Well, if I'd had a Piglet I could certainly have flown him today - what a blustery day it was up at Grange-over-Sands in Cumbria! I was there taking part in PromArt, the outdoor art fair held on the last Sunday of the month during the 'summer'. It can be a challenge, at the best of times, dealing with the unpredictable weather, but today really tested my patience!

I lost several prints over the railings onto the grasses several feet below when a gust suddenly whipped across the prom. Taking a look over the edge I didn't fancy the idea of jumping down to retrieve them - after all the torrential rain we have had over the past couple of weeks, the land was absolutely sodden with many patches under water, so I decided to cut my losses and let them go. A couple of hours later, a hand appeared at the bottom of the railings, waving a bunch of prints - one of the show volunteers had bravely ventured along from the other end of the Prom, walked along the edge retrieving various items that had blown over, including my prints! Fortunately, all the work I display is always in sealed cellophane bags so although the bags were a little damp, the prints were completely undamaged. A quick wipe with a towel in the back of the car and they were as good as new. 

Thanks to Francis!

in Rerum Natura - in the nature of things - is the title of my MA Fine Art project which consists of research along with a series of images.

I am interested in the structure, order and classification of the natural world, in why we have the need to classify and create order and in the Latin names given to all living things: what the names mean, why they were given, who named them and how this impacts on both visual and written language.

In this Site and Archive Intervention project I investigate the issues involved in classification as complexity is removed and individuality or character, is lost. In doing so I explore the interpretation and use of signs and representational imagery, philosophies and ancient belief systems, consider cognitive science and how we interpret images by using our senses, memories and past experiences and how this ultimately affects our perception of the subject.

Using the medium of photography and with wild plants as subject matter, I show how this understanding can effectively be used to create an alternative means of classification and the impact that this has on what we see. It also looks at how we connect with nature and offers some ideas for allowing a wider audience to enjoy the natural world on our own doorsteps.

The MA Show is currently on at UCLAN in Preston, with my exhibition at the Centre For Contemporary Art at 37 St Peters Street - opposite the UCLAN Library. Originally due to run until Thursday 17th, my show has now been extended to run until 25th September. A selection of cards featuring the images are available to purchase.

A slideshow of images used in the project can be seen here

I am proud to be a part of the ‘9 Degrees Northwest’s challenging and contemporary MA Fine Art Show at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston. My work is being exhibited at the Centre for Contemporary Art at 37 St. Peter Street, opposite the Library, whilst the main show is being held in the studios of the Hanover Building on Kirkham Street. The show is now open to the public, with a Private View this evening.

The exhibition brings together innovative and imaginative work in painting, photography, performance and film, and shows the creativity and diversity of the work produced by MA students Caroline Black, Cherry Bai Shan Shan, Colin Binns, James Loftus, Keith Roberts, Jonathan Moss, Rachel Riggs, Steph Hurst, and Denise Swanson.

The MA Fine Art course at Preston is unique in that it offers students the opportunity to follow one of two pathways in studying and making contemporary art – studio practice and site & archive intervention. Pete Clarke, the university’s Course Leader, explains  “the pathway in Studio Practice is designed to encourage new artwork in a range of materials and processes, whilst the Site and Archive Intervention pathway promotes issue based and socially engaged work”.

Lubaina Himid, Professor of Contemporary Art at UCLAN says “working with this group of creative practitioners in Site and Archive Intervention has been a stimulating experience. They have succeeded in connecting people with places. Each separate project demonstrates a development of ideas around audience engagement that is both inventive and subtle. They have all experienced and made the most of an intense period of academic investigation and visual research during the past two years. This has enabled each of them to make numerous informed decisions about place, memory, space, community, materials, history and installation. Each has grappled with the bureaucracy of revealing hidden and neglected histories while devising innovative and creative ways to contextualise their findings.”

She continues “During the past year some parts of this work have been tested in a public context: all four projects have excellent potential for collaborative development in a professional arena and are ready to be extended and expanded further at a national and even international level.”

The exhibition is open to the public from 14 to17 September between 10.00am and 5pm daily. Admission is free.

http://www.artinliverpool.com/blog/2009/09/uclan-09-ma-fine-art-exhibition/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/lancashire/hi/people_and_places/arts_and_culture/newsid_8248000/8248075.stm

http://www.prestonsun.co.uk/

Over the past few weeks I have had a deluge of work and other commitments to deal with and I now desperately need to start working on the Contextual Document for my MA - it needs to be completed and produced by 31st August so time is starting to run short and there is still a lot of work to do. Most of the research is done and content written but it needs tying together and editing, several sections need re-writing and further editing.  Then I need to do the layout and of course, print the whole thing, which I am doing myself as a limited edition art book on fine art paper. I still need to get out and take some more pictures, record the content for the DVD, design the publicity material and I also have the MA Show catalogue to design and my own final art work to produce, aside from other jobs which need dealing with, so it is starting to get a little fraught!

Updates to this blog will likely fall off for a while as I try to battle my way through but I will Twitter progress over the coming weeks and will resume posting once things have settled down a bit.

I'm happy to be taking part in the Grassington Arts Festival which opens on Friday 19th June with a Private View and is then on daily until 4th July. I travelled up to Grassington today to deliver my work to the Town Hall, where it is to be hung - a total of nine pieces have been selected. Whilst I was there I took the opportunity to have a look around some of the other work being hung and put on display and what a diverse collection! It should be a very good show and well worth a visit whichever side of the Pennines you come from! Aside from the work in the Town Hall there are lots of small galleries and shops where other works are being displayed - and there are a number of 'curlew' works which have been commissioned especially for the show. The curlew is held in high regard in these parts.

It is an interesting journey, climbing so far up right in the heart of the Pennines but unfortunately it was a very wet and rainy day so visibility was not that great and no suitable photo opportunities. Perhaps it will be better when I go back when the festival opens. Grassington itself is a lovely little village - I have been before but a long time ago and in a previous life but it is still interesting and there are lots of places to walk if you like that sort of thing.

A few days in Scotland taking photographs sounds like a fabulous idea. I have a job to do in Glasgow over the next couple of days photographing an exhibition and conference but once that is done, we are meeting up with some friends for a few days in the Trossachs and Loch Lomond.

I desperately need some R&R and this sounds ideal - a few days away from email and the Internet, mobile phones and text messages for the sole purpose of walking in the hills and taking some pictures. Hopefully, the weather will be kind and there will be opportunities to photographs lots of wild flowers as well as enjoying the company of friends.

It will only be for a few days unfortunately, as I need to get back in time for the opening of the Focus exhibition in Preston but I can't wait.

Bluestreak Arts in Preston, for whom I facilitate photography workshops for people with mental health issues, have acquired a gallery space in Canon Street, Preston and have offered our photography group the opportunity to run the first exhibition there.

Called The Space it is located at 22 Cannon Street. The show, which opens on June 9th, is to be called Focus and is being curated by Garth Gratrix. I have also been invited to show some of my own work. I will be cutting short a trip to Scotland so I can attend the Private View as I am so proud of the work these guys have done and want to be there with them.

If you are in Preston between 9th-20th June do call in and have a look at their work.

I am excited about being offered the opportunity to hold my MA Show exhibition at the Centre For Contemporary Art on St Peter's Street in Preston in September. The main show is being held in the studios in the UCLAN Hanover Building but the nature of my project really lends itself to the CCA and I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to hold it there. I need to consider exactly how I am going to plan the space and display the work but that is something I will enjoy immensely over the coming weeks.

Entering the home straight on this intensive course is both exciting and terrifying all at the same time - there is still a lot of work to do in tying all the research and all of the visual work together, documenting and contextualising it all and putting on the final show. Just planning the To Do list is becoming a major headache as I keep thinking of all the things that still need to be done.

On top of that, I have agreed to do the design work for the MA Show catalogue - don't get me wrong, I enjoy doing design work but with the rest of the workload I may live to regret volunteering for that....

