It is always a good thing to have your photos appreciated, but I did feel a little embarrassed that I am now a professional and it is really intended for amateurs. There are no rules to say that a professional cannot submit images for this section of the magazine, but somehow I just feel a little uncomfortable about the whole thing.

To be fair, I submitted my images over a year ago and they were all taken some time before that, when I still had a ‘proper’ day-job. Anyway, I’ve contacted the magazine to inform them of the matter and offered to turn down the prize, if they feel that it is not appropriate.

Off to Germany tomorrow, so I shall be posting some interesting images in the next week or so. Do drop by.

Slowly though, it was obvious that there was only so much that I can do with it. So last September, I decided to employ WordPress, an open-source blogging and content management software, to incorporate some useful functionality to this site. It enabled me to put on slideshows, provide e-commerce services, and blog with the greatest of ease, wherever I am.

I’ve had to change my web host in order to facilitate this upgrade. It was a royal pain in the rear if I was to be honest, from installing the software on the server to migrating email accounts and managing new contents. Perhaps I should have gone to a proper web-designer instead!

It’s not all bad. The changeover enabled me to monitor the site traffic with greater accuracy. In the last four months, this site has had nearly 11,000 page views through 2,500 visitors, per month! Though by no means the busiest site on the world wide web, I was pleasantly surprised at the level of interest.

Amidst all this, the goal however, remained the same – to share relevant nature/wildlife content that interests my readers, you.

So tell me how I can make this site better for you – what would you like to see, know, or what fascinates you? You’re welcome to drop me an email, or simply use the ‘leave a comment‘ feature, located at the beginning of every entry, or at the bottom of an individual blog page.

It was windy up on the higher grounds, and there was a light scatter of snow from the night before. The clear sky spelled a beautiful sunrise. For a brief moment, everything was lit in orange and gold.

However, a cloudless day does have its downside – the light gets pretty harsh very quickly. This is where one needs to take care with exposure, working angles and knowing the limitations/abilities of the equipment you use. Understanding the different characteristics of light will also go in some way towards processing your final image.

Thankfully though, this location is never short of Red Grouse, which was what I ended up photographing in the end. I’ve worked with this upland game bird before, so approaching them didn’t present a great deal of trouble. This, and through working with the available light, snow, and the beautiful moorland, I didn’t walk away totally empty handed.

The first half of the year I was out in the field a fair bit. Working with the brood of fox cubs for example, I was out practically every evening for two and a half months. Weekends included. It’s great when you’re able to submerge yourself in a project like this. You really get to know your subjects very well. Seeing them grow up. Having said that, I had very little to show for it this time round. Learnt a lot though, and looking forward to next year.

I was also fortunate enough to be able to work with subject that I have never photographed before, but always wanted to, like the Black Grouse. To revisit locations that I discovered last year and work with the same subjects again was equally rewarding. Second time round you’re that bit wiser and clearer on what you try to achieve and the results reflect that. Understanding the habitats and the subjects’ behaviour enabled me to refine my techniques.

From middle of the year onwards, I was more engrossed with the mundane part of managing the business aspects of my work. It’s a necessary evil. I can remember a number of mornings where I was cursing that I had to be stuck indoors when I can see the light outside was simply sublime. I do have a couple of trips planned in the next couple of months, just need to remember how to use the camera!

As this is likely to be my last post of the year, I’d like to use this opportunity to wish you all happy holidays, and a prosperous new year. See you in 2012.

Yes, luck is needed, and welcomed. But you increase your chances of success by putting in the hours, doing the research, and by continually refining techniques and approach. For every image that I succeeded in capturing, there were plenty more where I’ve failed.

However, this image is a contradiction of all the above. It was neither planned, prepared, nor foreseen. Just pure luck.

It all came about while I was trying to photograph the Nuthatches in my back garden. This beautiful female Sparrowhawk appeared out of nowhere, and landed on my fence post. She only stopped for a few seconds, but I grabbed the opportunity with both hands and managed a handful of frames. This was one of them.

So next time when comments about luck are thrown my way, I’ll have to bite my tongue and nod in agreement, because sometimes, just on the odd occasion,  it’s all about luck.

Diving for dinner… though not always successful.

Aerial battles often break out when there are more than one bird in the same hunting ground, presumably over territory.

On this rare occasion, the Short-eared Owl managed to fence off a pestering Magpie. Corvids often raid the owls of their precious food, much like a pack of Hyenas over a Cheetah with a fresh kill.

Gliding effortlessly in an often short-lived but beautiful, pink evening light.

A couple of years ago at one of the sites I visited, I witnessed some rather irresponsible acts by a few photographers. Namely venturing into the fields where these magnificent birds nest and hunt. I understand the frustrations of wanting to get a closer shot, believe me I do. But why they think that by getting ‘closer’ it would yield a frame-filled shot is beyond me. This subject has wings, need I say more? The phrase ‘bird-brain’ springs to mind.

Aside from the obvious damage that these few individuals will cause to the ground-nesting birds, they are also jeopardising our reputation as wildlife photographers. I have posted a few less conventional shots here, depicting more habitat and hopefully giving context to their environment. I hope you like them, and agree with me that closer isn’t always necessary or better.

I’ve seriously got to start chipping away before the point of no return, or am I already too late? Another job for the growing list titled: new year’s resolution…