Photographic Painting.

Maybe I should explain the last three photographs put up.

The Dipper was most certainly not one for the purists . It was basically an experiment. The general idea was to use a soft image and soft focus to create a watercolour painting effect. It was never intended as a sharp image.
Whether things work or not it is a good rule of thumb to stray away from the well travelled paths and dip into the undergrowth now and again.

The Water Rail. Well at best it can only be described as a record shot.....which it was , pure and simply.
Mark and Angie saw it first and called me over ..... I was the only one with a camera.
The swamp area at St Andrews is always dark with all sorts of vegetation, sunken trees etc providing cover for the bird. When I got there it was the only time it was in full view....no time to adjust settings, it was point, shoot and hope. The general light conditions were very poor, I was shooting on a 500mm lens hand held and the bird was (as it always is) moving through the undergrowth. It was never going to be anything other than one for the record archives.

Now the Song Thrush is the sort of photograph I really like. * The Hard Rock Cafe* is a notoriously bad spot to photograph birds at this time of year. Later on in the year when we have the right kind of light...we do not have the birds. Something to do with a guy called Murphy. Most visitors land in one of the trees , then swoop down upon the rock and leave almost instantaneously. After many tries I believe the best option is to photograph them in the trees where they are relatively still for a short while before and after the visit.
Taking everything into account the Song Thrush was certainly a successful photograph and meets most of the criteria laid down in the photographers handbook.