Things have been quiet on this blog for a while and I am ashamed to say the photo blog has also been neglected due to working on other things which needed to take priority. Clients always come first so their work takes priority and then of course, my MA studies have taken up quite a substantial amount of my time. I had planned a complete overhaul of the site and it started off well but then work and studies simply got in the way as several jobs came up at the same time and plans had to be put on hold. I did start to re-organised the categories, move content around, re-categorise some of the pages and posts and generally tidy things up to make it more efficient and started re-planning the structure and the overall design to create a new look but then it all stopped and I never quite got back to it. I hope to be back on the case soon, attempt to update the content more regularly and complete the re-design, although now I am on the home straight of my MA time is once again at a premium.

As some of the content is still being re-categorised and moved, I apologise for any broken navigation you may find during this phase.

I am in the process of producing a new range of greeting cards using some of the flower images I have been taking as part of my MA. These images are more conceptual in nature and reflect a different type of view than those used previously on the cards. The cards will be accompanied by a series of prints which will be available as a series of limited editions. These will be made available for sale in early September, to tie in with the MA Show at UCLAN in Preston. More details will be published in due course.

Meanwhile, several new designs are being printed now ready for delivery to the PAD Gallery in Preston next week where they seem to sell quite well.

Whilst in London for a job photographing an awards dinner, I had an opportunity to visit the Tate for the Turner exhibition. What an enjoyable afternoon I spent - Turner has long been one of my most favourite artists and so this was an opportunity too good to miss. The way he was able to capture light was simply astonishing and although I have seen some of the works before, it was a revelation to see so much of it together. Especially some of the drawings and prints and smaller paintings which I had not previously seen.

I bought a copy of the book 'Turner', published by the Tate Gallery and am now enjoying reading about the work in more detail.

What a great artist - and what a great exhibition.

I recently received an invitation from the Lancashire Wildlife Trust to help them to make use of a retail outlet in The Mall in Preston, which they had been given use of, over the Easter weekend. I thought this could be an exciting project and one which I'd love to help with so I offered to put up a small exhibition display in the unit and to run some workshops or talks over the course of the weekend to try and help raise awareness for the Trust and for some of my favourite local reserves. If this comes off, I do hope that if you are in Preston over Easter, that you will stop by and say hello and join the LWT if you are not already a member.

More news when I find out more.

Headed for the Ribble Estuary again this morning, to see if there had been any progress on the wetlands regeneration scheme. Parked up near Crossens and took a brisk walk along the path - hundreds of seabirds about in the various parts of the marsh. Mostly gulls but a few Redshank I think and a number of other small waders but I couldn't get close enough. The ground underfoot was very spongy so didn't risk going too far. It was very cold and extremely windy.

Went along to the RSPB hide at Marshside and spent a while watching and photographing the Avocets - should they really be here yet? Seems a bit early but there were lots there. There were flocks of lapwing in the marsh beyond the lake and starlings by the hundred as well as the occasional smaller bird and a few sandpipers. And of course, the gulls. It was absolutely freezing but so nice to be out in the fresh air hearing the sounds of all the birds.

After an invigorating walk back to the car, drove up to Martin Mere and spent the rest of the afternoon there. I keep hoping to see the beavers but once again, they were tucked up and were not venturing outside - not that i can blame them, it was extremely cold after all. So many trees felled within their area it is hard to believe they are responsible but the evidence is there for all to see. The wardens have to keep unblocking the drainpipes which pump water into their pond - the little guys keep blocking it up as they can't stand the sound of running water.

My sons both wished me a Happy Mother's day and said they hoped I would enjoy my day - I most certainly did! I didn't take many photographs but it was just nice to be out and enjoying nature.

Last time I looked we'd just finished January yet here we are in March already! February is admittedly a short month, but this year it turned out to be busier than usual for various reasons, especially the last couple of weeks. I did a short trip to give a talk to the Leicester & Leciestershire Photographic Society, which was a most enjoyable evening with a lovely group of people. Before the event, I spent some time in Brocks Hill Woods near Oadby, photographing lost of different trees. It was wonderful as it had been so long since I'd been out, so I really enjoyed it. My journey home was quite eventful with a couple of stops en route but I'll keep those for a later post.

A couple of days later I was off to Birmingham, where I spent three days at the Focus on Imaging show at the NEC, helping out on the BIPP stand. That was fun and I really enjoyed meeting other photographers and helping to sign up new members. We signed up record numbers of new members during the show, had a great time and a wonderful meal out courtesy of Towergate Insurance at The Mailbox which was wonderful. Although I didn't get much chance to look around the show, it was good to see some old friends and I even managed to get a special anniversary mug from Hahnemuhle.

Whilst in Birmingham, I travelled to London to attend an IPO meeting on Copyright in the 21st Century, representing the BIPP and its members. It was a busy but most informative and interesting day in which I learned a great deal, met some very interesting people and found it to be a great opportunity to explain the perspective on copyright for professional photographers.

Next up was a Creative Links lunch meeting organised by Blue Streak Arts in Preston, for whom I ran a series of creative photography workshops last year, for people with mental health issues. This was a valuable opportunity to explain to the PCT's why these creative workshops are so important and how they act as a lifeline to many of the participants who simply could not attend a mainstream event. The next series, which I am running again, started the following day and will continue on Friday afternoons each week until the summer.

On top of all that, I am still working on my MA project although I have not done a great deal the past couple of weeks.

During the winter months there are often few opportunities to get out and photograph, especially the kind of subjects I like to specialise in, so once I get all the business housekeeping tasks out of the way, I tend to concentrate on design related work. It always happens though, that when you have the time to go out, it is either blowing a force nine gale, pouring with rain or is just grey and miserable yet when there is some snow or frost about and it is a nice day for photography, there is a deadline to meet or a rush job to get out or a client needs some help. Typical!

Yet it wasn't as bad as it could have been - I think we must live in the only part of the country not to have had any snow! Surprising since we're in the foothills of the Pennines and it is such a shame, as I love photographing frozen grasses and leaves, thawing flower heads and winter landscapes. I also really enjoy walking in the hills on a cold brisk day. For several days now, I've watched scenes on the news, heard stories and seen pictures from others of snow covered trees, winter countryside and even urban scenes, yet all we got was a little flurry that didn't even settle! Its so unfair.

Perhaps we'll get another cold spell before Spring.

January is probably my least favourite month, seeming somewhat flat after the festive season, drawn out due to it being a five week month and inevitably grey, cold, wet and dreary weatherwise, it just isn't very inspiring. However, it does serve a very useful purpose - at least for me, anyway. I mentioned in an earlier post about the New Year being a useful marker and acting as a prompt for a clear-out and starting afresh so January then is a month where I can concentrate on getting all of those more mundane but necessary jobs done without feeling I could be spending my time more productively or more enjoyably.

I admit I hate doing figures and accounting work and tend to put it off if I can but it does have to be done eventually, so in January I switch on my left brain, let the right take some time off, dust off my calculator, open up the spreadsheets and start crossing all of those nagging chores like accounts and tax returns off my to-do list. I know I should do a little every day, or enter every bill as its paid but this just never happens as I never want to break off from what I am doing and as well as that, it is not always convenient. I prefer somehow to entrench myself in jobs like these and devote time to do it all in one fell swoop and always feel so much better once its done - I do keep all receipts, invoices and other paperwork in order, so it is just a case of entering them and bringing everything up to date.

Another good job for January is that of tidying up my web server, removing old or out-dated files and generally having a spruce up. I check all of the copy on the main pages of the site to make sure the information is still current and install updates where required, tweak some CSS and just carry out some house-keeping. I still haven't finished the re-organisation I spoke of in my last post but I am getting there and will gradually replace some of the older content as and when I can. Email is another area that benefits from a clean up and clear out.

Most importantly this year, those long wet weeks of January provided a much-needed, and long-overdue opportunity to take a good long look at my business and make some tough decisions about where I was heading and how I wanted to get there. This proved an invaluable process because unwittingly, I had started to travel in a direction that was not really leading the right way and I only became aware of it through doing the MA. George Harrison once sang "if you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there" which I think was also a quote from Yogi Bera - those words haunt me as they are so true. I realised I needed to decide where it was I was going so that I could effectively plan which road to take.

