Some more pics of the Kestrel Chicks .

I have been back a few times now to stand and stare at these wonderful chicks . I thought that there were only 2 of them . But today i went along with a friend (Keith , Holding Moments) and we reslised that there are infact 3 chicks !!!! One is very mobile and flying around the woodland . One is a fairly mobile one , but tends not to wander to far away . The last one is still a bit fluffy and looks fat . So i have called him ,Mark !! As thats how i feel a lot of the time , fat and fluffy lol .

While we were there today the parents came back several times with food for them . The first bit of food was a huge , and i mean huge Rat !! Sadly , the chick that had this went out of our view. We were just about to go back to mine for a coffe e and a natter , when the parent came back again with a big mouse . This time , Mark the fluffy one ate it right in front of us !! But had his back to us , so we didn't get to see the real gory bits !! But could see him ripping this mouse into bite size chunks and pulling the guts out and snacking on those as well !!

We decided to hang around for another ten minutes and it was worth it , as one of the others came back and sat with fluffy fat Mark . So we were able to get some images of the two together .

Then it was time to head home for a coffee . And for Keith and his friend to be licked to death by Mabel & Maya !! Mabel and Maya needed a walk , so when Keith and his friend had gone , i headed back over to have a wee look .

As i was walking round , i bumped into a walking buddy , who has a big Boxer , who Mabel loves and Maya was yet to meet . They all had a run around and i pointed out the Ketstrels to the owner of Ralfie . I know all the dogs name where i walk , but i don't know hardly any of the owners names !! Guess that shows i like dogs more than some people lol . As we walked past the allotments one of the adult Kestrels flew out of one of the overgrown allotments with a huge rat in its tallons !!! I had wondered where they were getting them from . An this makes sense , as these damn rats are eating everything that i am  growing on my plot . So the more that get taken by the family , the better it is in my opinion !!!  On the way back round one of the parents arrived with another big rat !! This was taken by one of the stronger chicks and taken away to a high branch where they devoured it in a matter of minutes , maybe 2 minutes !!! 

As i had the dogs with me i didn't have my camera . But i did have my binoculars . Which are a pair of Leitz Trinovid 10x25 pocket binos . Thes are fabulous little bins . I was able to stand at a good distance and just watch all the goings on for a good half hr while Maya and Mabel amussed themselves in the long grass in the park .

I don't think it will be long before the stronger ones are away by themselves . But hopefully , Fluffy Fat Mark will be around for another week or so , so i can enjoy watching these wonderful birds .

Here are afew pics from today . Some are not that sharp as they were jumping around with the food . But you can see the bits n bobs of the mouse . So if you are a bit squeemish , please don't view the photos .

 The large mouse or possibly a small rat .

 Pulling its mid morning snack to pieces .

 Sadly not very sharp , but shows the rat that has been delivered .

You can see the blood on the chest feathers where it has just eaten .

Once again , thanks for looking in . Please feel free to leave a comment or two and follow my blog .
View more of my images on my website http://www.eternityimages.co.uk/Home.aspx 

Thanks , Mark.

Kestrel Chicks .

For a good few years now , there have been a pair of Kestrel's that have been nesting in a hole in a Ash Tree where i walk my dogs . I have been lucky to stand and watch the parents come back with various dead animals and disappear into the nest to feed the chicks . I could always hear and see the parents around the wooded area . And i could always hear the chicks making noise when the parents came back with food for them . But i never managed to catch a glimpse of the chicks !!

This last week i have been away in The Lake District having a week of doing very little , as the weather was cloudy and rainy most of the week . All i was able to do was take the dogs out for long wet walks . The dogs always managed to get muddy as well !!

On Saturday 9th June i decided to take a trip to Appleby Horse Fair . This is something i have wanted to do for a good number of years . But was never in the area when it was on . I was always either too early or too late !!! But this year i was there at the right time . I shall be blogging about this later next week .

Today after a good journey back from our holiday . Yes , the M6 motorway was flowing well all the way !!! And i managed to get home in just over 3.5 hrs in the old Land Rover , with the two dogs in the back . The dogs were getting a tad restless with about 40 mins to go . So i knew they would need a walk after i had finished un-packing the cars .

Quick cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit and it was then out with the dogs . I had intended to go out for at least an hour . But when i turned the corner on our walk . I noticed that the tree that the Kestrel's nest in had been damaged by the strong winds that our area had had while we were away (we were lucky that we missed this where we were staying !!) The first thing  that came to my mind was , how are the chicks ??? I knew they would be only a few weeks away from fleeing the nest . And was upset to think that their nest had been destroyed and the chicks would be dead !!! But as i got closer , i could hear the chicks making their normal noise . Only this time it was much louder than normal . I stopped and looked at the huge limb that had come off of the Ash tree . Low and behold , there were the two chicks , sitting on the limb making noise for their food . I was now worried that their parents would have abandoned them , as there nest was destroyed . i wandered away . But stayed within looking distance . And then i saw the parents come back with food , feeding their two chicks . I don't know if there were more than two before the tree was damaged . But i was overjoyed to see healthy chicks an parents still feeding them !!!!

