scree-slope. We've been to the alps a few times but I'd only ever heard marmots, so I was excited for the chance to see them! Taking my camera and binoculars I decided to sneak closer, keeping down-wind of them, my focus fixed on the marmot sat on a rock eating. I was so intent on focusing on that single marmot it completely slipped my mind there could be more!!! Hearing a noise to my left, I spun in time to see one just 2m away. With a lot of patience I soon regained their trust and then spent an hour with them, following them and watching them socialise. There were 3 altogether, probably a family. They took turns keeping watch, and whenever the heard a bird of preys call they stood on their hind legs and watched above carefully! When they met one another they would greet with nose-touching which was very sweet. One of their favourite ways to relax seemed to be sunbathing, they just adored lying flat on the rocks warmed by the sun! 

On our way down we saw a lot more Ibex, including some with babies. Often you could see them licking rocks for salty minerals, and they came really close and even shared the footpath with us! Then we saw two more marmots!! We pointed them out to a few other hikers and lent them our binoculars, we all enjoyed watching them together.  It's great when nature brings people together like that... All in all it was a fantastic day with wildlife.

Fairy Landscapes

I spent a lot of time in Chamonix working on my macro photography as well as looking at the wider landscape, the opportunities were endless with forested mountain slopes that were carpeted in moss and interesting alpine plants. On one particular hike on the lower slopes I found mushrooms growing with the moss. The results of this photo shoot have an almost fairytale feel to them and i'm really happy with the colours and depth of field in these final images.

A Quick Catch Up...

I haven't made a post in a long while, but I have many photographs on the way! Last week I arrived home from a fantastic holiday in France where I spent a week in the Chamonix Valley followed by some time with relatives in the centre of France. Both weeks presented some excellent photo opportunities from mountain landscapes to wildlife on the farm, sightings included a pine martin, hares, coypu and deer. 

I spent this weekend visiting the Bird Fair at Rutland Water, a great event event for anyone who likes wildlife! We saw some very inspiring talks and I finally got myself a tripod! 

In other news its not long until I start at university now, I'm heading down to Falmouth to study Marine and Natural History photography. It's both scary and exciting, but i'm really looking forward to discovering more about wildlife and learning some new photography techniques! 

A shot from my Holiday in France...

Walking Below Mt. Cook.

Icebergs - f/9 | 1/125 sec | ISO 100

Rope Bridge - f/10 | 1/80 sec | ISO 100

Possibly my favorite walk we went on, during my trip around New Zealand. We followed the valley towards Mt Cook and then stopped beside a beautiful lake covered in mini icebergs! There were several rope bridges we crossed and it was sooo windy they moved as you walked on them! 

Valley - f/10 | 1/80 sec | ISO 100

River and Mt Cook - f/10 | 1/60 sec | ISO 100

Steps - f/5 | 1/250 sec | ISO 100

Boardwalk - f/11 | 1/30 sec | ISO 125

Reflections

Reflections in the Lake - f/13 | 1/180 sec | ISO 1250

After out helicopter flight around Mt. Cook we went on a walk around a lake where on a calm day you can see the reflection of the mountain. Sadly Mt. Cook was hidden in clouds but I still managed to take some pretty cool shots of the forest reflected in the water and we also watched some birds fishing which was awesome! 

Landscape - f/9 | 1/250 | ISO 100

Uncurling Fern - f/5,6 | 1/100 sec | ISO 500

Boardwalk - f/5.6 | 1/30 sec | ISO 100

Cloudy - f/5.6 | 1/1250 sec | ISO 100

Helicopter Flight

Glacier Textures - f/7.1 | 1/400 sec | ISO 100

White and Blue - f/6.3 | 1/400 sec | ISO 100

Cloudy Sky - f/8 | 1/500 sec | ISO 100

Angle - f/8 | 1/500 | ISO 100

Snow Drifts - f/7.1 | 1/500 sec | ISO 100

Meltwater - f/5.6 | 1/400 sec | ISO 1250

My godfather kindly treated me to a helicopter flight when I was in New Zealand, we flew around Mt. Cook and the Franz Josef Glacier. We also had a landing on the glacier, it was an amazing experience to walk around up there and get a different perspective from above! As the guide explained about the glaciers, it was clear how much they have melted even in the last few years, it would be a shame for such beautiful features of the landscape to disappear...

Off to Watch the Sunset...

Sun Breaks Through - f3.5 | 1/400 sec | ISO 200

Firstly, sorry I haven't been up to date with my posts of late! But I will continue with my New Zealand adventures from here and show some of my wildlife photographs near my home as we continue into 2014...

This collection of landscape photographs were shot one evening when we decided to drive up onto the mountain ridge on the road that would lead to Akaroa to watch the sun go down! Sadly the weather went against us and we caught only glimpses of the beautiful landscape until we got much lower out of the clouds. At the same time the conditions made for some interesting atmospheric shots that have a sense of mystery to them...

A Purple Sea - f/5.6 | 1/400 sec | ISO 1600

Haunted - f/5.6 | 1/400 sec | ISO 2000

Looking Back - f/3.5 | 1/400 sec | ISO 125

Castle Hill

Castle Hill Landscape - f/6.3 | 1/320 sec | ISO 100

 We drove up to Castle Hill one afternoon, that is so named for the imposing limestone boulders in the area that resemble from afar an old run down castle. As we walked around the place I saw lots of people bouldering - it's a fantastic place for climbing and a beautiful natural landscape!

Rock Formations - f/6.3 | 1/320 sec | ISO 100

Rocks - f/3.5 | 1/320 sec | ISO 100

Looking Up - f/5 | 1/320 sec | ISO 100

View from the Top - f/4 | 1/320 sec | ISO 100

Akaroa

Looking Up - f/4 | 1/200 sec | ISO 640

 We decided to drive to Akaroa a pretty town near Christchurch on the coast for lunch. Afterwards we went on a walk in the hills and through a pretty New Zealand forest! 

Forest Track - f/3.5 | 1/60 sec | ISO 125

Bay in Black and White - f/8 | 1/125 sec | ISO 100

View of the Bay - f/4 | 1/200 sec | ISO 100

And on to Christchurch...

Sunset - f/3.5 | 1/320 sec | ISO 100

We continued on down towards Christchurch catching the ferry between the two islands and driving the rest of the way in one day. The road ran alongside the beautiful coastline and I kept asking to stop to take photos! We saw more seal colonies along the way, and there was an amazing sunset sky...

Panorama - f/5 | 1/320 sec | ISO 100

Cape Palliser

Cape Palliser - f/4.5 | 1/200 sec | ISO 100

 We left Whanganui and headed down towards the south coast, to stay the night at Cape Palliser. A short drive from our campsite there was a seal colony and it was great fun watching them as well as getting some photos! 

Yawn! - f/5.6 | 1/640 | ISO 640

Relaxed Seal - f/8 | 1/250 sec | ISO 1250

Crab Hiding - f/8 | 1/250 sec | ISO 3200

On one of the beaches we stopped at, there were some amazing rock pools, we saw starfish, crabs and more alongside beautiful corals and shells! 

Seal - f/8 | 1/320 sec | ISO 800

Seaweed - f/8 | 1/160 sec | ISO 200

Barnacles - f/8 | 1/160 sec | ISO 400

Natural Patterns - f/6.3 | 1/125 sec | ISO 100

Seal Fight - f/6.3 | 1/125 | ISO 200