Much deliberation and soul seeking followed, during which time I changed plans more than once but I feel so much better for having gone through it and I now have a much clearer idea of where it is I'm heading, and how I'm going to get there. You can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs though - my business plan has had to change as I am letting go of the things which were pulling me away, from which there will undoubtedly be a financial impact but I just know I need to do this, or at least give it my best shot. Focus is my watchword for 2009 and, like my images, it will be selective focus!

I am in the process of upgrading this site and re-organising some of the content. Whilst I aim to keep any disruption to a minimum, there will inevitably be some broken links or content which has now moved - especially with regard to images. Previously, there were completely separate galleries for each subject area, which were part of an earlier version of the site and therefore existed outside the hierarchy of this site, as well as a separate photoblog which was created as means of adding new images easily and whilst they were integrated reasonably well, it was not the ideal solution.

I am therefore completely recreating the galleries within the site structure and hope to incorporate the photoblog facility as well - this will be easier to maintain and add new images whilst making it easier to navigate and tie everything together coherently. The galleries and photoblog will remain until the new facility is set up but please bear with me whilst these changes are madeand if you have difficulty in locating anything then please, just let me know.

There is something about the start of a New Year which is quite intriguing. It seems that our human nature needs a kind of marker to show the passing of time - like a notch on the wall - almost as a kind of comfort or security factor. We view it as a means of looking back and reviewing the year just passed and either congratulate ourselves on what a successful year we've had or ruminate over what a disaster it has been, how bad the weather was or both. We determine that the New year will be better, that we will make more effort, we will give something up or start doing something new or get back in contact with someone we haven't heard from in a while. We make all kinds of promises, to ourselves as well as others, as to what we will or will not do and, for a few days or weeks, we do try before normally slipping back into regular habits after a while. It seems like a process we need to go through.

Many of us also view it as a time to have a clear out, to get rid of old things no longer used or wanted, to tidy up the loft when the Christmas decorations get put away for a other year and find other old things we'd forgotten about, putting yet more in there out of the way, probably never to be looked at until another new year when we clear it out again and throw them away. We clean up the house, and tidy things away. Drawers and cupboards get emptied and refilled, things get re-organised and moved around or put away where you forget you've put them, so you'll never find them again until next new year.

I also regard it as a time to re-organise my computer files, move last years' work into a new folder, make room for this years' work and generally tidy up my hard drives, move stuff around, back up onto more discs, which are then labelled and put away tidily and general spruce everything up. I then go through my images in Lightroom and do the same as I did in the loft and in the house - throwing out those images which I now feel are not good enough and move categories around, archive, re-caption and keyword some, frequently asking myself why I used certain keywords originally as they are obviously not right, spending hours sorting through and re-organising.

It is a good time for reflection as I go through these images, on what I plan to photograph in the coming year, the opportunities I want to capture, the places I want to visit and the goals I want to reach. Due to many other commitments last year, I did not get out to photograph as much as I would have liked, missing many opportunities and allowing myself to be distracted. My life/work balance tipped the wrong way and I found myself almost falling back into old ways. It became necessary to do some serious self-reflection and to spend some time re-evaluating my goals and the direction I want to take during this new year. I needed to re-focus, both on a business and personal level. I want and need, to spend more time on photography and to build on that side of my business - doing what I enjoy most. Being outside photographing nature, in front of my computer processing images or in producing fine art prints for myself and for other artists and photographers, this is what I love - goal for this new year therefore, will be to focus on achieving it.

Happy New Year? I am sure it will be!

I recently produced a new series of fine art Christmas cards featuring winter landscapes of various parts of Lancashire. Where my cards are normally left blank for a personal greeting, this Winter Series includes a scripted "Happy Christmas" greeting inside. Initially produced for the PAD Gallery in Preston, where they have been proving very popular, they are now included in the store on this site.

Reduced postage is available for multiple purchases and I am always pleased to discuss options for bulk purchase, bespoke cards or enquiries from galleries or shops who would like to stock any of my products.

I like the idea of buying and of course selling, handmade items and have been hearing some favourable reports about Etsy just recently, which is advertised as "Your place to buy and sell all things handmade", so thought I would give it a try.Abstracts of Nature Etsy store There many avenues and potential marketing opportunities to explore online and this is just another one. I do believe in trying things out so I have opened a small store and included some of my prints and greeting cards to see what happens. I will add more items over the coming weeks as and when time is available. It seems that adding items individually on Etsy is better than uploading a batch at a time which is actually easier for me to manage.

It seems odd that everything must be listed in US Dollars regardless of the country of origin and with the current exchange rates this is probably not ideal but we'll see.

If you visit the store, please leave me any feedback here.

Update: I have since closed this store - I found, disappointingly, that many people seem happy to sell their prints at such low cost that not only can it not be sustainable but also makes the quality of the paper and ink used questionable.

After the spectacle of the deer rut at Tatton Park last weekend, where else would I go this weekend other than Martin Mere to see the Whooper swans arrive? Actually, I was expecting to see the Bewicks' as they were reportedly on their way from Siberia but when we arrived we were told that the Bewicks' swans hadn't yet arrived but that the Whoopers were starting to come in from Iceland.

I made straight for the Swanlink hide as I know from past experience you need to get in there early to get a good place. I got set up, with a 70-200 zoom on one camera for the close up shots and the 300 with x1.4 extender on the other for inflight shots. I use a bean bag in the hide for support as I find a tripod too awkward and bulky.

There were only a few birdwatchers and few other photographers there at that time. My OH went off to look around the rest of the reserve whilst I played the waiting game again - I quite like sitting quietly in a hide and find it quite relaxing. AT this stage there were a number of Pinkfoot geese on the mere and a handful of swans but as the morning wore on, more and more groups of Whoopers started to arrive. Wonderful. To spot them on the horizon and track them as they come is an awesome experience.

By lunchtime, several hundred were in. It was a beautiful day with clear blue skies so visibility was far better than the past couple of years - last year it was very dull and drizzly and the year before heavy clouds and high winds made it very difficult for the swans as they were getting blown all over the place. This however, was perfect. By 3pm, when the wardens start feeding the swans, the place was packed - both inside and out. There were thousands of geese and swans on the mere, with more arriving every minute together with Shelducks, Mallards and all sorts of others all ready for a free meal. Inside the hide it was bedlam - not a free space anywhere with people standing 4 deep trying to see through a maze of spotting scopes, binoculars and cameras of varying sizes.

After the feeding frenzy, things quieten down again and we then had the benefit of some gorgeous late afternoon light which turned into a spectacular sunset made even more special by the groups of geese flying in and silhouetted against the amazing sky.

It was the first time my OH had witnessed this spectacle and even he seemed impressed. In fact, he bought himself a more powerful pair of binoculars whilst he was there so he could see more clearly so maybe I'll have his company on more trips in future.

I put my name forward for election as a national candidate to the Member Services Advisory Board of the BIPP (British Institute of Professional Photography) a few months ago as I was inspired by the changes which were taking place within the organisation and by the vision of the CEO and his team for it's future. I wanted to be a part of that and to help make a difference. I didn't really think I would be elected as nobody would know me but I wrote a short manifesto, which was published in the Photographer magazine along with a few others and also sent to members via eNews and I am delighted to say that at the AGM, it was announced that I was amongst those who had been elected.

Fantastic - thank you to everyone who voted for me, I am absolutely thrilled and assure you I will do my best to ensure that I fulfill my duties and represent the views of the membership to the best of my ability. BIPP members - please feel free to contact me if you have any concerns or issues you would like to be raised at national level.

At the first meeting of the MSAB our first task was to elect the Board of Directors (BoD) for the Institute. Only one of the previous directors, Gary Hynes, stepped down so it looked like the existing board would simply be re-elected. In order to force a vote, I put myself forward and then so did Mike Gibbon so at least each of the directors would have to be voted onto the board. Each candidate had a minute to give a short 'elevator presentation' outlining their ideas and priorities for the BIPP plus their individual areas of expertise or interests before votes were cast.

