Wildlife of Saint Ives
I'm currently in St Ives, a town in Cornwall, UK. The weather has taken a turn for the worst, and I'm trapped with my wife in a conservatory attached to the B&B we're staying in. Can't complain, there has been plenty sun and sea food so far, and I got some decent shots this week.
Birds
This shot was taken from The Island, which isn't an island at all; its a rocky headland with a lighthouse.
A Northern Wheatear. I liked this shot for the framing. If I stood a few inches left or right I would have missed it.
These two shots of a Ruddy Turnstone were taken from the bay. I bought a rain poncho so I could lie down in the wet sand of the harbour and shoot from the birds eye level. If you want to shoot birds, this is the single best thing you can do to get better shots.
I must have looked a complete idiot in front of a busy harbour and still managed to get soaked, but you have to suffer for your art, right?
A Ruddy Turnstone. Bird shots always look better with a catch-light (reflection) in their eye. Problem is you don't have much control over that as a photographer. You have to wait for the bird to tilt its head at just the right angle to reflect the sun.
Seals
We took a trip to Seal Island which also bent the definition of island. It was more rocks than island if you ask me. But there were seals there!
Gear
These shots were all taken with a Canon 400mm f5.6. It's an old lens with no image stabilisation, but when there is plenty light (as in these shots) you get fantastic results.
Hey,
Any chance I can use your fantastic seal pictures on my website?
Thanks, Billy (St Ives Boat Charters - Cornish Crest)
Hi Billy. Sure, if you aren't selling the photos and you link back to my site, that's no problem. Glad you liked them.