Dionne
As this shit show of a year splutters, limps and crashes its way into October, the colours and chill of Autumn start to show themselves as the summer is left behind. It was also a big change of scene for me and some new beginnings along with it. After a manic end to September I was back to some form of normality with the prospect of a new photography studio taking shape with some new surroundings to explore and of course photograph.
Starting things off with some Drone shots I took this month. I have decided I have a thing for industrial when using the drone, as they seem to throw up some great shapes and patterns which really come out in the final images, and would look rather bland and boring in comparison if taken from ground level.
My studio in the top of the house is alive with the comings and goings of all sorts of wildlife, so I was quick to install a new bird feeder in the garden to tempt in the birds of the area in time for the winter months. I was very pleased with the almost immediate response from some of the wild residents, with a coal tit of all things being my first visitor to the new table. Since then I have spotted longtailed, great and blue tits visiting as well as goldfinches and the local Robin. I have high hopes for Bullfinches for the winter so fingers crossed this success continues.
Coal Tit on feeder - 400mm F/5.6
Coal Tit on feeder - 400mm F/5.6
Meanwhile up in my lofty position at the top of the house, the local House sparrows put on a daily show for me as they bicker, fight and cheep up on, and between the roofing tiles. I was very lucky to capture one fight between two males as they fought over something clearly very important to them right below the window. I kept the window closed so I did not disturb them as they went at it with one another.
House sparrow fight - 70-200mm F/4
female House sparrow - 400mm F/5.6
male House sparrow - 70-200mm F/4
Along with the immediate surroundings, the drone was also able to capture some patterns and interesting shapes in the area around my house. From a lone man playing with his toy aeroplane on a nearby rugby pitch, to interesting street shapes around the local area. There will be a lot more to discover in the future from the comfort of my garden/take off area.
Along with the drone providing a view of the local area, I decided to get out and about with the 400mm F/5.6 in a local park nearby. I was immediately struck by the variety of wildlife around the parks lake, so took my time in the dull october light to capture some of these inhabitants as they went about their day.
Grey Heron - 400mm F/5.6
I became quickly aware the opportunity for some low key photography with the dark still waters of the lake making a perfect backdrop for this. I kept the ISO at around 1000th of a second to make sure there was no blur while keeping ISO as low as possible and started to pick out birds on the lake that would come out on such a dark background. Luckily for me the black headed gulls and Mute swans make for perfect subjects in this situation.
Black headed gull in winter plumage - 400mm F/5.6
Black headed gull in winter plumage - 400mm F/5.6
Black headed gull in winter plumage - 400mm F/5.6
Black headed gull in winter plumage - 400mm F/5.6
Juvenile Black headed gull in winter plumage - 400mm F/5.6
Mute Swan - 400mm F/5.6
Mute Swan - 400mm F/5.6
Let’s hope that with the studio going up in the coming weeks, and autumn getting into full swing, that I can get some more images like these, as well as maybe some studio images to try to get back to some form of normality before Christmas and winter rears its head. With a possible trip to Westonbirt Arboretum on the cards I will be hoping that the weather doesn’t totally turn on me, and add another disappointment to the already mounting stack of disappointments that 2020 has bought. Fingers and toes crossed!
FIN
