Finding Inspiration at Home — WildArt Photographer of the Year

Finding Inspiration at Home

by

Rob Read

In my last post, I mused on the irony of the very thing I love being the reason I spend less and less time enjoying it. My workload is pretty fierce presently and I have had to resign myself to limiting my photography to the birds in the garden or subjects close to home. Accepting that this is all I am going to have time for has actually helped me regain some enthusiasm and got me picking up the camera again.

Above: I have photographed Blue Tits thousands of times, but I like the autumnal tones and the way the image simply shows the bird’s head and beautifully fanned tail in this image taken recently. ©Rob Read.

Good light has been in short supply over recent days, which is a shame as the autumn colour is finally starting to really show itself in the trees and bushes surrounding the garden. They are perfectly placed to receive some late afternoon sunlight to backlight those warm colours and provide a nice backdrop to the songbirds that are lining up for the sunflower hearts in the garden feeders.

I have thousands of pictures of the half a dozen or so regular species, but I never tire of pointing a camera at them and trying new compositions and ideas. That’s the great thing about photographing species you are so familiar with; it encourages experimentation to avoid taking their pictures in the same old style. And photographing them in my garden means that I can control the conditions to some degree and encourage them to behave in particular ways.

For the last few days, I have forced myself to spend a few minutes at regular intervals throughout the day, gazing out of the kitchen window at the bird feeders as the kettle boils and the tea brews. I have even spent the odd hour or two in my garden hide when the light was reasonable and have taken a few nice images with an autumnal feel. These are no prize winners, but are nonetheless important images for me as they have helped me regain my photographic mojo, something that goes AWOL from time to time as most photographers will have experienced, I’m sure.

Wildlife and photography are both essential elements of my soul as a human being. To ensure my ongoing mental wellbeing, I need to embrace and enjoy them no matter how tough my work schedule may be and how little spare time I have for them. I hope you enjoy the selection of autumn garden birds, and it inspires you to spend some time gazing out of the window to watch your garden birds coming and going. I have a feeling Brambling will soon start visiting the feeders, now that would be a photographic prize for me to relish.

Rob Read. November 2021.