To say I was surprised is an understatement - I was absolutely amazed to be elected as a Director of the Institute. I had never seriously expected anyone would vote for me, I was just simply trying to force a vote so that the existing board were not just re-elected by default. Having been made a member of the Board of Directors however, I am extremely proud and will do my best to serve the Institute and its members. Mike Gibbon was also elected so we are the two newbies on the board along with the other re-elected directors Alan Stone FBIPP, Russell Baston ABIPP and Malcolm Sales FBIPP.

After a recent bout of 'flu which laid me out for a week, and what seems like months of work with little time off, I couldn't wait to get out and do some serious photography. The annual deer rut seemed like the perfect opportunity. Together with my OH we packed the gear up, made flasks of coffee and some sandwiches and headed off for Tatton Park in Cheshire. Tatton is a good venue as they have Red deer as well as Fallows there so it seemed like the best place without driving miles up to the Lakes or Scotland and we were not disappointed.

There were several herds of deer out grazing in the park when we arrived so we parked up down towards the Knutsford end and walked back. We took our time, keeping close to trees so as not to make our outlines too obvious to the deer and just gradually worked our way to a large grouping of trees where it looked like we could get a good vantage point. We were both dressed in khaki green and brown attire so as not to stand out and whilst it took quite a while, it paid off in that the deer barely noticed us and carried on behaving naturally. Perfect. I started getting some really nice shots of a group of young does grazing together and one young male who thought he might be in with a chance. One by one they rejected him with a polite flick of their tails except for one, who seemed to enjoy his attention and they nuzzled quietly together.

Unfortunately, a small group of people wearing brightly coloured anoraks started striding right into the middle of the herd, dispersing them completely and then shouted to each other that they couldn't get close enough with their cameras to get any pictures. Why do people behave so stupidly - can they not see that it is their own behaviour which alerts and frightens the deer causing them to run?

So off we went again, spending another hour or so quietly moving up to another group of trees where we had seen the herd were heading, and just waited. This time it really paid off - I had got myself into a good position just as two young Fallow stags decided to have a go at each other and for about twenty minutes or so we were able to watch the parallel walking and strutting. They were so close you could hear the grunting very clearly and eventually, the clash occurred - heads down, antlers entwined. Both of these fairly young males were quite evenly matched in terms of size and weight so it made an interesting spectacle but there was no clear winner. A stand off followed and then they both walked off only to have another go a bit later and then another but still neither one appeared to emerge a winner. When you witness an event like this at such close quarters you realise just how much energy they expend - they can't keep it up for long so need to keep breaking off and taking a rest before resuming. Another couple of males were setting to right behind the trees where I was kneeling - I could hear them clearly but could not see them so I waited, hoping they would come around to my side. One broke free and ran around the trees heading straight towards me but was too close for my telephoto lens to focus - when the other appeared, he had already lost one antler so was at a distinct disadvantage but it didn't seem to bother him.

A small herd of Reds then appeared from behind us from within trees towards the Rostherne entrance so we followed them for a while but the stags were indifferent. A bit of snorting and groaning but that was about it. The Red deer rut is different to the Fallows in that the stags constantly try to keep their females in check and will aim to take the higher ground forcing an opponent to take a disadvantageous position. The Fallows on the other hand have this wonderful show of strength where two males parallel walk, each in an attempt to size up the other and see how big and strong they are, grunting and groaning a lot and snorting and pawing at the ground before turning and fighting.

We witnessed several other skirmishes during the afternoon. It was a bitterly cold day but the rain held off mostly, although we did have a couple of squally showers but nothing much to speak of. The hot coffee certainly was welcome as by late afternoon it was very cold indeed but we were further rewarded by some gorgeous light as the Fallow herd grazed peacefully, the stags lying down apparently exhausted from all the rutting and their females wandering freely and seemingly enjoying the peace and quiet. A fabulous day, spoiled only by the stupidity and lack of consideration shown by a few humans.

I found out this week that there is a feature on me with some of my images in the October issue of Lancashire Life - a reader from the same village in which I live read it, saw where I was based, visited this site and then sent me a message. How cool is that? Thanks Andy Phillips for the heads-up and I loved your pictures. I am really pleased with the feature and the red squirrel picture they have used full page is one of my personal favourites, taken at Formby a couple of years ago. Thanks Lancashire Life.

I was in London for a couple of days this week for a job at the ExCel Centre in Docklands. After finishing, I had an hour or so before catching the train home in which to walk along the river and take some pictures. It was freezing cold and there was an icy wind but I was glad for the opportunity - been indoors for too long and after being shut up inside ExCel I needed to get out and get some air. At least it was dry and the light wasn't bad although the sky was pretty grey and overcast so I managed to get a few shots of the Victoria Dock and the elevated bridge over the river.

I also managed a few of the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf on the horizon - this was from a completely different angle to those I have taken on previous occasions and the sun just peeped out enough to give a glint to the glass structures which was good. Once I get a chance to process them all, I'll add a couple to the inventory in my eBay store as my urban shots seem to sell quite well there.

Traveling back north from London by train on a Saturday is never much fun - it seems to take forever. I can't understand why a journey that takes just over 2 hours during the week is double that on a Saturday and that is without the time it takes to get from Customs House to Euston. Crazy.

After last week's trip to Lytham and unsuccessful attempt to reach the Ribble Estuary, we tried getting there from the other side of the river today, from New Longton. A friend told us to head for the Flying Dolphin pub which we did - it was miles away from anywhere, down a long dirt track road and when we got there it was packed! A rally was being held so people had travelled from miles to be there and it was really quite noisy - typical.

A local resident said we could leave our car at the bottom of the lane and from there we walked across the marshes for miles and miles. It was a lovely day and the walk did us the world of good but we still could not seem to get near the river although we could see it and we could see Kirkham across the other side. Saw a pair of herons and flocks of starlings and even a few lapwings but otherwise, not much to speak of. A few inland ponds and small lakes attracted some gulls but access was a bit dodgy as the marshland was quite waterlogged at this point.

We then moved on to Marshside, a favourite RSPB site and spent the remainder of the afternoon in the hide as the wind was starting to get up. A few geese were coming in, in small flocks along with hundreds of lapwings and starlings in vast flocks, ready to roost. We finished up with a walk alongside the marsh to where the new wetlands centre is going to be created - can't get access at the moment as it is all fenced off and the gate padlocked but it looks like that will be the only way to get close to the estuary in future. The area here is ideal for a wetlands centre and I am really looking forward to being able to gain access and to at last, be able to reach the Ribble Estuary - or at least be able to see the birds which visit every year.

For the first time in weeks and weeks, I finally got an opportunity to get out and take some pictures today. Nothing too exciting but with my OH we went to Lytham St Annes, had a lovely lunch in the town and then walked right along the path by the river towards the estuary. The light was really nice, quite dusky pink so got some landscapes of fishing boats - shame the tide was out though.

Walking around the headland we saw hundreds of birds, mostly waders, in the wet mud flats but could not get near enough to get any decent shots. I learned my lesson there a few years ago when I ventured out a bit too far only to discover that with the added weight of a camera bag, I had sunk down into the mud and couldn't raise my foot due to the suction. I eventually got out but only after throwing my bag onto some nearby grass (luckily Lowepro Stealth Reporter bags are well padded), and then almost crawled to a rock so I could drag my feet out of the mud. It was only afterwards I noticed the Danger sign nearby - I won't do that agin in a hurry! The family wondered what on earth I had been doing when I got home, covered in wet mud and it took hours to clean out the car.

I have tried on several occasions to get closer to the Ribble Estuary but it seems it is almost impossible. Will try again soon from the other side of the river as that might be more accessible.

