ALAN’S BLOG! ALL BLOG POSTS…
Wildlife Photography Safari Gear List
Getting geared up for a wildlife photography safari is crucial to the enjoyment and success of what may be a once in a lifetime experience. Aside from the obvious things like cameras and lenses there are a few other bits and pieces that need careful consideration for space in [...]
Behind the Photo – Leopard in the Tree
THE STORY During the final morning drive of our 2019 Maasai Mara photography safari we were hoping to give our group the opportunity to photograph a leopard. Despite previous regular and recent sightings with good photography opportunities, they had been elusive during this particular week. We drove out over the [...]
Behind the Photo – Splashing Mallard
THE STORY Whilst working at WWT Martin Mere at their annual North West Bird Watching Fair last year, I took some time to photograph some of the ducks in the reserve. This surface bathing male mallard caught my eye as it churned up the water with its wings [...]
Behind the Photo – The Elephant’s Scratching Tree
THE STORY A herd of elephants slowly made its way over the Ol Choro Conservancy Savannah as we sat in our vehicle by this acacia tree. They were roughly heading in our direction, so we decided to sit tight hoping to photograph them as they approached. But, a closer [...]
Behind the Photo – Cheetah & Wildebeest
THE STORY We spotted this lone male cheetah looking to hunt in the Ol Choro Conservancy of Kenya’s Masai Mara in the late afternoon. The plains were full of potential prey, juvenile wildebeests and zebras, Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelles and impalas. As always, ethics come first and we [...]
Autofocus and Birds in Flight
Many people consider wildlife to be one of the most challenging genres of photography. But that’s a very general statement to make and it is debatable! What isn’t quite as debatable is the challenge of successfully photographing moving wildlife. Being able to accurately and consistently acquire and maintain focus [...]
Seabirds in the City Documentary Trailer
The documentary trailer for the Seabirds in the City project is now online! Seabirds in the City is a long term project I am working on with Dr Helen F. Wilson, Associate Professor of Human Geography at Durham University and Kaleel Zibe, Filmmaker and Photographer. In short, [...]
Martin Mere Mallards
In October, I was pleased to be back at WWT Martin Mere in Lancashire working at their North West Bird Fair. It is an event I have also worked at in 2018 and 2019, doing a mixture of photography workshops and talks over the course of the two day [...]
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, [...]
