My first year of wildlife photography.

So here it is my first ever blog, hope I do ok with it.

My first year of wildlife photography has been one of excitement, disappointment, and learning. The excitement of being so close to wild animals in there habitats as they go about there daily life is so great and each encounter will stay with me forever, being eye to eye with say a fox or a roe deer brings out the calm side of me, breathing is relaxed, controlled, movement is thought out before its carried out and above all respect for the animal i’m watching, i’m on its turf, its home and I wasn’t invited so respect is a must, i’ve just been given a privileged opportunity to be there at that time and the animal is as surprised as I am and its more nervous to, a wrong move from me and its all over, they will run first and look last.

The thing I found about the wildlife here on the farm is that they are a hundred times more nervous than those next to or in an urban enviroment where some photographers get really close to animals and take some amazing shots which is fine and in some cases great by not having to put in any effort to actually get those photos as the animals have become so used to humans being there that they are potentially in danger from them, but here on the fields I have to use fieldcraft to its best, the wildlife here are hardwired to fear the human presence, mainly because of persecution, so camouflage is a must and is still a huge learning curve, and above all patience.

Young roe deer approaches unaware i’m just a few metres in front of it.

Disappointment comes in different forms, bad weather, equipment breakdowns or failures, and the ultimate let down, No wildlife turns up at all, the latter being the worst I feel, there’s been days where i’ve sat for hours and not seen a thing, even the birds have been scarce, then had a day where in the space of just half an hour i’ve been able to photograph around five different animals as they arrive one after the other and aren’t in a hurry to leave, I wish all the days with the camera were like that but alas you need to take the good with the bad.

Weather has been a big factor to, but its funny how even on the most miserable of days you can find you’ll take some great photos, its like the animals take advantage of the weather like they think humans might not be around that day.

So far my kit / equipment hasn’t failed me yet (touches wood desk) and the camera and lens I have are just workhorses, i’ve had them in rain, snow, freezing temperatures, mud and they keep on going, which is lucky as there bloody expensive to buy and ive not even got the more expensive models, but its proof you don’t need the best to get the best photos.

Red fox just feet away from me was my first close encounter with wildlife this year and one which will stay with me forever.

As I write this blog (something which I thought I would never do in a million years) storm Gerrit is currently lashing the cottage with rain but i’m planning more trips further afield from home and planning to see more species, some of which have fascinated me since I was a child, and all are in Scotland.

Over the months of 2023 i’ve met other photographers and people involved with wildlife on social media and in person, and in them i’ve made some great friends that share a passion for wildlife and nature conservation, and we share tips and advice on our photography skills, I hope we have more great days out and capture more photos and memories together in the coming years, its great to feel part of a big community that share the same goals and working together we can make a better future for our local and native wildlife.

For me 2024 can’t come quick enough and i’ll be looking for those signs that spring is on the way and the fields and woodlands around the farm here will start to come alive again after its winters rest, with any luck it’ll dry up making for some better days out.