Everything is about to change at eBay with the new stores policies and charges they are introducing soon. I have given a great deal of thought as to whether to continue with my eBay store and have finally decided that I will upgrade to a Featured store and keep it going, at least until Christmas, and see how things will pan out. It will cost more in monthly subscriptions but the listing fees will be considerably lower so I think by listing more items, that might generate more sales which will offset the increase in fees. It is worth a try anyway - if you don't try you don't know, do you?

Lots of people are complaining bout this new policy from eBay but actually I think it will be good in the long term although it will inevitably hurt some sellers of low cost items. So, time to increase prices a little I think, and to be more selective in the prints I offer through this outlet. I have found that my usual prints don't sell that well on eBay but there are others which seem to do quite well so I will gradually remove those that don't sell and replace with more of those which do and add some new of a similar style.

I have spent quite a bit of time recreating listing templates and changing my storefront and now have a dedicated domain name which goes straight to my store - please check out www.fineartphotoprint.com to take a look and let me know what you think.

I am pleased to say that I have been offered the opportunity to run a series of photography workshops in Preston on behalf of Bluestreak Arts, for a group of people with mental health issues. There will be 13 workshops in total and I hope that in this time I will have an opportunity to help make a difference for the people involved, for whom learning photography is a potential creative outlet. I am looking forward to working with this group and hope that some of my own experiences will enable me to understand some of the difficulties they encounter so that together we can overcome them. The workshops will mainly take place in Avenham Park in Preston, a place with which I am admittedly not too familiar - yet.

I was delighted to hear that one of my images had been selected as overall winner of the Professional category at the 2008 Stefan Buczacki Photographic Competition. More entries than ever before were received this year and the standard is now very high making this a very successful competition.

Run in conjunction with Southport Flower Show it has become an annual event, open to all age groups with categories for both amateur and professional photographers, with sections such as Flower Portraits, Gardenscapes and Wildlife in the Garden. This was the winning image of a dragonfly.

Inspired by the work being done by the new CEO and board at the British Institute of Professional Photographers and their visions for the future of the BIPP, I have put myself forward for election onto the Membership Services Advisory Board. I may not have the years of experience in running a studio or in being a professional photographer that many other candidates may have but I believe that my experience and past background in design and marketing and in the use of technology, may prove useful. I would love the opportunity to 'give something back' to the organisation which I believe has really helped me develop in the past few years and hopefully, this would allow me to do some good.

If you are a member of the BIPP then I hope you will consider giving me your vote. If not, and you are a serious photographer, I hope you will consider joining the Institute.

I am proud to be a qualified member of the British Institute of Professional Photographers and so I was honoured to be asked to participate in one of a series of case studies for their new website. The case studies cover all the various disciplines of photography such as still life, portraiture, commercial, wildlife, weddings, industrial etc and nature, which is the subject I was approached for.

The site is a useful resource for any serious photographer, especially those considering making it a career or making a career change. The case studies will hopefully provide an insight to the various disciplines within photography, to learn what to expect and how others have gone about it as well as the various opportunities which may be available.

The case study is available here Nature Photography Case Study

For the past few weeks I have been slaving away on producing a Case Study as part of my Masters course in Fine Art. We were told that the subject could be on anything we chose, as long as it was relevant to our practice, and obviously in the context of an art form.

It took a lot more time than I had anticipated - or indeed planned for. The most difficult part was getting started - not in deciding what I was going to produce the study on or finding all of the material to research or participants to interview in order to produce it, but in deciding how to produce it and in what format it should be done. Once I had made those decisions, the rest was fairly straight-forward - when you are interested in the subject matter and it is something relevant to you and your own practice, it is so much easier and more enjoyable.

The next issue was that in accumulating so much material, some quite strict and ruthless editing was needed - what to leave in was as important as what to take out. Then there is the presentation to take into account. There is nothing like a deadline to focus the mind

I got there eventually and have finally completed it and handed it in - two days before deadline, which is a first for me.

I have just spent a wonderful hour or so in my back garden, doing my own Spring Watch! Earlier this week, our nesting Tree Sparrows fledged and the chicks have been really cute, bobbing around under the shrubs, being fed by mum and occasionally one or two have been brave enough to hop over to the pond for a drink. They are now flying around quite a bit, keeping in a group mostly, and chasing each other from branch to branch like a bunch of kids.

Yesterday, the House Sparrows fledged so there are fluffy little chicks everywhere again. These little guys are keeping fairly close together and shaking their wings telling mum to feed them. One or two brave ones came to where some seed had spilled onto the ground but didn't seem too sure what to do. They look very cute in the evening sunlight.

Whilst I was topping up some feed I heard a lot of chirping coming from one of our old nesting boxes, Rickety Rick so I think there must be more chicks in there. In the past, it has been home to Blue tits but last year a family of Coal tits commandeered it so who knows what's in there this year? I must really try and see if I can rig up a remote camera ready for next year so I can watch them.

As I stood by the back door watching them all through my binoculars, I noticed our Blackbird picking up some bread and flying into one of the large shrubs. He had a nest in the front garden but lost all of the chicks, we think, to a local cat. He was busily taking food away though so using the bins I scoured around and eventually spotted the nest - I couldn't see in but there are obviously chicks in there as I watched several trips back and forth and then heard the little chirps. I'll keep an eye on that over the next few days.

I feel quite pleased that we have so many nesting birds for what is only a small garden. I will try and get some new pictures tomorrow if I can just stop sneezing for a while - unfortunately, it's hayfever time again.

I am so pleased to have received the Gold Award in the Fine Art category in the BIPP North West Professional Photography Awards recently. Another of my images was also shortlisted as a finalist and won a Certificate of Merit. Whilst I hoped the images would do well, I was still very surprised to hear my name read out as the winner of the Gold award.

The evening was very enjoyable, with professional photographers from all over the north west in attendance. There were more entries this year than ever before and the standard of entries was very high indeed. The BIPP North West region is one of the most active and the committee are to be congratulated on laying on such a fantastic evening and for organising the print competition.

The image which won the award was of dying Snake's Head Fritillary blooms, entitled 'Triple Head' - this image has been previously included in the photoblog -see it here - and leave a comment if you wish.

I am sorry to say that we have lost all of the chicks from the blackbird nest in our front garden this week - judging by the mess in the hedge on our next door neighbour's side, it looks like a cat got them.

The nest was tucked away inside some Leylandii conifers between our front gardens and we even had a job to see it so had thought it was fairly safe. We knew it was there as we'd seen the male blackbird flying into the hedge regularly, firstly with nesting material and then over the last few days every ten minutes or so, with a beak full of worms. The chirping probably gave them away. All that remained was one stone-cold egg which hadn't hatched, with no trace of the chicks. Such a shame.

Our blackbird is not easily deterred mind, he has another female and another nest in the back garden so has been busy concentrating his efforts on that family since losing the first.

Once again, lack of time due to pressure of work has prevented me from getting out with my camera for what seems like ages and from doing anything related to photography for far too long. I am ashamed to say I have not updated this site for weeks, nor even finished the planned maintenance or replacing the galleries as I intended and even the photoblog has not been updated.

This was partly due to my G5 Apple desktop computer developing an intermittent hardware fault so for several weeks I was without it whilst Apple's engineers tried to find the problem. Having to work from a laptop, with insufficient memory, accessing backup files on external drives, meant working on images was just not practical. So not only have I been too busy to get out and take pictures, I haven't been able to process or work on those I have. To add to my frustration, Canon had not, until recently, provided updated drivers for the IPF5000 printer so I was unable to even make prints without a reboot into OSX Tiger!

I struggled to find time for research and for preparing a big assignment for my MA, adding further to my frustrations but I got there eventually and feel I am now really making some progress with this project. I will post separately about this.

All in all, not a very productive past couple of months but that will change now - I'll make sure of it!

"If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'."

Bob Dylan

What I enjoy most about this MA course is that it is fairly unstructured inasmuch as we are left to follow our own interests and do our own independent research and study. We meet up once a week for group discussions and for feedback, help and guidance and this way, we each get to help each other and learn with fellow students about their particular projects.

