Getting up close
03.02.2019
Currently my work consists of distant subjects, so I am not to disturb the animal too much. It is always key that people respect the wildlife around them and to not approach them. But every now and again, wildlife can approach humans purely out of curiosity, or the fact that the photographer is very well camouflaged to not be noticed by the animal.
On this occasion, I was wandering around a marshland reserve to count the amount of different bird species I saw — I have got into the habit of recording what I see each day, just so I have a record of what I see throughout the year, which in my eye helps me to remember what was seen on a specific day for future research purposes. On my way back to the car, I spotted a lone lapwing digging in the mud with its beak along the bank of the marsh. I took this opportunity to get a closer shot of it, rather then seeing it fly by past my head and out of range of my lens! As I was behind a fence (made nothing more of wooden posts and barbed wire) I had hoped the bird knew that I was have no way of disturbing it, so I slowly crept around the corner and took a couple of photographs in case it was to fly away before I got any closer. Surprisingly, the lapwing moved across the bank parallel to the water and towards where I was crouched. The bird paused momentarily, most likely working out if I was a threat, or whether there were any birds of prey overhead. I took some more pictures while it stood still, and then I moved slower still until I was in line with the lapwing, and it allowed me to get these shots of it. With the winter sun blazing down, the iridescent colours from it’s wings bedazzled in the sunlight which I had never been able to see from this close before.
Once I had enough shots I began to walk away, but even then the lapwing stayed in the same area still hunting out food within the bank. And so, I had managed to get some great close up shots of a bird I usually see flying too high up in the sky for me to get a decent shot. Furthermore, I was really able to appreciate the beautiful markings and feather details of this lapwing, and was very satisfied with the results!
I’m sure that over time I will be able to get closer shots like this, whether it be birds or mammals, but I am still constantly learning new techniques with my camera such as panning shots, (which I am still yet to fully master!) as well as how to behave in the same environment as other species in order to get those amazing portrait and detailed shots.
My next blog post will more than likely be a full account of my trip to the Isle of Mull, which is from the 22nd to the 1st of March. Despite the weather to be a lot colder than my last trip, the weather will still be very much active, so fingers crossed I will return with photographing some new species from the magical Isle of Mull!