The dogs only got around 15 minutes walk . As i headed back home to collect my camera and my favourite lens for wildlife . So armed with my Nikon D700 , Sigma 300 2.8 and Sigma 2x converter . I headed back to the chicks . I positioned myself so that i did not disturb the chicks . Only one was around . So i can assume that they do have somewhere safe to go to , out of view of any predators . I managed to fire off around 70 photos . I had to use a fast ISO on the camera , so it was set at 3200 !! Back in film days this would have made the images really grainy . But luckily , today's digital cameras are much better with fast ISO  . And the Nikon D700 is well known for showing very little noise (grain in old talk ) when you push it . I have used it at 6400 inside churches when shooting weddings and there was very little noise to worry about !!! This is why i now love using a digital SLR  :-)

I have uploaded a few photos from today . I do plan on keeping my eye on the chicks and hope to get some more photos , when the light is a tad better !!!

 Lovely too see a fluffy Kestrel Chick .

 Checking if the wings work !!

 Looking straight into camera . I warmed the colour temp up a small amount as well on this image .

Yes , the wings do work . Although this image isn't very sharp , due to low light . This is why i intend to pop back and hide away to get some more images .

Thanks for taking time to read my blog. And i hope you have enjoyed the photos .View more images on my website http://www.eternityimages.co.uk/Home.aspx

Many thanks , Mark

Saturdays wedding of Kevin & Wendy 19.05.2012

I was recommended to Kevin & Wendy via friends of theirs , who's wedding i photographed a year or so ago . They have been booked in now for some time and i was looking forward to doing this wedding .As it was a a venue i haven't been to before . The whole day was held at the Harben House in Newport Pagnell , Buckinghamshire .

I met the Groom , his Best Man and Grooms Father in the pub a short distance away from the venue . Normally the town of Newport Pagnell is easy to get around on a Saturday . But this day was different !!! You may know that Newport Pagnell is the home to Aston Martin cars ? And on this Saturday there was a big auction being held . Selling Aston Martins !!! You could not move for them .

So , after a few shots of the men having a quick pint before the ceremony , just to calm nerves of course ! It was back to the venue to get shots of guests arriving . The Bridesmaid arrived and really confused me as i wasn't aware that she was a identical twin of the Bride , LOL . Various members of the families arrived and i got about taking some shots of them greeting each other and generally being happy and smiling .

Everyone was sent up to the room where the ceremony was to take place , as the Bride was due any moment . Just after they had all gone ,Wendy arrived in a wonderful white classic 1920's car called Alice . The door was opened and Wendy looked stunning in her dress and her gorgeous red hair looked amazing . Some shots were taken of Wendy and her Father .Then it was onto the room for the ceremony . It was a really relaxed atmosphere in the room . Lots of laughter and smiling faces . We were told to all stand for the arrival of the Bride . Wendy's sister Katie led the way , followed by Wendy and her very proud father , Neil .

It was a very relaxed service and also informal in that everyone was allowed to take photos during the service . This is becoming quite common now and makes for some special photos from the guests as they see things that myself as the official photographer wouldn't see . Mainly due to me not being able to move around during the service . The service went well and the marriage was sealed with a few kisses . Then it was time for all the group photos . There was a list that Kevin and Wendy had given me that they wanted following . The venue itself is a bit restricted for nice backdrops for the group photos . So we all took a trip to the local park , which is next to the river Ouse . I was lucky to squeeze into the bridal car as there was a seat at the front going spare . Lets just say that 1920's cars were not built for people of my build !!!

The weather was kind to us, in that it wasn't raining . But it was overcast and a tad on the chilly side . So the guests were keen to get the photos taken and get back to the venue to warm up . I'm sure they just wanted a tipple to warm themselves ;-) All the photos were taken , all the guests smiled and were happy to be in the photos with the happy couple . The guests went back to the venue . But Kevin, Wendy and myself jumped back into the car for a little trip to find a nice location to do some shots of them and the wonderful Alice (the car).

After a short journey back to the venue we went and done the cutting of the cake photos . This being a mock cutting . They told me that a good friend had made the cake for them . And as a surprise they had made a few extra layers and different mixes . So in all they had 6 cakes !!