Some people may not like this way of working, perhaps preferring a much more structured or rigid approach but I prefer this kind of abstract way of working. Our course tutors are always available when we need them but they prefer to support and guide us in finding out for ourselves rather than 'teach' us. It would not work in all subjects of course, but in this case - Site and Archive Interventions - it is ideal. There are only a handful of us on this course. We get on well despite coming from different backgrounds and being at different ages and stages in our careers but we have an interest in each others' projects which makes it even more interesting as we all work with different media - I am the only photographer for example - so it provides a richer environment.

I'm so glad I took this course.

Unfortunately, I have not really done as I originally intended and updated this blog regularly as this part-time Masters course progresses. I will try and correct that for the second year. It was a little difficult at first just getting a routine established, fitting work, business, family and image making around the course and still leaving time for study, research, attending university and producing quite big assignments and delivering presentations.

After a while however, a routine does start to emerge. Most weeks during each semester, we attend university on a Thursday, usually having a session in the mornings (currently Professional Practice) and one in the afternoon on a site-related project. Even during the holidays or when there is no need to attend university, I still keep Thursdays aside. They have become my 'sacred' days - the days I devote to study and/or research.

This is working really well as one of the problems in trying to fit in a course like this when you are working, is finding undisturbed time to think and study. Everyone has now become so used to me being unavailable on a Thursday that they now don't contact me on Thursdays anymore - no emails or telephone calls to deal with, leaving me free to concentrate on research and study. It works really well.

Don't know whether I'll be able to keep it up through the summer holidays though.

Apologies for any inconvenience should you experience any erratic behaviour or unexpected results whilst I work on this site over the next few days. I will be trying out a few new features, adding some enhancements and making overall improvements as well as completely replacing the galleries with a new solution.

Like many people, I try to do my bit for wildlife and the environment and support several recognised charities - I'm a member of the National Trust, the RSPB, World Wildlife Fund and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust. I am however, becoming increasingly concerned that now it seems a week does not go by without yet another plea for a 'worthy cause' desperate for my help. Last week it was giant pandas, the week before it was the albatross, prior to that african elephants and before that, the poor old tiger.
Today, it was the Sumatran rain forest.

No matter how worthy these individual causes may be, it simply isn't possible to support them all but what causes me most concern is that with every plea, comes an unsolicited free pen, a book of raffle tickets or a pack of sticky labels, in addition to the full colour-printed, multi-page leaflet or brochure, with matching envelope and of course, the postage and a reply paid envelope for my donation - and that's without the use of high quality images from major image libraries.

There are probably hundreds of thousands of these things produced and mailed out every week. Don't these organisations realise that if that they stopped doing it, not only could they save as much, if not more, than they receive in donations but more importantly, they could probably save an entire forest of trees!

I have spent some time recently doing an annual review of my photo library, getting rid of pictures which didn't quite make it but which I kidded myself at the time, were not too bad or which I could still rescue. Isn't it strange how attached we become to some pictures? You remember the trouble you went to in order to take the shot - maybe spending hours sitting waiting for a spectacular sunset that never quite made it, or wading across sandbanks to try and get some interesting birds in flight, but the reality is they just aren't that good. Yet when they are still relatively new, we are so emotionally attached to them we can't bear to delete them, remembering only how hard it was to take. By taking a look at them afresh, some time after the event, it becomes much easier to be less emotional and more detached - to appraise more honestly and cull the ones which clearly did not work.

I find that quite strange - why is it we become so attached to the taking of the image rather than being objective about its qualities?

One of the valuable lessons I learned from Ray Lowe whilst I was preparing a panel of images for appraisal by the BIPP for a Licentiateship a couple of years ago, was that you really do have to be brutally honest with yourself about each image. "Its not about whether you like it, its whether its any good" Ray told me - and he is absolutely right of course. I admit to still having one or two I am reluctant to let go, as despite their apparent flaws, I still like them but on the whole I am much more realistic now and find it much easier to hit the delete key when necessary. However, I still perform this annual culling as there are always others which I look at and think "why on earth did I keep this one?"

There is another benefit to this exercise - occasionally I come across one which I hadn't paid much attention to at the time but which now, looking at it through fresh eyes, suddenly looks like it has 'got something'. It is always great when that happens - like finding hidden treasure. I think "how did I miss that before?" but I think it is exactly the same as the example above but in reverse.

We see things differently some time after the event - in some cases, this greater clarity allows us to see a poor image for what it really is, whereas in others, we gain an appreciation that they are in fact better than we previously thought. A good case of swings and roundabouts I'd say. I really enjoy my annual cull - its always interesting and sometimes really worthwhile!

Finally - after what seems like a lifetime, I finally managed to get out and spend some time taking photographs! I spent the afternoon at Ness Gardens, in Cheshire - it was a gorgeous day with some early spring flowers just starting to bloom so I was in my element. Unfortunately, I hadn't realised it was half term in Cheshire this week so there quite a lot of families with children there, but at least I was outside and taking pictures.

Ness Gardens is a wonderful place to visit. It is close to Neston on the Wirral and easy enough to get to by car from anywhere in the northwest. It is open to the public but is actually a research centre for Liverpool University. The gardens extend over quite a large area and there are all kinds of flowers, trees, shrubs and plants in various areas there.

I enjoy photographing flowers and find dead or dying plants just as interesting as live ones, sometime more so. Even though there was not much in bloom other than some snowdrops, early daffodils and a few other spring flowers, I still found enough to keep me busy.

The day ended with a wonderful sunset as a real bonus - I managed to dash quickly over to Heswall, arriving just in time to literally grab a few shots of the sun setting over the river Dee. Sublime!

It must be something to with the time of year - a time for doing the spring cleaning, tidying up and sorting out, getting rid of old junk and selling items which still have some use on eBay. I also find it a good time to spring-clean my website - it is surprising how much stuff you can find lying around which is no longer used - left behind after an earlier upgrade or re-organisation.

Last time I did this, I managed to break the site in several places as I cleaned away things I thought were no longer being used but which, in fact, were crucial. I have been a little more careful this time - I hope you will find nothing broken after my recent upgrades of Wordpress and other software used in the site.

I am in the process, once again, of going through the galleries. Always looking for better ways of doing things, I have come across a tool which I think will make the galleries easier to generate and update and keep them easy to navigate as well as easier to search. I am currently in the process of trying this out - in between work, my MA and other things - and hope to replace the existing galleries soon.

I might even get out to take some pictures!

Yesterday was officially the first day of winter - it can be a wonderful time of year when it's really cold and frosty, making you really appreciate the freshness of Spring and a warm, hot Summer when it arrives - sorry, I mean IF it arrives! Our British weather can be changeable to say the least.

This last week has seen some lovely winter weather, with cold frosty mornings and gorgeous blue skies - unfortunately I have not had a chance to get out and enjoy any of it due to completing assignments for my MA and some work deadlines which had to be met. I just hope it lasts over Christmas when I'll have chance to take some time off at last and hopefully get out, take some pictures and update this site!

Why is there never enough time to do the things you really want to do?

I have just upgraded my Mac G5 from Tiger to Leopard - and for anyone who has no idea what I'm talking about, I have upgraded my Mac G5 desktop computer from Apple's OSX 10.4 (Tiger) to OSX 10.5 (Leopard). It was a completely smooth upgrade and everything appears to be working fine. I took the opportunity to do a complete backup onto an external hard drive - just in case - then erased my internal hard drive and performed a fresh install. It went like a dream and leopard was soon purring nicely.

One of the reasons I wanted to to upgrade was to take advantage of the new iCal with integrated ToDo's and Notes, which I thought would be really useful. My memory being as bad as it is, this would surely be helpful. It is going to take some time to figure out how to get these synced to my Palm Treo but on the face of it, it looks very cool and is easy to create a new ToDo from an email which is great. The Notes are also good but I may not have configured it properly as it seems to have slowed down iCal's performance considerably. I clearly need to play with this a bit more - perhaps I will get a chance over the holidays.

