The autumn sun is shining through the window. A slight breeze is causing some of the uppermost branches of a nearby tree to sway. It’s 3 o’clock in the afternoon and the house is empty other than for Pippin, our spaniel, and me. Pippin is curled up on the sofa next to me with one eye on the driveway longing for Jacki’s return.
I usually write in the morning, first thing before anyone else is up. Sometimes I am joined by one of our boys if they wake early, but most times I get to jot down a few thoughts. My routine is to record my feelings and reflections followed by three things I am particularly grateful for. Finally, I read a passage from the Psalms. I have been using Tim Keller’s book ‘My Rock, My Refuge’, a daily devotional that takes the reader through the Psalms in one year. I am on my second year.
I am challenging myself to write a bit more. I have a blog which I post photos of wildlife, and I would like to extend the length of the text. From recent research I can see that there has been a change of opinion over recent years about the minimum word count for a blog. 10 years ago the advice was that 500 words was an acceptable minimum. Now this has been extended to 1,500 – 2,000 words. Whilst acknowledging that most readers will only skim read, the suggestion is that a word count of 500 hundred only permits a writer to scratch the surface of the subject they are writing about. The extended minimum allows the writer to go into a bit more depth. It requires a bit of research and a little more thought and preparation.
I recently used my blog to record my training for running a half marathon, my first in about 7 years. I set myself a challenge of getting ready for the race in just 8 weeks. There were several motivating factors. The first and primary motivation was my wife’s recovery from breast cancer and heart failure. I wanted to use the run to express my gratitude to God for answering my prayers and the prayers of family and friends. I set up a JustGiving page which provided supporters a way to offer their support to others who face a similar set of circumstances.
The blog worked well and required more text than normal but fell short of the recommended minimum. I continued to use photographs, as they help to illustrate ideas and offer a visual impact. I was particularly pleased to exceed my fundraising target. I think giving friends and family regular training updates helped me to take them with me as I prepared myself for race day. It certainly helped me maintain my focus and motivation.
I have been running my blog for a few years now and it seems appropriate to stand back and reflect on what it is that I am hoping to achieve with it. The post that received the most views and was by far and away the one that seemed to capture substantial interest was a post from 2019. I had taken my boys on an afternoon visit to a local reservoir, Longham Lakes. I had given them both a camera to record what they saw. To my amazement virtually the first bird we saw was a yellow and black bird, about the size of a finch sitting on top of the reedbed. It turned out to be a Yellow Crowned Bishop. It was a long way from its sub-Saharan home. Apparently, they migrate north and are summer visitors to Portugal, still a long way from a reservoir in East Dorset. At the time I posted it, it aroused a little interest, but in July and August 2021 was viewed 239 and 445 times respectively. This may not seem high but compared to the normal monthly viewings of under 5 it was a massive jump.
Looking back at the statistics most of this traffic came from Facebook, but not from my Facebook page. Someone with a large following must have discovered my blog and posted a link which their followers then followed. It would be interesting to bird watchers – evidence of a migrating bird discovered outside its usual habitat. Twitchers love that sort of thing.
Whilst it is rewarding to see increased interest, that has not been my primary goal. Initially I was looking for feedback on my photography, as I was new to digital photography. My skill set was quite rudimentary. I had a digital camera with a telescopic lens. For the first few months the settings were on auto, and I only had the camera set to capture JPEG formats, not RAW. Gradually my knowledge and experience allowed me to use some of the manual settings and both my shooting and processing improved. I switched to capturing RAW files, which gave me greater control over the processing of the images. I also discovered post-production software and was able to manipulate the resulting images with an increasing array of tools.
I was aware of the triangulation of settings within the camera of ISO, shutter speed and aperture. My preferred setting initially was to fix the shutter speed and ISO and let the aperture vary automatically. Later I switched this to aperture priority, which gave me greater control over image quality.
When taking a shot now I will adjust the ISO based on the prevailing light conditions, I then adjust the exposure compensation for each photo. If there is a light background with a dark subject, I increase the exposure; if the background is dark and the subject is light, I decrease the exposure.
Photographers will tell you that it’s not the camera that takes the photo, but the person behind the lens. To a certain extent I agree. It would be very expensive to keep up with the latest technology. The person taking the photographs has a vision that precedes the photograph. When I take a photo, I have an idea of what I am trying to achieve. But there comes a point at which the equipment holds you back. That has been my experience. There have been key moments over the last five years when I have made step changes in image quality with carefully chosen equipment upgrades. I now use a full frame sensor instead of a crop sensor. I have a higher specification telescopic lens for wildlife and a wide-angle lens for landscapes. I also have a “nifty fifty” for street photography.
But technology is several steps ahead of me. I haven’t yet upgraded to a Mirrorless camera, but there may come a time when I need to do this. This will be when I feel constrained by my current kit and currently this is not the case.
I think for the next phase of the blog I will continue to use photographs, but maybe fewer – just one or two per post. And I will put more effort into the text and see where we go. This is pretty much the approach I took with photography – I just wanted to improve the image quality and learn how to take wildlife photos. I want to improve my written communication of ideas and themes. These will probably be related to wildlife and photography, but other interests may creep in. I would like to develop a two-way communication with readers through the comments section, so I invite you to add your comments and feedback.
I will try and be a bit more disciplined in updating the blog and establish a regular weekly posting routine to help readers engage. Hopefully, there will be something of interest and thought-provoking.
I have restricted myself to a single image for this post: a rainbow representing promise (remember God’s covenant with Noah and all mankind – as recounted in Genesis chapter 9). It was taken locally this past weekend. There was a break in the rain and so we headed out with Pippin to stretch his legs. It’s one of our favourite places to walk where I have taken photos of various bird species including stonechats, Dartford warblers and nesting skylarks. On this occasion it was the rainbow that caught my eye – so bright against a dark sky. I could see clearly where it touched the ground but there was no pot of gold. It was a double rainbow. You can just make out the second to the right of the main one but its very faint. So, there I will leave things for the moment – promise and hope. A promise to produce posts regularly and hope that you will find it engaging.
Stephen's Wildlife 