The Calendar is A3 in size with a cover page and twelve pages one for each month of the year. Each picture has a caption describing where it was taken. All the images were taken during 2019 from my travels to Australia, Spain, and from around the area where I live in Hampshire.
Please contact Michael by phone, or e-mail for your copy. The Calendar is available direct from Michael at £15.00 including p&p to UK.
Cover Image - Gum Tree in Brachina Gorge, Flinders Ranges, South Australia.
Flinders Ranges is approximately 400 km North of Adelaide and is the start of The Outback with stunning vistas of rich red earth, scenic drives and sacred canyons. As a first time visitor, the views took my breath away. I found great beauty in the starkness and isolation - a photographers dream. Brachina Gorge is mainly a dried up river bed surrounded on both banks by Gum trees. Due to the lack of water over the last three years the Gum trees are struggling for survival, with many dead and decaying trees on both sides of the banks. As we drove along the riverbed I visualised what it must have been like to witness a fast flowing river cascading through the Gorge. I wish I could have seen that.
Waitpinga Beach - South Australia
Waitpinga Beach is located in the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia. This beach is typical of so many along this coast line where the expanse is vast. Beautiful clean, flat beaches stretching for miles in both directions.
Lost Soles - Various footwear abandoned, or washed up on the beach, Kangaroo Island, South Australia.
While exploring the many beaches on Kangaroo Island I came across this sign. Locals collect footwear abandoned, or washed up and hang them on this fence, appropriately marked 'Lost Soles'. I found this image evocative and started to think, where are those lost souls? Will they return to claim their soles? Who knows!
Grape Vines-Bodegas Puelles, Abalos, La Rioja, Spain
During our travels through Northern Spain, in particular, La Rioja region we came across a vineyard owned and run by Jesus Puelles and his family, Such a picturesque vineyard offering a superb range of wines to suit all tastes. After much wine tasting, we left with many cases of Rioja wines.
Red Pampas Grass - Adelaide Botanical Gardens, South Australia
Adelaide has many fine places to visit and one in particular is the Botanical Gardens located in the centre of the city. We spent many hours exploring the grounds and exhibits. There is a small lake surrounded by a wide range of plants and shrubs where this picture of the Red Pampas Grass caught my eye. I liked the composition and simple symmetry.
Laughing Kookaburras at Flinders Ranges, South Australia
The Laughing Kookaburra is one of those iconic birds of Australia and I was always on the lookout to get a good shot. After breakfast one morning I looked up into the trees and saw two Laughing Kookaburras sitting on a branch side by side. I took the shot and a split second later they both flew off.
Hypericum sp. Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Hampshire, UK
A visit to Sir Harold Hillier Gardens is a must for any aspiring photographer with an interest in nature and gardens. This was my first visit to the gardens and I took the opportunity to try out my new Nikon Z7 mirrorless camera. The picture of the Hypericum sp. was one of my favourites taken on the day.
Swans and Ducks in the Autumn Sunshine on The River Alre, Hampshire, UK
Hampshire has many river walks and this picture of the River Alre is typical. I took a number of images, but this one in particular caught my eye. A simple scene taken along a public path near Alresford in Hampshire.
Give me a ring to secure your copy of my 2020 Travel Calendar
07860280097 - [email protected]
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I went along to Frensham Pond Sailing Club on Saturday 15th October to photograph my granddaughter, Isabelle Thorp, during the Cadet Training event held that day. Fortunately, Mark Walker, Cadet Class Captain, arranged for me to spend some time on the water in a RIB which got me close to the boats racing. However, it started raining the night before and continued to rain all day and into the evening. Kitted out with my waterproofs and camera protection I sat in the RIB with two gentleman who steered me through the many dinghies on the pond. Apart from the Fensham Cadets training and racing, there were a number of other clubs with different classes boats also taking part - this led to a very busy day.
The sailing club caters for a wide range of boats including, Solo, Laser, Enterprise, GP14, RS200, Lark and the two handed Cadet dinghies for juniors.
Isabelle and Bo in the Cadet dingy - notice the rain!