This Sunday 25th November from 10am, at Astley Hall in Chorley, Lancashire is the annual Antiques, Crafts & Collectables Fair with Vintage Car Display. Admission is free and its on til 4pm so makes a great day out. This is always a popular event with lots of ideas for Christmas gifts for friends and family as well as a chance to look at this delightful Grade 1 Listed Building and its grounds. I have a stall at the event so do please come and say 'Hello' if you are planning a visit. 

Astley Hall Museum and Art Gallery is well known in these parts but if you are not familiar with it, it is signposted from the M61 junction 8 or alternatively from the M6 junction 27 follow the signs to Chorley then Astley Hall is signposted. Further details are available here

It has been a while since I updated this blog due to a heavy workload and several other commitments over the past couple of months which have left me with very little time for anything. I try to update the photoblog every 2/3 days by uploading a new image but most of those lately have been images taken on previous occasions as I have not even had the time to get out with my camera! That is going to change, as I have no intention of slipping back into old habits and taking on too much work.

I have started a part time masters course at the University of Central Lancashire, doing an MA in Fine Art - Site & Archive Interventions. I am really excited about this - I never had the opportunity to go to university, left school at 15 and had no formal academic qualifications, so I am really looking forward to spending the next two years working on a research project which has interested me for some time. I believe that this whole process will prove immensely helpful and will enable me to more clearly see the direction I want to take with my photography.  

It will undoubtedly benefit me as an individual as well as artistically - the Faculty of Art & Fashion at UCLAN is highly regarded and I am lucky to have renowned artist Professor Lubaina Himid as one of my course tutors.

I was encouraged to apply for the course whilst working towards my BIPP Associateship when I found I really enjoyed the research, thought processes and image making which ran alongside it and that I had identified an area of research which I could pursue. I applied, not really believing I would be offered a place and when I was, after wrestling with whether I should really do it, I eventually accepted with full support from my family. I will update this blog as the course progresses and hope that it may serve as encouragement to anyone else thinking of taking a similar step.

Whilst it was good fun to exhibit at the Bird Fair at Martin Mere again this year and to meet up with old friends and those who have previously bought prints from me, this years' event was, overall, a bit of a disappointment for exhibitors. The event was brought forward by quite a few weeks to accommodate the filming of BBC AutumnWatch, which last year was too early for the arrival of the Whooper Swans and Bill Oddie apparently requested that they film later this year when the swans had arrived. That meant that the Bird Fair had to be brought forward into the middle of October where normally it is held in November but unfortunately it seemed that a lot of people, including WWT members, were not aware it had been moved. Visitors who came to the reserve mostly seemed unaware the event was on, with a number wandering in to enquire what was happening. There was virtually no signage, no loudspeaker announcements as in previous years or even posters in hides.

Another issue was in renaming the event to 'International Bird Watcher's Festival' which seemed to have confused a lot of people, many who thought it was no longer a family event and so those who did attend were there mainly for the birds. A great shame in my opinion, as the 'Bird Fair' used to be a well supported event with lots of families attending, many doing some early Christmas buying and therefore making it worthwhile for those who pay out to exhibit and work all over the weekend. Many exhibitors travel across the country to be there and incur considerable costs in doing so. Unsurprisingly, many voiced their frustration and showed it by packing up early and leaving half way through Sunday.

Martin Mere will need to rethink their strategy next year I think, or they may find it won't just be visitors not supporting the event.

I have been running an eBay Store for the past couple of years and through it make sales of prints at various sizes, mostly as Limited Editions. Many of the images come from my stock library and do not feature on this site, often as they simply don't fit the theme or because they were taken specifically to resell through the store or for stock.

The range includes classic cars, city views, buildings and architecture, offered as black and white limited editions, which seem to be quite popular, as well as a selection of landscapes, flowers, sea views and some nature images.

The store is called Abstracts Fine Art Photo Prints. I have a 100% feedback score so you can buy with confidence. Please visit and take a look.

For printing, I had been using a Canon i9950 desktop printer and had achieved some superb results, both for printing my photographs and also for short run print jobs for our design clients. It was a costly consumer of ink however, as I never used anything but genuine Canon inks. I had had it a couple of years and it had given exceptional service so when the printhead finally gave up I couldn't really complain. For what it was going to cost in repairs, replacement printhead, new set of inks etc, it gave me an opportunity to consider my longterm printing options.

As a small design studio and fine art photographer, it did not take long to decide that a large format printer made a sensible longterm investment, especially as it provided a service which could then be offered to clients and other photographers. The new Canon IPF5000 was chosen, based on various reviews and reports I had read.

This printer produces some amazing prints! I am absolutely delighted with the print quality and have experimented with various paper types and also canvas and achieved some excellent results. It has taken some serious experimentation however as there are so many settings and so many combinations that I had to resort to using a notebook to keep track of which ones I have tried and what the results were. Once you get the right match, it is very, very good but the driver software doesn't make it easy in this respect so quite a few tests were needed initially but I do feel that I am now starting to get my head around it and am starting to achieve some sort of consistent results. Others have been so impressed with the results, especially on fine art papers and canvas, that I am already starting to produce prints for other photographers and artists. I will add more information on printing on fine art papers when time allows.

For everyday printing of documents, postcards and some small proofs I find the Canon Pixma iP4300 Photo Printer a superb desktop A4 printer which produces some excellent colour prints, perfect for 6x4, 7x5 or even A4 when required.

Read more about my Digital Darkroom and Digital Workflow to find out about the software I use.

I have been asked on several occasions to give talks on the images I take and how I take them, to a variety of audiences. These have included local nature reserves where I have given talks to people interested in taking photographs themselves, as well as to corporate groups and groups of fellow photographers. From my previous career, I have experience of speaking in public and giving presentations so this is something I enjoy doing.

One of the most interesting opportunities I have had, was to give a talk to a group of people with brain injuries, who were interested in photography as a creative outlet. The organisers had not been aware of my own background when they invited me but I jumped at the chance as I felt I could relate to the issues their members were experiencing and that I would be able to offer something extra. Everyone who attended seemed to really enjoy the talk and several approached me afterwards and to say how inspiring they had found it and that I had shown them it was possible to overcome many of the issues you face in dealing with a life-changing brain injury. That really meant a lot - I was so glad to be able to give something back and thoroughly enjoyed the day.

Please get in contact if you would be interested in me giving a talk or holding a workshop.

There are a number of places in northwest England that I regularly visit for photographing nature. Some, I visit all year round whilst others are favoured at specific times, such as for wild flowers in May and June, fungi in late September and October or swans and geese migrating during winter months. Some places are for good for landscapes whilst others are more for birds or perhaps flowers. Sometimes, I head inland, to the hills or the moors up on the Pennines, whereas other times I like to go to the sea to stroll along the beach or amongst the dunes or to of the many lakes or meres or just to walk along a riverbank or canal. Several of these places are well known and there are often other photographers around when I visit, whilst others are those I have come across either by accident or on recommendation from others.

The north west is a great base, offering easy access to lots of very different places - countryside, farmland, hills, mountains, moorland, lakes, coastal areas, riverbanks, estuaries, cities - there is always somewhere to go whatever mood you happen to be in.

I always take a camera and at least a short and medium length lens plus extenders whenever I travel anywhere, whether for personal or business reasons, or for freelance assignments, just in case so invariably I get opportunities to discover other places to go in different parts of the country.

After working for over 10 years without a holiday, I now try to get away, even if only for a few days, at least once each year and so that again provides opportunities to discover and explore new places.

The places I love to visit and in which I have taken photographs, will feature in this blog along with recommendations as appropriate for the time of year to visit or what to look for. I hope it is useful

Once again I will have a stand and be exhibiting at the 11th Annual North West Birdwatchers Fair at the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust at Martin Mere, to be held on the weekend of the 13th and 14th October. I always enjoy this event and the atmosphere at that time, when the geese have usually arrived and the swans are about to come in, makes it even more special.

