A couple of months ago I began a year-long wildlife and landscape photography commission not far from Hever Castle, on The Weald, in Kent to capture the seasons of a country estate. A dream job, really, and albeit very much in its early stages, one, unsurprisingly, I am thoroughly enjoying. Given it's just over an hour away, unlike the Leeds Castle photo project which lies a mere 20 minutes away, I can't just dip in and out so I dedicate half or full days to the project. The first couple were spent becoming acquainted with its woods and grassland, noting animal paths and placing trail cams in places where I thought there was potential for camera trapping.
Back in the summer for a different project, I purchased a drone (DJI Mavic Pro 2) and so this commission came just at the right time! I waited for a nice morning and was lucky to obtain the following images of a frosty sunrise.
The commission came along too soon for me to use the Z8 so all were made with the D850 which, let's face it, is no slouch!
I was very keen to obtain images of animals using a camera trap and upon observing several weeks' worth of trail-cam footage, I set up a camera close to where a railway sleeper crosses a stream. Of course, there were many failures in the form of battery depletion and lens condensation (always at the optimum moment!), and so it was especially heartening to produce these of a fox and deer. I'll be returning soon to check on the trap as I'd really like one of a badger that regularly crosses here. The trio!
1: Camera. Nikon D3200 with 18-55mm. I rarely put out a camera I can't afford to lose!
2: Camptraptions PIR
3: Nikon SB28. Fill-light.
4: Nikon SB28. Key side/backlight.
The vigentte might seem harsh but it's a perfectly natural occurring effect through using 'barn doors' and snoots on the flash units to control light spill.
Now that autumn is well and truly over (although, amazingly, colour remains in our woodlands!), I'm looking forward to making a start on winter coverage.
