Big Cat Sunday

I managed to get a half day's shooting in at Marwell last Sunday on a glorious afternoon. Concentrated on the leopards rather than having a general meander around which paid dividends. There is only a solitary snow leopard at the moment, I heard rumours of 2 more being brought in, wonder when that's going to happen?


But the real highlight of the day was getting an exciting fresh composition of the male Amur Leopard. He was circling the enclosure in a way that brought him close to me and allowed use of a short lens so I popped my 50mm f/1.8 on to try and get an image that has very different feel to one shot with a telephoto. And I love the result, it feels intimate and personal.



I have some hols coming up so looking forward to the opportunity for lots more to share in the next couple of weeks.

Summer Holidays

If you're a parent like me then the summer holidays can seem a blessing and a curse in equal measure. Quality time with the kids is great, but being increasingly inventive in amusing kids who are increasingly bored is always a challenge. Fortunately for me, my daughter is getting the age where being a model is starting to appeal so I've been able to get her involved in some new images to try and document the time I've spent with her this summer.


I'm biased naturally, but she is a pretty photogenic munchkin. And there is an irrestible emotion to children when they are playing without a care for their own image that is unique and adults just can't replicate. So I've been lucky to have some great quality time with her this summer and still most of August to go! Let's just hope the sun keeps shining!

Top 10 Wildlife locations- #9

There's been a bit of a hiatus in this series of posts, but will keep them coming a bit faster now!

To recap this is a rundown of my favourite places in the south of England to shoot animal pics. I've favoured locations in easy reach of my hometown of Southampton.

#9 - The Isle of Wight Zoo

The Isle of Wight Zoo has changed a fair bit over the last few years and to call it a zoo is probably slightly misleading. It is fast becoming a specialist tiger sanctuary, but that's no bad thing!

The zoo itself has been there a long time located within an old fort at Sandown and was in serious need of renovation so the fact that the re-development has concentrated on tigers has allowed the money to be spent in a focussed way. The fact that the TV series "Tiger Island" has been filmed here has obviously helped in bringing in vital funds and the excellent new tiger enclosures are in stark contrast to the older parts of the zoo.

But for close-up work with both Amur and Bengal tigers there is nowhere better, it's a lot easier to get good tiger pics here than it is at Marwell, for instance.

And being a big cat lover, there really isn't a better reason to include it in this list. I recommend a visit if you find yourself on the island over the summer.

Scottish Highlands - June 2009

I thought it was high time I blogged about my recent trip to Scotland, before it fades too much from the memory. In mid-June I headed for the Highlands via a brief stop in the Lake District.

Fortunately I was blessed with the most magnificent weather for the entire week and it was a pleasure to be out in such beautiful remote areas with the sun on my back. Even a few run-ins with the notorious Scottish midges couldn't spoil what was a peaceful, beautiful experience.


In many ways it was an exploratory trip (I shall return many times in the future without a shadow of a doubt). I covered nearly 2000 miles from heading via Glencoe and Fort William up the West Coast before heading right across the far north to my final destination, Thurso.

The climax of the trip was a day's wildlife photography aboard a boat in the Pentland Firth, whale-watching (porpoises and Minke Whales were sighted but sadly my dream of wild orcas didn't come true) and photographing Puffins, Skuas, Fulmars as well as getting an entirely new perspective on the beautifully rugged coastline.



The highlights of the trip are far too numerous to mention and for every good image I made I missed a hundred more interesting places that I would have loved to have had time to try and capture. What I can tell you is that the far North-West of Scotland (the area known as Sutherland) is as beautiful as a great many more exotic locations and I recommend it to everyone as a place to spend time and hone your photographic skills.

My favourite images from the trip are now available to view (and buy prints of, hint hint) on www.hadleywildlife.org.uk

Samsung ShutterChatter blog

Just a quick update, I'm now contributing to ShutterChatter, Samsung Cameras official photo blog and trying out their PL60 compact as part of the gig. There are some really good photographers who have been invited to blog on there, so its definitely worth checking out if you like good photo ideas.

http://www.samsungcamera.co.uk/blog/

PS: I know what you're thinking, I don't give my own blog enough time and now I'm doing two! But now my main site update is done and all the pics from my Scotland trip are processed I have way more time for writing again.

A full update on the Scotland adventure is in progress...

Snow Leopard Trust

Just had some fantastic news I wanted to share. One of my very favourite animals is the Snow Leopard. They truly are the most beautiful of all big cats and I always enjoy photographing them. I've been a keen supporter of the Snow Leopard Trust, based in Seattle, USA for some years and the excellent conservation and education work they do.

I had an email today from someone I know there and I was gobsmacked to find out that they have chosen one of my images (displayed above) as the cover for their 2008 annual report.

This is undoubtedly the biggest use of my work yet so it's really good for me as a photographer, but I'm just so proud it's for an organisation that I really believe in and support.

Please visit the Snow Leopard Trust website and support the really valuable work they do.

Happy days!

Top 10 Wildlife locations- #10

I thought it would be fun to share my thoughts on my favourite places in the south of England to shoot animal pics (in reverse order as tradition dictates). I've favoured locations in easy reach of my hometown of Southampton, before anyone points out the many omissions!


#10 - The New Forest Reptile Centre

I discovered this small but delightful centre a couple of years ago. It has a series of open-air pens housing a variety of UK reptile species, from frogs to snakes to lizards.

Unlike a lot of reptiles in zoos, the centre gives you the chance to shoot these animals in natural light, which is a big plus. There is also a walking trail through some lovely woodland, it's great for a picnic and best of all, other than car parking it's free. I highly recommend it for a quick afternoon out in good weather.

http://www.new-forest-national-park.com/new-forest-reptile-centre.html