I look forward to meeting friends made at previous years' events, both exhibitors and visitors alike, many of whom have bought prints and cards from me in the past. This year I will again have a selection of cards, prints, keyrings and framed pictures on show as well as some canvases. If you are in or near West Lancashire, do come along - the WWT always has lots of activities planned for the weekend and the reserve is always worth visiting.

If you do visit, please come and say 'hello' and as always, I give a special discount to anyone who comes and buys something from me and mentions having read about it here. ;)

I needed to replace my Mini Trekker backpack with one giving more depth and greater protection for my Canon 1D Mark II after a recent incident. I wanted something similar to the Mini Trekker but a bit larger and deeper but Lowepro did not appear to have what I wanted so eventually, I ended up buying a Tamrac Expedition 7. It was too big and bulky however and most definitely not suited for women, so I returned it but during a visit to PFD in Manchester, I found the perfect solution. I told them my problem and they happened to have one last, now discontinued, Lowepro Photo Trekker Classic in stock so I was able to try it out with kit similar in size and weight to my own. I fell in love with it instantly - it was just the right size, gave proper support for my back, had curved shoulder straps to allow for a female form and all the usual Lowepro refinements. Thanks to PFD for their help and advice, I now am extremely pleased with my Photo Trekker Classic and am sure it will last me for a great many years.

It is the perfect upgrade, for me, from my Mini Trekker. The curved shoulder straps mean that there is no pulling or rubbing under my arms and the whole thing just sits really comfortably on my back. The extra support in the waist belt makes the weight in the pack sit more on my hips than my shoulders, partly due to it being longer than the Mini Trekker and there is plenty of room inside to be able to hold two bodies with lenses attached, when necessary as well as the usual array of extra bits and pieces, extenders, extension tubes, lenses etc. and of course, all of the interior sections can be removed or re-arranged as required. The pack also comes with a separate padded strap so it can be used as a shoulder bag if required. The outer pocket is perfect for rain jackets, woolly hat, gloves, knee pads and sandwiches etc and it also has room for my MacBook laptop if needed although it will need some extra padding but I can use the laptop section from my Lowepro Stealth 650 shoulder bag if necessary, which will do the job nicely. I have several Lowepro Street and Field lens pouches which attach to the side of the Photo Trekker quite easily although extra cinch straps are needed for this but it means that if going away or on a long journey I could have everything in one pack instead of having to carry several bags. The straps underneath can be used for carrying a tripod but of course, that would mean the pack would no longer be able to stand upright.

Backpacks have to be able to fulfil two important functions in my opinion, they need to be able to carry the equipment you need, comfortably, in all weathers but they also need to be accessible. One of the major issues I have is that when doing outdoor sports and nature photography, you often need to remove the pack and put it down so that you can get to the contents and also so you don't overbalance when crouching down. It also comes in useful as a support now and then. The problem though is that when you want to put it back on, the underneath is wet or covered in mud or sand, as are all the straps, so your clothes get dirty. The best feature of the Photo Trekker, in my opinion, is that you can just use the carrying handle and stand it upright on the ground on the plastic base, thus keeping clean and dry the section which will be next to your back when you put it back on. Additionally, there are special recesses in the back of the pack where the shoulder straps and waistbelt can be tucked inside, ensuring they are kept clean and dry! Brilliant! Must have been designed by a woman ;)

I had an opportunity to try it out properly yesterday - I went up into the Pennines in West Yorkshire and took a long hike around Ogden Water and beyond, walking around 3 miles in total, on what was a very hot afternoon with just a tee shirt, wearing the Photo Trekker almost fully loaded. It was really comfortable, no rubbing of straps or discomfort of any sort. The support on my back was just right and I felt like I could have walked for hours. I am very happy with this pack.

I spent an enjoyable day today at the Southport Flower Show, where I am delighted to say I attended a presentation to receive a prize for being the Overall Winner in the Professional category of the Second Stefan Buczacki Photography Competition. This was presented for an image of a Coal Tit, in the Wildlife in the Garden category which received some very positive feedback from Stefan, who unfortunately was unable to attend due to a viral infection. Best wishes for a speedy recovery. I also won the Plant Portrait category with an image of a Teasel seed head, which also received very positive feedback from the judges, so all in all, it was a successful day.

I was fortunate enough to win the Garden Plant category last year with my Orange Coneflowers image. The judges were proud that here were twice as many entries for the competition this year, and a special marquee was set up with all of the commended and winning entries on display which seemed to gain a good deal of interest. There were some really good images being exhibited, especially from some of the younger photographers in the Under 16 category.

If you are in the northwest, Southport Flower Show is well worth a visit and there is a variety of events and exhibits to appeal to the whole family. It is on until Sunday 19th August.

After the incident with my Canon 1D MarkII camera recently, I decided I needed to buy a new backpack and so after much deliberation and research, I decided to purchase a Tamrac Expedition 7 backpack from Warehouse Express, mainly based on Andy Rouse's review. He clearly rated it very highly as he bought one for himself. When it arrived I couldn't believe how big and bulky it was compared to my beloved Mini Trekker. It was extremely well made and there are compartments for almost everything with the pockets on the front quite useful but I couldn't quite see the point of the 'Red Flag' system they market for memory cards - seems the idea is that you put a card in the slot and then pull the red tag out to show it is not to be used. I just have a piece of card which is red on one side and green on the other and I just turn it around depending on whether the card can be used or not.

I found the overall finish a little disappointing - it just wasn't as nice or as soft inside as my Lowepro bags. The inside was very rough in places with the padding actually quite hard, enough to scratch you as you reach in and out. Once the bag was fully loaded, and all the straps adjusted, it did feel quite comfortable to wear, so you felt like you could walk for hours. However, in just an hour walking around in my garden I had had enough - they just don't consider the female form when designing photo backpacks so before long, with the weight in the bag, the front straps were cutting under my arms and making me quite sore.

I reluctantly decided that I just wasn't going to get on with the bag, telephoned Warehouse Express and as usual, their customer service was excellent. They told me to return the bag and I would be refunded in full. I explained that I would want to buy another but just wasn't sure which one but they said they would refund me and then I could just make another purchase when I was ready. Excellent service - thank you Warehouse Express.

Read more about the equipment I carry in my bag or about my digital darkroom.

At last - finally got my beloved 1D Mark II back from the Canon Repair Centre today. It looks as good as new and auto focus works perfectly, just as it did before. In fact, it almost seems to be quicker to focus and more accurate but maybe that's just me having spent more time using the 5D lately. I must say that having these two cameras works really well and that in the time I have only had one, I have learned to appreciate the role that each of them plays. The 5D is superb for image quality, colour and detail and is ideal for close-up work on flowers for example, landscapes and city views, abstract studies of trees or any other subject. It is also good for street photography as it is quite discreet and for travelling light. The 1DII however is superb for fast action and wherever quick reaction is required - perfect for sports of any kind and also birds in flight and any wildlife that moves quickly. Sometimes you know exactly which one you need and can carry just that but on other occasions you do need to carry both. It can be useful to have one with a wide-angle lens mounted and the other with a telephoto and extender, or one with a close-up filter attached and the other without. Saves all that changing lenses and the inevitable dust on the sensor but also, you just sometimes need both. At least I should be in a better position now to decide.

Canon have cleaned the sensor on this camera, reset the counter and have completely serviced the unit and cleaned it. It looks and feels brand new. Thank you Canon! And thank you, Pavillion Insurance. I am, once again, a happy bunny. ;) Now, after all this rain we've had, perhaps I can get out and take some pictures!!!

I have heard from the competition organisers today that they received over 32,000 entries this year and that one of my entries has again reached the Semi Finals. I am really pleased - this is the second year running I have made it to that stage and whilst I am naturally disappointed not to have made it to the finals,

I am encouraged to have got so far and at least it shows I am being consistent! Especially since the competition has become so intense - 32,000 entries this year compared to 18,000 last year so in real terms this year's result is even better! Not only are there a huge number of entries but the top professionals always enter as well, so the standard are extremely high. It just means that I need to keep taking more pictures, keep practising, work harder and try again next year.