Notices
20 years of lecturing
I have been giving talks for many years now on nature and wildlife photography. Infact, my first one was some 20 years ago to the Swale Group of the Kent Wildlife Trust. Since then I have, easily, given in excess of 400 to all manner of clubs and societies throughout England in the autumn and winter months, ranging from gardening societies and WI’s to the RPS and National Trust. I just love communicating, whether it be about wildlife in general or nature photography. Typically, at some point, I’ll digress as I recall a particular moment while out in the countryside watching and photographing, a funny (to me, at least) story or get on my soapbox and have a moan or two about current issues, not least the proposed airport on the Thames Estuary…..Grrrrr!! But this, I feel (and hope) gives the talk a personal touch. Otherwise I may as well hand out scripts for the audience to read as I move from one image to another.
It goes without saying that you need to structure a talk, particularly if it is about a certain area but, I have to say, the one I enjoy most is that which I came up with after returning year upon year to the same clubs which were, as a result, rapidly exhausting my portfolio. The title I have given it is “Bob’s Best of the Year.” It does what is says on the tin. A selection of my favourite images taken over the last year (to 18 months!). It not only gives the audience something different every year but, from a personal perspective, it allows me the opportunity to review my own work taken over that period. As photographers we tend to go from one subject or project to another and rarely look back at what we have achieved and, dare I say it, even pat ourselves on the back for a job well done. Nothing wrong with a little self gratification!
Ultimately, it is the response of the audience either during or after that keeps me on the lecture circuit, particularly if members come up during the interval or afterwards to comment on how much they enjoyed it or to ask questions. As I said, at the beginning, I just love communicating and so, if after a talk, I have enthused or inspired a member of the audience to try their hand at a field of photography they hadn’t yet considered or made others think that actually, it’s not just a piece of marsh with sheep on it and that it REALLY is worth conserving, then I shall remain on that treadmill for many, many years to come. That is, if they sill want me!
Below are just a few letters I have received over the years and, if you belong to a club and are on the lookout for a speaker, then why not get in touch.
On behalf of the Clacton Camera Club a very BIG THANK YOU for coming all this way and giving your lecture and showing so much of your work. I think and hope you could tell by the atmosphere, chatter and enthusiasm of your audience what an excellent evening you gave us. I am sure we will be talking about you and your images for many weeks to come. The evening seemed to go all too quickly, and we have had many phone calls thanking us for the evening, an evening which you made special.
Jean Pain, Programme Secretary, Clacton Camera Club
Many thanks for coming along yesterday and speaking to the Croydon Group both in the afternoon and evening. Your talk on Wildlife of the North Downs went down very well and your photographs were superb. I understand we had a record turnout for both meetings! I hope you had a safe journey home and look forward to inviting you back at a future date.
Judith Dunworth, Indoor Meetings Organizer, RSPB Croydon Local Group
I would like to thank you very much for such an interesting talk entitled ‘Field Techniques in Nature Photography’ and I know members were impressed with the amount of information received on wildlife, as well as all the various tips on taking such wonderful photographs. I particularly like the hares! Many members were enthused about the evening and I was very pleased with the turnout – one of the best.
Margaret Rimmer, Secretary, EPIC (Eynsford Photographic Image Club)
Workshops and Tours for 2012
A whole host of new and exciting wildlife and landscape photography workshops and tours can now be found on my website here.
I’ll be replicating some that were very popular last year including the Bluebell Photography Walk, Heathland Sunrise and Kent’s Wildlfowers as well as amending the Lady Orchid workshop to make it a half-day instead of a full day which, as the Walks have proved, are both easier on the commitment (just 3 hours instead of 6) and pocket! 
Tours new for this year include Northern Gold – Lapland in Autumn, Bison of Bialowieza- Poland in Winter, Prague and South Bohemia in Autumn and Dark Peak Landscapes – Peak District in Autumn. Below is a brief description of each and the link to take you straight to that page. The lapland tour already has bookings and the Bison tour is proving particularly popular with the first of two dates in 2013 already fully booked. I’ll be leading a tour there in just three weeks and cannot wait to go back there! Thermals at the ready
Lapland in autumn
I have visited Finland 6 times now and in autumn twice and I have to say, this is my favourite time of the year here. The colours are just spectacular with the yellow of birch and aspen and vibrant red of northern bilberry. And, if this wasn’t enough to whet your appetite how does photographing the northern lights sound?! 2012 is The Year of the Northern Lights and should we have clear skies, there is a 50/50 chance of witnessing them and, of course, photographing them!
To find out more about this tour, click here.
Just 2 places remaining!
European Bison in Bialowieza forest, Eastern Poland.
Those of you that follow my blog may, or may not recall, the piece I wrote about my trip some years ago to photograph Europe’s largest mammal, the Bison or Wisent, in the primeval forests of Bialowieza. Well, in partnership with acclaimed Polish nature photographer Marek Kosinski, I shall be leading a 6 day photography tour to this amazing place with Marek as our guide. There is simply no-one better to guide us. Marek, who lives in Bialowieza itself, has been published worldwide, and received many honours.