I think the first picture sets the scene showing the rain looking like a mild snow storm. Apart from the rain, which was relentless, it was cold.
Saling crews milling together during a lull in the wind
Setting of from the shore ready to race
Two dinghies with the crew looking quite dry
A bit of help from the support boat with a jammed rudder.
Heading away at speed
Isabelle and Bo during the race
Two happy boys
Fired up and ready to go!
I would like to thank Mark Walker FPSC Cadet Class Captain for allowing me to join the team. Next time....I would like some sunshine please!
More information of the clubs activities can be found here.
More images from the days sailing can be seen in my web gallery here.
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Following posting images to my website from the Blue Jackets Tournament here, I had another look to see if I had missed any images that proved interesting. Whilst reviewing a set of images from one of the matches there were about thirteen images that all looked similar. I wondered why I had so many similar images. On closer scrutiny, I noticed the player had not moved his position by much, but the ball had travelled vertically up, over the rider and dropped down on the other side close to the horse. In fact, the ball had travelled in the shape of an arch. Whilst this was not obvious from looking at each image I decided to take the thirteen images merge them together and see what resulted.
Merged images
The thirteen images were all recorded within a two second time frame. I was shooting my Nikon D5 at 12 frames per second and the most interesting point is "A lot happens within two seconds".
I show below on the left of the screen one of the images in the sequence and as you can see it is not very exciting. Also, is the information on the first and last image in the sequence of thirteen images. The first image is timed at 13.58.42 and the last image in the sequence is 13.58.44.
I trust you like the final result with all the images merged - it makes for a fascinating picture.
]]>The weekend of 7th & 8th July New Forest Polo Club hosted the Women's Festival Charity event. The tournament is part of the Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA) league organised by Women in Polo. It is designed to promote women in all all aspects of polo, from grass roots players to professionals and aims to raise the profile of women's po;o both in the UK and internationally.
The New Forest Polo Club's tournament raises money for the Women's Trust, a charity that helps women and their families to overcome the mental and emotional harm of domestic violence.
The following images are from the weekend of the Women's Festival.
Megan Barnes playing for New Forest Polo School Team
Bonnie Barnes of New Forest Polo School heads the chase
Hannah Parry-Jones for Akuma (pink shirt) with Lucy Bowman for Maiz Dulce.
Lucy Bowman for Maiz Dulce (yellow shirt) is chased by Beanie Bradley of Coombe Place Polo Team
Maiz Dulce winners of the Women's Festival is presented with the Trophy
All the teams that played at the Women's Festival: Maiz Dulce, Coombe Place, New Forest, Aveda, Akuma, Pro Fit and New Forest Polo School.
For More images from the Women's Festival weekend please see my site press here and for presentation of Awards and Trophies press here.
]]>During the summer of 2017 I photographed the Women's Championship at New Forest Polo Club. One of the chukkas featured Akuma Pink and the New Forest team. One of the riders was a young lady Beanie Bradley, age 13, who played well beyond her years and set light to the match! I have never seen so much talent in one so young.
The Polo Magazine features Beanie in the Winter 2017/2018 edition. The article is well worth reading.
My thanks to Jen Liggins Editorial and PR Manager of The Polo Magazine for permission to publish the article.
]]>I am extremely pleased to announce that I am the Official Photographer for the New Forest Polo Club 2018 season. The New Forest Polo Club is set in the idyllic New Forest National Park and home to the famous New Forest ponies.
The Club fixtures and dates for 2018 are shown here on the New Forest Polo Club website. Take a look at a selection of images from the 2017 season here on my website.
Please come along and spend a day in the heart of the Hampshire countryside.
]]>What a wonderful start to 2018 when I opened the latest issue of Nikon Owner Magazine and on the inside page of the front cover my image Boots and Butts is featured with a recommendation from such a prestige magazine.
