Photography - Animals

Animals always seem to sense when I want to photograph them, and move away just in time to spoil the picture. Here are a few pictures where I was lucky, and managed to get something before they moved.

Click on the thumbnails to get a bigger version of the pictures.

This friendly chaffinch seemed quite happy to hang around whilst I took a few photographs. The one with the grassy background went on to be awarded 2nd Prize in the Animal Photograph section in of the 2005 Glanton Show.
When I was out walking one day, this goat popped its head over the wall. It looked like a good photo opportunity. Through sheer fluke I clicked the shutter-release just as it was cheekily sticking its tongue out on one of the shots, which was subsequently awarded 4th Prize in the Animal Photograph section in of the 2005 Glanton Show.
	A falconer was doing demonstrations at a local village show, and had a number of superb birds of prey with him. This photograph is of a peregrine falcon.
	Another bird of prey from the show, but I'm not sure what breed this one is.
	Part of the falconry demonstration was to get a bird to fly onto a glove worn by a volunteer from the crowd (I spent a bit of time airburshing out the crowd in this shot to get something far less cluttered). Sadly I don't know who the girl is, so I can't credit her here.
These swans are in the QEII Country Park near Ashington in Northumberland. The photograph on the left was awarded a 4th place in the Animal Photograph catagory and the one on the top right was awarded 3rd place in the Action Shot catagory of the 2006 Glanton Show. However, as the last picture here shows, not all swans are so keen get their photographs taken.
	I'll admit to a bit of digital cheat-ery on this one. The lighting effect (which is what attracted me to this shot in the first place) is entirely natural. However I did clone out a couple of gulls on the water which I felt were getting in the way, and I also moved the shore a lot closer to get a more balanced composition.
	It took a few attempts, but I finally managed to a get a shot of this swan with a reasonably clear reflection in the water.
	A shag giving a funny look to the camera in the QEII Country Park near Ashington.
	How long was the lens I used to take this photo? Not nearly long enough for comfort.
	A sheep and lamb that I met when walking near Holburn Grange, on the way to St. Cuthbert's Cave. Sadly, this print has lost a bit of quality during the scanning process.
	A 'family portrait' of a sheep and her two lambs. (This picture was awarded a 'Highly Commended' prize in a local photography competition)
	These 3 lambs obligingly posed for a photograph which went on to win 3rd Prize in the Farming Scene section in of the 2005 Glanton Show.
	I actually snapped this Highland Cow in England rather than in Scotland. This prhotograph won 2nd prize in a local photography competition.
	A combination of luck, patience and a good macro mode on my camera allowed me to get this close-up of what I believe is a small tortoiseshell butterfly. Also, I managed to get a 1st prize for this shot in the Animal section of the 2004 Glanton Show.
	I was pleasantly surprised with how this photograph turned out, as it was just taken with a regular lens rather than a specialist macro lens.
	Another close-as-I-could-get-without-a-macro-lens shot. I hadn't realilsed just how ugly these things are up close.
	This is the cat-in-residence at the Ship Inn at Low Newton-by-the-Sea on the Northumberland coast, seen here in a rare moment when not trying to greed crisps from pub customers.
	A young gull loitering near the harbour in Eyemouth.
	There are always lots of seagulls soaring around the cliffs near Dunstanburgh castle, at the appropriately named Gull Crag.
	I snapped this robin, singing its heart out, on a telephone wire.
	This dog, who belongs to a friend of mine, looks far more pacid here than he usually is in the flesh.
	I went into my kitchen the one morning, and this is what I saw through the window. Fortunately I had a camera close to hand, and this guy obligingly held the pose long enough for me to get a few snapshots.
	"Pssst...Don't look now, but someone is taking your photograph"