To find out more about this tour, click here.
West Towers on Charles Bridge, Prague.
Over a period of 5 years, I visited Prague on no fewer than 50 occasions and several to Cesky Krumlov in South Bohemia, photographing for my agents and my own library, as well as providing articles for magazines, one of which was featured in Outdoor Photography. As a result, I know these two places extremely well and would hazard a guess there are few photographers more qualified to personally escort you around to photograph ‘The Golden City’ and the equally beautiful Cesky Krumlov.
To find out more about this tour, click here.
Peak District in Autumn
Over the last few years the Peak District has become my favourite location for landscape photography in the UK. Indeed, as a result of those images I took on my first visit, I had an article published in Outdoor Photography magazine and subsequently held 5 workshops to this region, such has been its impact.
The reason I am doing this workshop during the week and not a weekend is that some of the places we will be visiting are very popular. By holding it mid-week, we will have The Peaks to ourselves!
To find out more about this tour, click here.
I look forward to welcoming some of you along on either the workshops or tours and if you prefer to talk to me in person regarding these, do feel free to drop me a line on 07939 117570.
Winter Sunrise on the Marshes print
To say I am overwhelmed by the popularity of this image would be somewhat of an understatement! I put it up on 500px yesterday and already it has been viewed by 1600 people and counting! Thank you for all the nice comments and to the 111 that have added it to their favourites. Surprisingly, I hadn’t put it on my website within the galleries but, I have now where you have the opportunity of purchasing it as a fine art print.
To purchase one, please click on the image below which will take you to website gallery page.
Here’s a little background information. It was taken on Elmley Marshes National Nature Reserve in North Kent, an area I have been documenting for the last 15 years. Conditions such as this are not all that uncommon over there where, with the combination of freezing winter temperatures and fog, rime frost is formed and produces spectacular conditions in which to photograph. Having spotted the image I had to work quickly as the sun was rapidly rising and burning through the mist. With the camera secured to a tripod and set to its maximum height, I had to stand on tip-toe to prevent the fence posts from merging with the land.
Nikon D2x, 12-24mm @ 16mm, 1/15 sec. f16, iso 200, 0.9 ND grad filter, Manfrotto 055 tripod, mirror lock-up, cable release.
The image was used full page in an extensive article I wrote for Practical Photography magazine on Discover Winter Wetlands. The article can be viewed here.
Sunrise over Elmley Marshes
500px
For the last few months I have been uploading my favourite images onto 500px. What I like about this site is that they are displayed nice and big and the site’s interface is extremely easy to navigate as well as professional looking. To see my images on 500px. please click here.There’s a wealth of great imagery to be found and it will undoubtedly open your eyes to new photographic talent.
CIWEM-Environmental Photographer of the Year Exhibition
Last Thursday, along with my partner Martina, I headed up to London to attend the private viewing at the SW1 Gallery showing the winning and commended entries of the CIWEM- Environmental Photographer of the Year competition. Situated on the Roof garden within Cardinal Walk, the gallery is situated just a stone’s throw from Victoria station. It really is an amazing venue. Light and airy and very minimalistic. Perfect for exhibitions!
My image of a female glow worm, glowing was awarded a Highly Commended in the The Natural World category. With over 10,000 entries from 105 countries, it is one of the biggest of it’s kind. There were some stunning images. My personal favourite was Item with fungi by Kerekes M. Istvan. Click here to see the commended and winning entries.
Me standing next to my image
Female glow worm, glowing
SW1 Gallery
Donna Nook – Pro’s back down!
It’s no coincidence that those photographers who had planned on taking groups to photograph the seals at DN have backed down and this is in no small part to the stirling work of photographer, Peter Moonlight who brought this problem to light to the masses via his brilliantly written piece in Outdoor Photography last year. There needs to be more photographers like him who pursue something they care about and are prepared to name and shame since surely the best way of regulating (I hate to use that word but can think of no suitable other) wildlife photographers (and I say that loosely for some) is by self-policing. To see reaction to this and to read well constructed comments by leading pro’s, visit Niall Benvie’s blog here.
Environmental Photographer of the Year – Highly Commended
Last week, I received some rather good news. My image, below, of a female glow worm, glowing has just been awarded Highly Commended in the Environmental Photographer of the Year and will appear in the exhibition at the SW1 Gallery in London. It’s the first time I have entered this competition and, with over 10,000 entries from 105 countries, I’m pretty chuffed!
Female glow worm glowing. Nikon D300, 105mm Micro Nikkkor plus Nikon 3T close-up filter, iso 400, 15 seconds, f16, manfrotto 055 tripod, mirror lock-up, cable release.
She was photographed at a local nature reserve, here in North Kent, where I have been an assistant warden since it’s conception in 1990. They only appear along one particular path which we have aptly named, and not terribly creatively, The Glow Worm Path! So, I spent a number of evenings this summer looking and “trying” to photograph them. They are extremely small and especially tricky to do justice to as you want to illustrate the glow while at the same time, provide just enough illumination to show what she looks like as she has the most beautiful pink markings.
