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John Muir Award

Brighter Planet's 350 Challenge

Playing With Photography And Getting Closer To Nature

Things have been a bit quiet over recent months on the Badger Bushcraft Blog as we have been exceptionally busy with courses and work that we have been privately contracted to design and deliver. Quieter moments have seen us out walking and exploring the local flora and fauna using photography to get closer to all that The Nature has to offer.

Back in April 2011 I wrote an article for The Bushcraft Magazine about my favourite piece of bushcraft kit and after long deliberation I discovered that it was my camera.

I have always had a camera to hand on bimbles in the countryside and on expeditions for many years and have with some degree of luck managed to have some photographs published, including several pictures taken on Islay off the West Coast of Scotland in 2007 that appeared on the front cover of The Bushcraft Magazine for Summer 2010 and others that were used in publicity material for the John Muir Trust.

The published pictures were no technical master pieces nor were they deliberately taken with an artistic eye – they were flukes!

My picture used on the front cover of The Bushcraft Magazine

About four weeks ago I attended a photography workshop that was delivered by professional photographer Robert Canis, who I discovered by chance whilst researching flora at Marden Meadow. Robert specialises in wildlife and landscape photography and upon perusing his website I found that he also offers workshops and I immediately booked onto one of his Wildlife Photography Workshops at the  Northward Hill RSPB site that overlooks the Thames Marshes.

The day was exceptional on a host of levels with fantastic training provided throughout. However I soon found out that my photography and my technical understanding of the basic operations and functions of my Canon EOS 40D and lenses was far behind that of the other attendees. This was not a problem for Robert who patiently and good-naturedly helped me to get a grips of the basics and put things into clear and understandable terms to help me bust through the jargon.

The day has really bolstered my confidence to get out with the camera, experiment and be creative. Whilst I am no David Bailey and I am far from satisfied with my pictures, I am having a whale of a time – and I’m getting closer to The Nature and developing a greater understanding of her subtle nuances and how fickle she can be – especially when one is eager to take photographs!

Some recent pictures include the ones featured below:-

Hazel nuts forming, Staplehurst Kent August 2012

Grass seeds in the hay meadow, Staplehurst Kent 2012

Field mushroom gills, Egerton Kent August 2012

Bumble Bee in garden, Link Hill Egerton August 2012

Poppy in corn field, Egerton House August 2012

Inca The Bushcraft Dog, corn field Egerton House Kent 2012

Moon out traking fallow deer with JP, Tribe Meet July 2012

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Robert Canis for his help and support and I look forward to attending more of his excellent workshops and learning more about photography so that I am able to get closer still to the miracles that our flora and fauna have to offer.

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