I’m now taking bookings for Bird Photography Sessions featured at Ian Howells Woodland Bird Hide, alongside my usual training. This will be a full days worth, with the chance of photographing an array of Garden Birds species, but also the chance to photograph Birds of Prey like Buzzards and Sparrowhawks with an optional extra to stay after dark for Nocturnal Tawny Owls.
If you’re interested, or know someone that might be interested as a Christmas gift, please get in touch with me and we can arrange a date. Prices for all my training can be found below, also viewed in my store page.
Making use of what modern technology has to offer, Bird Identification doesn't have to be a long process anymore. Learn the fundamentals and create a good working plan to identify the birds you see on your outings.
Beginner - Covers Birds you'll likely find in your Garden and your countryside
Intermediate - Birds and their habitats, not only does this course offer essential Bird ID skills for the Uk but it prepares us for any rare surprises we may encounter along the way.
Advanced - Birding isn't always easy, sometimes we get a very short glimps of the bird, or just see the droppings, or even just find a feather? This advanced course teaches ways we can separate species using whatever evidence we can gather. Time of year, time of day, habitat, wind direction, adverse weather conditions here and on the continent, all play a part in how you go about identifying species that show little to no features at all. It may even be impossible to positively Identify a species of bird, but where do you draw the line?
Identifying bird song can be as easy as learning the lyrics to your favourite song, but you firstly need to be singing off the same sheet. Having a musical ear does help, but there are ways to identify bird song, without even using your ears! Learn how, book a beginner, intermediate or advanced training session and you'll no longer listen to a Dawn Chorus quite the same again.
The best way to learn how to capture the sounds of Wildlife is to get out there are try it for yourself, so why not do it when a professional to guide you? Teach you valuable information than can not only save you time, but can save you a lot of money on unnecessary gear in an overcrowded market.
Birds are the prime target for both the beginner and intermediate courses but if you want to capture the sounds of Insects, Mammals, Reptiles, or even under water species? Let me know in advance so I can tailor the course for you.
70% of the course is practical, outdoor training, making use of whatever gear you may have. The rest will be spent indoors, learning how to process the recordings on the computer, listening back to what we've done and learning how we could improve on the results. This applies to all grades, from beginner to professional.
Birds, Insects, Flowers, Mammals, they all present their own unique challenges. Part of being a good Wildlife Photographer is being prepared to take advantage of whatever wildlife may present to you. Need to learn the basics of camera gear? Or want to learn how to make the most out of the photography gear you have? There's always something to be learned so before you learn the hard way, learn from someone who's already made many mistakes, save yourself the hassle and gain the knowledge you need to get closer to wildlife and most importantly, making sure you have those settings locked down and ready to go, so you can't blame the camera for the poor photograph. 80% outdoor course, the rest behind the computer to ensure you're processing the image correctly and displaying them correctly for whatever format you choose.