Nikon Owner Recommends Michael Huggan
Nikon Owner Magazine is edited by Gray Levett, founder of Grays of Westminster, the award - winning exclusively Nikon dealer in London. The magazine is packed with wonderful features on photography with contributions from well know national and international photographers. I recommend to any Nikon photographer who is interested in only the very best of Nikon information is to subscribe to the magazine.
The image displayed on the page is from my collection of Colorado Cowboys at Sombrero Ranch gallery and shows Wranglers from the Sombrero Ranch in Colorado sitting on the top rail of a coral watching horses being broken in. I spent a week at the ranch with the Wranglers and photographed the 'The Great American Horse Drive' where over 600 horses were brought down from the winter pasture to the summer grazing area at Sombrero Ranch.
The image is one of my most successful and I have sold many large canvas prints. The image can be viewed and purchased from my website michael huggan photography.
My thanks to Grays of Westminster for permission to publish the page from the magazine.
]]>I have been very busy over the last couple of months, so it's about time I published a new Blog! For this issue, I will share a few subjects whilst keeping my text and images to a minimum.
I received a phone call from a new client who wanted to me to take photographs of her partner who booked to fly in a Spitfire from Goodwood Aerodrome in West Sussex.
I met Justin and Paul at the Spitfire base and discussed how I would like to photograph Paul in the Spitfire before and after the flight. As I would be restricted to staying on the ground, ariel shots were not possible. I did have some reservations as whilst the concept sounded amazing, the reality of getting those special shots is challenging. I did not have access to the hanger, so all images were taken from the public area.
As the day progressed my fears for getting those special shots abated with the help of dramatic Skies and access to the flight area with kind permission of Boutlbee Flight Academy the Spitfire operator.
Flight of the Spitfire
This picture is taken from the back cover of the book I prepared for Paul to commemorate his special day in a Spitfire.
Paul at the end of the day on the Spitfire
The front page of the book with Paul sitting on the wing of the spitfire after the flight. The book held a total of over thirty images and will be viewed by Paul and his family with fond memories of that special day.
One of my favourite activities is Schools photography, in particular the sports activities. One of the events I did was a tennis sports championship and I produced a few prints for the family of one of the boys. The Father came and collected the prints and whilst viewing other images in my studio, he proceeded to order several large prints of African Wildlife and a picture of a Cowboy roping a Longhorn cow. The prints were intended as Christmas presents. The point here is you never know what to expect. My images are displayed on my website, but it is not until you see the picture printed you can get that WOW factor. The lesson here is to keep displaying your images in public, either at shows, exhibitions and other social events. I show below a couple of the pictures that were ordered.
Zebras at a Waterhole
This image of four Zebras doing at a waterhole in the Masai Mara in Kenya is a great favourite and always gets a few comments when on display. I have this image as a canvas print with a panoramic format measuring 100 cm x 50 cm and looks stunning. This picture can be bought from my website as a canvas, or a print for framing.
Young lion sleeping
This picture of a young lion sleeping is another favourite particularly with young children. I have this picture on my wall in a frame. This picture can also be purchased from my web site.
I recently had an opportunity to photograph jump racing at Towcester Race Course, in Northamptonshire with full press accreditation. It is rare for a photographer not on the race course approved list to get access. I was able to do this via Mark Pain, a professional sports photographer, who arranges such events. Whilst I have covered many different types of Equestrian events, this is one discipline I have always wanted to do. Shown below are a couple of images with comments attached.
Daniel Sansom on Plantagenet in front at Towcester
In order to get the right action shot you need to get low and shoot up as the riders come over the fence. Sounds easy, well.... it is not so easy. Anticipating when the riders appear, whilst lying on the ground, is the most difficult. If you wait until you see the riders at the fence and then press the shutter - you are too late! Also, where along the fence does the first rider appear? Challenging, to say the least. There is another factor to be aware of when positioning yourself by the fences, is the possibility the horse, or rider will fall and come through the rail where you are positioned. Something else to be aware of. The above shot was taken at 1/2000 sec at f4 with my Nikon D500, 70-200 afs f2.8 lens at 70 mm with 1600 ISO, manual setting.
