tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56832889081873606872011-07-08T10:57:00.499+01:00Richard Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02391878688781339808noreply@blogger.comBlogger221100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683288908187360687.post-32285258192950417202010-09-04T22:00:00.002+01:002010-09-04T22:01:32.708+01:00

Thanks for visiting my blog. I have moved the blog to one hoseted on my website at http://www.rpnaturephoto.co.uk/news.html

Richard Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02391878688781339808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683288908187360687.post-5315220144490887012010-07-20T19:13:00.000+01:002010-07-20T19:13:02.852+01:00

Gardening was on the agenda this weekend but I also managed to take the opportunity to photograph some of the garden visitors. We have a marjoram plant that has come into flower and is proving to be a real hit with the gatekeeper butterflies. I was able to get fairly close while they busied themselves feeding. It wasn't just butterflies that were enjoying the flowers, this Greenbottle

Richard Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02391878688781339808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683288908187360687.post-71489316170837133752010-07-10T12:21:00.000+01:002010-07-10T12:21:29.439+01:00

One of my Christmas presents was to go on a Photography workshop specifically aimed at nature photographers. In the end I chose a day at the Wildwood wildlife park in Kent, this was arranged with Photographers on Safari. Wildwood is a great place to visit it's a great environment in woodland with the collection focussing on British and European wildlife, they are also heavily involved in

Richard Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02391878688781339808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683288908187360687.post-79993079366571564112010-07-07T17:30:00.000+01:002010-07-07T17:30:03.271+01:00

A bit behind on my posts but the weekend before last Biggin Hill hosted it's annual air fair. This year is a special year as it is also the seventieth anniversary of the Battle of Britain. It was a packed program, the main downside from a photography point of view was the weather as usual. It was very hot so there was quite a heat haze to contend with, also not long after the flying started a

Richard Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02391878688781339808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683288908187360687.post-65020940472068889002010-06-21T19:28:00.001+01:002010-06-21T19:29:42.976+01:00

BWARS (the Bees, Wasps & Ants Recording Society) are asking for sightings of a Bumble Bee - Bombus hypnorum in the UK. A relative newcomer to these shores they look to be expanding their range. The bee is fairly distinctive with a ginger thorax and white tail as can be seen below. For more information visit Eyes open for Bombus hypnorum

Richard Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02391878688781339808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683288908187360687.post-37495200195127649182010-06-20T20:38:00.000+01:002010-06-20T20:38:09.856+01:00

We have been very lucky in the garden with a number of interesting visitors. The last couple of weeks has seen the arrival of Blue Tit family. The youngsters are very bold and can be approached pretty closely, even the adults didn't seem to mind.

Richard Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02391878688781339808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683288908187360687.post-48705820667563818572010-05-26T22:19:00.000+01:002010-05-26T22:19:10.634+01:00

At the beginning of may I finally put a project into action of building a small garden pond. The hope was to attract some more wildlife into the garden, and what do you know it paid off! At the weekend the pond received visits from a number of Large Red Damselflies who chose the pond as a place for the next generation to grow up.

Richard Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02391878688781339808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683288908187360687.post-46322898171168554512010-04-26T09:33:00.000+01:002010-04-26T09:33:21.875+01:00

I thought I would try something this weekend and would try and create a studio effect for some macro shots. The first weevil announced his presence by crawling up my arm while I was lying on the grass. I grabbed him and transfered him to my 'studio' which consisted of a plate in the dining room. Lighting was from a canon MT-24EX Twin Lite. The last weevil had gone for an unplanned swim in

Richard Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02391878688781339808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683288908187360687.post-20556214284550648862010-04-26T09:15:00.001+01:002010-04-26T09:15:55.464+01:00

Taking inspiration from No Cropping Zone a great site for anyone interested in Macro photography, I have been building some new diffusers for my MT-24EX Macro Twin Lite. The main diffusers are two 'puffer' type diffusers designed for use on onboard flashes. These have had there arms shortened and have been taped to a sto-fen style diffuser with the front cut off which acts as a frame to hold

Richard Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02391878688781339808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683288908187360687.post-25725181263465493192010-03-27T18:14:00.002Z2010-03-27T18:15:54.856Z

A few flowers have started to bloom in the garden, an ideal opportunity to try out my new macro lens. The lens in question is the Canon 100mm L IS Macro lens, a corker of a lens. These shots were taken hand held. The image stabilization was a real boon.   

