I went to a presentation of a very prominent wildlife photographer last month. I was looking forward to looking at some great photography. Unfortunately his shots were a little too mono-cultural for me. All his photographs were taken from the same low level with the background out of focus. I was looking for something a little different. He would perhaps like this shot of a summer plumage Dunlin taken a number of years ago on Skye. I had to lie in the sea to take the shot!
One common bird that often gets overlooked is the Coot. Although, it must be said, they are not easy to photograph – black and white animals and birds never are. If you manage to successfully expose the white parts correctly the black parts lack detail and texture and if you expose for the black parts the white bits are ‘bleached out’. It takes time and ideal lighting to get something where the detail can be seen in both areas.
The Coot obviously feels I’ve done him justice … or is it just me that thinks he’s smiling?
Letter From Norfolk 