Alan’s Blog
Farne Islands Wildlife Photography Workshops 2021 (and beyond?)
Sadly, it is looking increasingly unlikely that I will be leading any puffins & seabirds wildlife photography workshops on the Farne Islands this year, and possibly in future years. The National Trust are looking to implement a new centralised booking system for landing trips where bookings can only be [...]
From Adobe Lightroom to Capture One
Please use this blog post as it is intended, an overview of my own approach, reasoning and thoughts. We all work in different ways and I don't present any of this as an absolute right or wrong, we do what works for us - for our own requirements, limitations, [...]
FUJINON XF70-300mm F/4-5.6 R LM OIS WR Lens
Introducing the new FUJINON XF70-300mm f/4-f/5.6 R LM OIS WR lens from Fujifilm! 70-300mm lenses are known for their versatility and flexibility, they cover focal length ranges that are popular with different photographers in varying genres. Certainly wildlife, sports, travel and for some, candid portraiture work too. This popularity [...]
Back Button Focusing and AF-On
Using 'back button focusing' is a technique which often comes up as a subject during my wildlife photography workshops. So, what is it all about and why is it used? Many cameras have a dedicated button labelled 'AF-On' on the rear of the camera. When holding the camera, you'll [...]
African Photography Safaris (.com)
I've been leading and running wildlife photography safaris in Kenya's Masai Mara for a few years now, together with my good friend, wildlife and sports photographer and filmmaker, Kaleel Zibe. I also work with Penda Photo Tours as a freelance guide to take photographers to various locations in South [...]
FUJIFILM X-T4 ‘Photography in Motion’
At the beginning of March, I undertook a marathon of a journey from Scotland’s Isle of Skye to Kenya’s Masai Mara with a pre-production FUJIFILM X-T4 camera. It was a great opportunity to get a hands-on and detailed look at how the X-T series has evolved and how these [...]
Hyenas – Natures Villains or Heros?
I missed the boat on World Hyena Day yesterday! Like most animals, spotted hyenas have their own fascinating behaviours and ecology. Along with vultures, they're an unfairly maligned species too, often portrayed as cowardly, skulking, thieving and even demonic! After all, they're the villains of the Lion King films! [...]
Official FUJIFILM X-Photographer
I’m very pleased (absolutely buzzing, actually!) to share the news that I have accepted an invitation from Fujifilm to become one of their brand ambassadors, an Official FUJIFILM X-Photographer. The fantastic Fujifilm cameras and Fujinon lenses have become my photographic tools of choice since I bought an X-T2 [...]
Fujifilm / Fujinon XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 – Review
Introduction The Fujinon XF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR is a super-telephoto lens designed for Fujifilm’s range of X-mount mirrorless cameras. It was announced in January 2016 and to date, it is the longest focal length lens in the Fujifilm lens range. It produces a field of view [...]
Using the Fujinon (Fujifilm) 200mm f/2 on Safari in Kenya
In October 2018, I had a fantastic opportunity to use a pre-production version of the Fujinon 200mm f/2 lens. It also coincided with the date of one of my Rural Northumberland Birds of Prey wildlife photography techniques days. In a nutshell, my thoughts were that the lens is incredible, [...]