I left the party to have their Wedding Breakfast . And as i only live a short distance away , i went home to upload the photos . I am always keen to get them uploaded as soon as possible , get them on a external hard drive and copied onto a couple of discs as well . That way i know i have all areas covered , should one system crash !! A quick bite to eat and a mug of tea .One little extra that i like to do if i am able to , is print of a couple of photos from the day and take them back to the reception . That way the evening guests get to see some photos of the bits they didn't get to see . I use a HiTi 510s Dyesub printer for this , asa i know that the print quality is fantastic . Then it was back to the venue for some evening photos and the real cutting of the cake .The photos that i had printed went down a storm , everyone loved them and said how good they were , considering that the weather wasn't exactly sunny . That always makes me feel good that people are happy with the end result .

The first dance was wonderful , the newly weds looking so much in love and so happy together . As usual , the children had been up on the dance floor having a good boogie to the music way before anyone else had stepped foot on the dance floor . No doubt the Children would be asleep before 10pm as they were all having a whale of a time .

Once the first dance was over with . I slipped away to leave the newly married couple to enjoy the rest of their day , with all their friends and family . Time for me to upload the evening images , back them up and make a few copies !!! You can never be too careful , computers do go wrong !!
So here are a few photos from the day . In all i took well over 1000 images !!!

Hope you have enjoyed this wedding blog . If you have any comments , please feel free to pass them on . Also , if you would like to know about my wedding photography packages , please look at my web site or contact me for details . I will always try my hardest to build a package around YOUR
budget .
Website http://www.eternityimages.co.uk/Home.aspx

Many thanks Mark.

Fox & Barn Owl Pictures .

Yesterday i spent the day with my good friend , Steve Magennis . This time we were photographing a Red Fox , Barn Owl , Kestrel and a Little Owl .

The day started with the Barn Owl being set on some wonderful old barn doors . Real rustic looking and just the place where Barn Owls love to spend time , watching for unsuspecting food to come wandering past , in time to be a tasty lunch !!! As the light was getting stronger , we had to be quick , as the contrast between the Barn Owl and the wood of the barn , make exposure quite difficult . I was under exposing by around 1-1.3 stops . And still , i have had to make some adjustments in Photoshop !!!

Then it was on to Annie the Red Fox . She and her siblings were rescued around a yr ago when her mother was killed nearby .They were too young to fend for themselves , so were hand reared . Annie was offered to Brian , the keeper , to keep as a tame Fox . She really is the cutest thing when you get to see her closer than you normally would . But still we had to be tucked away in a hide , out of sight , as she Will spook easily if she was to see one of us . For this reason , the workshop is kept to a max of 4 photographers . That way we are not clambering over each other . And Annie is nice and relaxed .

As you will be able to see from the photos . The hide is dug into the side of a pond . So we are at eye level !! It really does make for some amazing images . With wonderful reflections of Annie in the water .

Annie was given a nice fresh Pheasant as a treat . She did what all foxes do with birds and duly pulled its head off !!! Then burried it for later !! While she was burrying it , i just watched what she was doing as that part of the day didn't make particularly good photos . Due to the fact that all you could see was Annies side and a bit of dirt being thrown up in the air . It really was a great thing to watch , as i never knew that a Fox would bury its food . i thought that they would chow down and have a good feast . You learn something new every day :-)

So far i have only processed a few images of the day . So there are a few of Annie and a few of the Barn Owl amongst the old barn . But as my back is now killing from sitting at the computer , i need to have a rest and take some magic pills to help out ;-)

Thanks for popping by and having a read of my blog . Hope you have enjoyed it . Please leave any feedback and comments . They are always welcome .
View more of my images on my website http://www.eternityimages.co.uk/Home.aspx
Have a good week , Mark .

Mad Dogs and an Englishman

Just wanted to share a small selection of the photos I have taken of my dogs.

The first has to be our Dog Izzy, a liver and tan Doberman who we sadly lost last year to a heart condition. 

Next we have Mabel our 11 month old Doberman, she is totally nuts !!

And Mabel being slightly more sedate

We have a new puppy, Maya, also a Doberman but we have only had her a few days so I am yet to subject her to the studio lighting and setting, pictures to follow when I can get her to sit still !!

I have also taken many portrait images for clients of their pets, I will endeavour to add some of these photos in the coming week, but for a start we have Bud, a boxer pup taken on a location shoot for the owner out on his walk.

For now I wish you all a good weekend, lets hope it is a dry one at least !!

View more of my images on my website http://www.eternityimages.co.uk/Home.aspx

A day photographing birds of prey .

I spent yesterday photographing 4 different birds of prey in a woodland . As i am not yet finished editing them all (over 800 images taken lol) i will add a few of the first bird that i photographed . This was the beautiful Barn Owl .

The day was a workshop that was organised by my good friend Steve Magennis . The idea was to get the various birds using the wonderful Bluebells as a nice backdrop .