After spotting one in a favourable spot (i.e. not in a thicket!) I then, over the next 30 minutes set up the camera and experimented with shutter speed times and flash output and angles. This is the one I preferred the most as it was as much about the shape of the leaf and lighting as it was about the insect. I hope you like it too.
Testimonial
I really enjoy leading workshops and passing on my experience onto others which will, hopefully, go some way towards improving their photography. The reward is further enhanced by the occasional email I receive from a workshop attendee saying how much they enjoyed the day both from a learning and social perspective. All my workshops consist of no more than 6 people so a nice small-group-atmosphere is pretty much guranteed as well as receiving close to one-to-one tuition from myself.
The piece below was written by Chris Couch, who had a one-day wildlife photography workshop with me as a birthday gift from his wife.
Wildlife Photography Workshop Testimonial
The One Show appearence – Friday 9th September. 7pm on BBC1
Back in March I spent 2 days filming for The One Show. I have recently been notified that it will be screened this coming Friday 9th September at 7pm.
It was to show, presenter, Jamie Crawford, how to photograph hares. The first part was spent at Harlow Greyhound Race Track photographing the lure as it whizzed by. This was to give Jamie some idea as to how to track an exceptionally fast animal like the hare though, of course, it can’t account for their erratic and unpredictable movements. After filming, I drove down to give a talk to Folkestone Camera Cluband straight after, drove back up, but this time to a B&B in Royston, Cambridgeshire for a 5.30am start to attempt to photograph the real thing.
As you may see on the film, that morning we were plagued with thick fog, hardly ideal conditions for spotting hares, and so we just sat back until it cleared, several hours later. Eventually, Jamie got his shots by me selecting a hedgerow beside a track (always a good chance that something will pass by as hares much prefer to use this method than simply taking the shortest distance) and camouflaging him, as well as the cameraman, sound-recordist and myself and simply waiting. it wasn’t too long before several passed by right infront of us. To Jamie’s credit he nailed some really great shots. Just reward for all the hard work.
The multi-talented cameraman/producer/director; Tom Keeling. Patiently waiting.
Brown hare running. One of my own images from day. Nikon D300, 300mm f2.8, 1.4x tele-converter, iso 800, 1/1250th sec. f5.6, hand-held.
It’s the first time I had ever done something like this and although I am used to speaking infront of lots of people, lecturing for example, doing it infront of a camera is an altogether entirely different thing! I was, understandably, quite nervous to start with but the crew and, especially, Jamie, were so professional and chillled that they put you at ease very quickly indeed. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat!
Bison of Bialowieza Photo-Tour – February 7th-12th 2012
Just 2 places left!
Those of you that follow my blog may, or may not recall, the piece I wrote about my trip some years ago to photograph Europe’s largest mammal, the Bison or Wisent, in the primeval forests of Bialowieza. Well, in conjunction with acclaimed Polish nature photographer Marek Kosinski, I will be leading a 6 day photography tour to this amazing place with Marek as our guide. There is simply no-one better to guide us. Marek who lives in Bialowieza itself, has been published worldwide, received many honours and in the March issue of BBC Wildlife magazine, had a double-page spread of a red deer stag running through a flock of cranes.
Bialowieza Forest is a huge area covering 1500 sq.km where, roughly, one third lies in Poland and two thirds in Belarus. The bison or wisent were reintroduced in 1929 where they had been hunted to extinction in 1919, largely by the occupying German army. Now, on the Polish side, there are 456 and including Belarus, 800. Each winter, in special areas, their feeding is supplemented and with Marek’s expert knowledge of these sites, we are sure to get some amazing pictures of these huge animals in their natural environment. Two whole days will be spent tracking and photographing bison and the following 2 will be spent both in Marek’s garden hide photographing birds such as nuthatch, nutcracker, middle spotted woodpecker, grey-headed woodpecker, hawfinch and sparrowhawk and Bialowieza’s Specially Protected Area where entry can only be gained with prior permission from the Park’s authorities.
This incredible part of the forest is the largest and finest example of primeval forest in lowland Europe, where massive, several hundred year old oaks stand 50 metres tall as a result of the nutrient rich soil. Trust me, It is a stunningly beautiful, yet eerie place, where no forest management has ever been carried out. The only means of transport within the forest is horse and cart. Where trees fall, they remain and among the tangled vegetation and fallen, decaying trees, wolves, lynx, boar and bison roam. Black storks, booted eagles and all 10 species of woodpecker exist within Bialowieza National Park, not to mention the endless list of plants and insects. If this hasn’t been enough to whet your appetite, then maybe these images will!
Cost: £995 per person
Group size will be kept to a maximum of just 4, a total of 6 including Marek and myself. Price includes return flights to London Heathrow, all transport within Poland, guiding services and full board accommodation in single-room occupancy.
To register your interest and to receive a full itinerary, including all details concerning equipment requirements etc; please get in touch with me either by email at rmcanis@msn.com or telephone: 0044 (0)7939 117570
See here for the Bison of Bialowieza – Itinerary
About Robert Canis
Robert Canis is a professional photographer specialising in the natural world.
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