Richard Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02391878688781339808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683288908187360687.post-88233002254886011852010-03-23T18:48:00.001Z2010-03-23T18:48:55.174Z

A great place to watch and photograph Grey Herons is Kelsey Park in Beckenham, Kent. There is a thriving Heronry with a number of nesting birds. At the moment a number have chicks, they are in the middle of the main lake so there is no chance of disturbance although you will need a reasonably long lens. Although most of the nests look pretty substantial the parent birds are topping up the nest,

Richard Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02391878688781339808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683288908187360687.post-48867060433068017822010-03-21T22:39:00.000Z2010-03-21T22:39:35.281Z

With Spring kicking in it is a great time to photograph Wrens. These birds usually spend their time in hedgerows and are often quite elusive. However, now that their hormones are kicking in the males are setting up breeding territories. In order to define and protect these the male will sing and usually does so from a high vantage point. This means they are more often in the open, also as they

Richard Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02391878688781339808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683288908187360687.post-45885951088704925592010-03-19T19:26:00.001Z2010-03-19T19:27:49.954Z

Received some good news, all of the images taken with the 7D have passed Alamy's quality control. This was the acid test as one of the main reasons for buying the camera was the larger file size.

Richard Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02391878688781339808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683288908187360687.post-90269881955722690042010-03-16T16:50:00.005Z2010-03-16T19:57:11.650Z

Carrion Crow taken with Canon 7D After much deliberation and internet research I took the plunge and bought a Canon 7D. I read lots of comments about image quality and noise which were of concern but after downloading some RAW files from DP Review I was happy that this was the camera for me! My main reasons for purchasing were: Approx 100% viewfinder, amazing how different this is. 19 cross

Richard Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02391878688781339808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683288908187360687.post-81510641673805596202010-03-16T16:32:00.001Z2010-03-16T16:32:52.939Z

On display Originally uploaded by Richard ParkerOne of my Up Helly Aa photos was chosen for use as part of an 'Intangible Cultural Heritage in Scotland' stand at the Scottish Parliament.More info on ICH in at www.ichscotland.org

Richard Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02391878688781339808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683288908187360687.post-37558522472468433982010-03-04T12:02:00.005Z2010-03-04T12:06:40.040Z

The weather has been pretty good for the last few days so I was able to manage a trip to the London Wetland Centre in Barnes and a local nature reserve, South Norwood Country Park. Over all I have been extremely pleased with the lens. It handles well, the AF tracked well in AI servo and seemed bang on in one shot modes. As for the sharpness at the long end I have no complaints at all. Below are

Richard Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02391878688781339808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683288908187360687.post-1217536829547443452010-02-27T12:55:00.002Z2010-02-27T12:57:26.929Z

I have been considering purchasing a Canon 100-400 L so before I took the plunge I thought I would try one out so I hired one from www.lensesforhire.co.uk. I will use the time to try and evaluate the lens and see if it is really the one I want! My current set up is a Canon 300mm F4 L and a 1.4x Extender II, it's a great combo but I am tempted by the convenience of the zoom. I was also interested

Richard Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02391878688781339808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683288908187360687.post-85191891502954103772010-02-21T18:35:00.000Z2010-02-21T18:35:26.323Z

It was a mostly gloomy day today with some rain and the odd spot of sunshine. I decided to break out my new Flash extender and have a go at a variety of techniques for lighting the birds in my back garden. A makeshift hide was set up in the shed and then it was just a case of waiting! Quite a few of our regular visitors turned up and I managed to get a few shots I liked. This shot of a Great

Richard Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02391878688781339808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683288908187360687.post-25999421300030618782010-02-14T15:02:00.002Z2010-02-14T17:05:22.566Z

Gerbera Originally uploaded by Richard ParkerBit gloomy outside so I thought I would play around in the studio (living room) and try a bit of High Key. Subject was lit using a Canon twinlite and the background was lit using a 430 EX as a slave. In Lightroom I square cropped and played around with curves and saturation. Then a final tweak in Elements to clone out some blemishes on the petals.

Richard Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02391878688781339808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683288908187360687.post-73085317130689638542010-02-11T19:53:00.002Z2010-02-13T09:36:01.372Z

Last year I had my old Canon EOS 400D converted to Infra Red, this involved the replacement of the sensor's high pass filter with an Infra Red Filter. I took advantage of the winter sun over the last two days to grab some shots during my lunch break.

Richard Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02391878688781339808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683288908187360687.post-64794909294593696882010-02-06T15:33:00.008Z2010-02-13T09:37:51.963Z

The Up Helly Aa is a Fire Festival with a Viking theme which takes place in Shetland during the winter. This year I went to the Lerwick festival on a trip organised by Shetland Wildlife. This was an amazing spectacle which culminates with a torchlight parade and a Galley Burning, for more information on the Up Helly Aa visit www.uphellyaa.org. Here a few images from the day, not my normal

Richard Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02391878688781339808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5683288908187360687.post-34828352868682118782010-02-06T11:50:00.002Z2010-02-06T11:50:33.950Z

Welcome to my blog! I have set this up to share my passion for photography, in particular nature photography. I haven’t got a definite plan as yet but will attempt to document my excursions taking photographs of the wildlife in and around London and Kent and anything else I get up to with my photography. Hopefully I will become more stuctured as time goes.

Richard Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02391878688781339808noreply@blogger.com0