For info on the Barn Owl look here  .

We had four birds in total to photograph on the day . Barn Owl , Kestrel , Buzzard and a Little Owl . As i have said i only have some images of the Barn Owl at the moment . But the others will follow.

We headed into the woodland at around 10.30am. And the Barn Owl was the first bird for us to photograph. We had about an hr and a half , placing the bird on various fence posts and well selected fallen tree branches . The display of  Bluebells was incredible , even though they were not fully out . The Barn Owl was really well behaved , sitting for us and making some amazing images . The sort of image that you would need to sit in a hide for a very long time to , maybe, get a decent image . So although these are not wild birds , it provides people like me , who don't have a hide or the patience to sit for a few days in a hide :-)

The Barn Owl was given a mouse as a treat , but didn't seem interested for a good while . Then when we headed further into the woodland , it decided it would put on a great show for us , by hanging onto the mouse and just 'showing off' !! You will see the photo attached .

There were a total of 5 of us that attended the workshop . Plus Steve and the falconer , Brian . The one bird that we had to keep a safe distance from was the Buzzard . Not because it was vicious . But it has a tendency to try and land on peoples heads if it wants to go for a little flight . And with talons that are very sharp . We all decided that it's better to be safe than sorry !!

If you are into your Bird photography and would be interested in attending one of Steve's workshops . I would highly recommend it . You will not be disappointed !! You can not fail to get good photos , even using a compact camera . If you have a decent digital slr camera , with a couple of good lenses , upto 300/400 mm . You will come away a very happy person . Just remember to take lots of memory cards , spare batteries and a good tripod . The tripod will be needed as the light level can drop quite a lot once you get deeper into the woods .

So here are a few of the Barn Owl . The others will follow over the next few days . Probably Tuesday onwards , as we are picking up a new puppy as a buddy for our Mabel . This i am very excited about :-)

 Bluebells look lovely in the background .

With the very dead mouse in it's beak . Posing for the photographers .

Thanks for looking in . And i hope you have enjoyed the images so far . My eyes are square from looking at the monitor all day . So it's time to shut the computer down lol .
View more images on  my website http://www.eternityimages.co.uk/Home.aspx

Cheers Mark.





A day inbetween the Monsoon !!!

It's been all over the Television and on the radio about the awful weather we have been having here in the UK . One months rain fell in 48 hours !!! This ment that i have been stuck inside and unable to get out with my camera .

Yesterday however the sun came out and the temperature went up a few degrees . So i went out for an hour or 2 around my local area to take a few photos . There are several allotments within 10 mins of my house . And on one of them someone grows a huge amount of Tulips !!  I never see anything else growing on there . So i imagine that they just love Tulips . I took a few images of the wonderful splash of colours .

I then went for a short drive to see what the Rape seed fields are looking like . They do look wonderful . But i always find they give off rather a strange smell !!

One of the roads i went down had a road closed sign , due to flooding . But as i drive an old Land Rover , i went for a nosey to see how deep it was . It was around 2' deep , which is easily passable in a Land Rover . So i went through , just to give the old girl as wash of her undercarriage !!!
Talking to a friend of mine, who is the local policeman , he wasn't too happy that i had ignored his signs that he had put up earlier that morning !! Still , i do believe that i have never grown out of childhood , as most men will agree , that we never grow up , just our toys get bigger :-)

Later that afternoon i went to walk Mabel in the local park and see if it was possible to do any of our normal walk along the river . I would have been ok if i had taken a 2 man canoe and a couple of life jackets !!! The water level was well above my wellies . So it looked like Mabel was going to have a very short walk . The our friend Jackie appeared with her Lurcher called Izzy . So Mabel and Izzy had an hour running round after each other , through the flood water , knocking hell out of each other and knocking each other into the flooded field .


So below are a few of the photos i took . I was hoping to go out again today and venture further afield . But the rain has returned and the water levels have risen even higher !! The flooded road that i went through yesterday was deeper . I was unable to get through as someone had attempted it in a almost brand new Honda CRV . They didn't make it half way !!! So their vehicle is now stranded in the middle of the lane , going nowhere !!! I did get out to see if anyone was still in the vehicle . To offer a tow out onto higher ground . But they had abandoned the vehicle and must have got very wet and soggy feet !!!

 The wonderful splash of colours from the Tulips .

 The same Tulips with a small greenhouse . I desaturated the colours on this.

 Rape seed field .

 Love the cloud formation on this one .

Again , the clouds are wonderful in this image . I always look for clouds when taking a landscape . As plain blue skies are just boring .

Hope you enjoyed this short blog . It's difficult to get decent photos when it is raining 24hrs a day for a few days running !!!

View more of my images on my website http://www.eternityimages.co.uk/Home.aspx

Thanks , Mark .