Watching them fly...

What is it with men (and sometimes the female folk too!) that get them excited with machinery with big engines?   

One of the best local days out in the annual calendar is the air show, in my case it’s the RAF Leuchars air show held annually around September just outside St Andrews on the east coast of Scotland.  RAF Leuchars is one of only three operating aircraft bases in Scotland, unfortunately due to spending reviews and cutbacks due to the worldwide recession it will be closing to the RAF in 2013, plans are in place to remodel the base into an army barracks.  Although this is somewhat good news as it still allows money to come into the local economy, there are worries that St Andrews does not hold the infrastructure to accommodate such an explosion in the population.

During the aircraft displays it is possible to see a wide range of modern military jets put through their paces by incredibly high trained individuals; pilots, aircraft and teams come from various countries, not just the UK.

Alphajet

The highlight of many people from around the UK in going to an air show is to see the Red Arrows.

The Red Arrows are the aerobatic display team of the Royal Air Force, the precision manoeuvres are second to none and will frequently take your breath away as the British Aerospace Hawk T1’s fly in formations that seem ridiculously too close.

No Introduction Required.

The 2011 Red Arrows display was tinged by sadness this year as a few months previously during a display at the Bournemouth Air Festival one of the display aircraft crashed as it was returning to Bournemouth Airport to land.  As a mark of respect, the team would continue the rest of the years flying schedule, but in an eight plane formation.  In many of the manoeuvres the space where the ninth aircraft would have been was left just as that, a space.


Photograph title: Alphajet
Subject: Alphajet aircraft from the Patrouille De France aerobatic display team.
Date taken: 10th September 2011
Camera Nikon D90
Exposure 0.002 sec (1/640)
Aperture f/8.o
Focal Length 300 mm


Photograph title: No Introduction Required.
Subject: Hawk T1 jet from the RAF Aerobatic Display Team - The Red Arrows.
Date taken: 10th September 2011
Camera Nikon D90
Exposure 0.001 sec (1/1250)
Aperture f/8.o
Focal Length 400 mm

Ever heard of camouflage?

Ever heard of camouflage? One of the questions that I sometimes get asked is must I have a long lens to get close up shots of wildlife?

The answer is...... not necessarily! Now let's be honest a long lens is always going to help with wildlife shots but it is not the be all and end all. What really helps is to understand the wildlife that you interested in and how to make yourself get close to them without spooking them.

The first photograph that I will talk about and share is one which was taken a few years ago and is titled "ever heard of camouflage?". This photograph shows a pheasant in it's natural habitat showing how well it merges in to the background!

Ever heard of camouflage?
If you have ever tried to take a photograph of a wild pheasant you will probably know that they will readily spook and fly off as you approach them, not making them the easiest subject to follow. So what are the choices? You can use the landscape to help your approach, such as walls that sometimes surround the fields in which they can often be found. This method can sometimes result in you getting close enough to your prey, but again, easily spooked birds will often be one step in front of you, somehow always being just that few metres too far away for a frame filling photograph.

A hide could be used, but there are drawbacks. Cost, many hides are costly putting them beyond the reach of the casual photographer who cannot justify the outlay of a piece of equipment that will hardly ever be used. The other drawback with regards to hides is that to be most effective they have to remain in location for sometime so that the animals get used to their presence .

Pheasant Profile
So the photograph in question, how was it taken without the need for a long wildlife lens or a hide. The answer?
The photograph was taken from the car! Your car can make a very effective mobile hide. On the day that this photograph was taken I was travelling with no intention to photographing pheasants, but as luck would show I passed a field that had half a dozens pheasants in the stubble after the harvest. One quick stop in a lay-by later, the camera and lens were removed from the camera bag and placed on the passenger seat for easy access. Next part was to get close. With the window rolled down I drove into the field at a slow and steady pace with the aim of driving parallel to the birds, if you drive straight at them they will fly away. It always seems so strange who close you can get using this method. It should go without say, to drive into any fields you should always have the permission of the farmer / land owner. I have always found that usually, they will be more than willing to help out as long as you are not causing any damage.

Photograph title: Ever heard of camouflage
Subject: Wild Pheasant
Date taken: 19th September 2008
Camera Nikon D50
Exposure 0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 270 mm

Photograph title: Pheasant Profile
Subject: Wild Pheasant
Date taken: 19th September 2008
Camera Nikon D50
Exposure 0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 270 mm