Miss K Lyons (3) on U Me and Them strides the fence at Towcester
I selected the above shot as I liked the position of the horse (3), as it cleared the fence. A low level position taken from the other side of the track. As you can see from the picture the riders jumped the fence from the far side, not the near side. I did have some help here as Mark Pain, the organiser, gave me an idea where the horses would be jumping. All help gracefully received.
R T Dunne on Surf and Turf (left) with R Johnson on Sailors Warn
The above shot shows where correct anticipation paid off. I prefocussed on the fence, did not touch the focus button, and fired off a sequence as I saw the top of the jockey's head just before he jumped. I fired off a 1-2 second burst and selected this shot. Firing at 10 frames per second does help capture the right shot as the horse and jockey must pass through the zone of sharp focus as it jumps the fence coupled with an aperture of f4 to get a bit more depth of field.
Further images of the jump racing can be seen on my website here.
One of my favourite activities is to photograph Heavy Horses, particularly when undertaking ploughing. The 45th All England Heavy Horse Ploughing Championship took place to very close the where I live at Hartley Park Farm, Selbourne Rd., Alton. So, off I went to get a few pictures of these magnificent horses.
45th All England Heavy Horse Ploughing Championship
The image above shows Monty and Logie pulling the plough.
45th All England Heavy Horse Ploughing Championship
I just love this shot of the horses with their feathers swirling around the legs as they pull the plough through the ground.
Further images of the jump racing can be seen on my website here.
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During the month of August the New Forest Polo Club hosts two major events, the Women's Festival and the Blue jackets Trophy. Both these fixtures were exiting to watch with fearless play by the women's and mixed teams.
Photographing polo matches is challenging as the action flows from one end of the pitch to the other and no matter wherever you stand it always seems to be in the wrong place. However, with many matches played over the weekend, I generally get a good selection of pictures. Shown below is a selection of images from both the Women's Tournament and the Blue Jackets Tournament.
Lydia Eastwell of New Forest Polo Club leads the riders in the Punchbowl Trophy.
Lydia Eastwell of New Forest Polo Club leads the riders in the Punchbowl Trophy match.
Kristina Karjlieva moves off an Akumal Pink player.
Kristina Karjlieva moves off an Akumal Pink player in the Punchbowl Trophy match.
NFPC.6773APro Fit Polo Team winners of the Punchbowl Trophy with Nicola Hodges, Farida Rosso Baldacchino, Jess Van Der Velden and Kristina Karilieva.
Pro Fit Polo Team winners of the Punchbowl Trophy with Nicola Hodges, Farida Rosso Baldacchino, Jess Van Der Velden and Kristina Karilieva.
Will Brasher of TLC Unlimited chases Jason Coupe of CH Yachting in the Clitheroe Cup.
Will Brasher of TLC Unlimited chases Jason Coupe of CH Yachting in the Clitheroe Cup match.
Dana Waechter of the New Forest Polo team in pursuit of the ball.
Dana Waechter of the New Forest Polo team in pursuit of the ball.
Jamie Murrey of TLC Unlimited celebrates his goal.
Jamie Murrey of TLC Unlimited celebrates his goal.
Nik White of CH Yachting takes a break between a chukar
Wii White of CH Yachting takes a break between a chukar
Coombe Place winners of the Blue Jackets Cup with Michael Henderson, Will Brasher, Lottie Lamacraft and Nii White.
Coombe Place winners of the Blue Jackets Cup with Michael Henderson, Will Brasher, Lottie Lamacraft and Nii White.
Mark Parameter helps Coombe Place celebrate with a little champagne.
Mark Parameter helps Coombe Place celebrate with a little champagne.
My thanks to the committee of the New Forest Polo Club for allowing me to photograph two splendid events over the 5/6th and 12/13 August 2017.
Please see my website here for many more images from these events.
]]>On a recent visit to Scotland I had the opportunity to spend a day with Andy Malcolm touring the Glenesk Valley. Glenesk is the longest and most easterly of the Angus Glens and sits on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park.
Armed with cameras, lenses and binoculars we set off in the Landrover to discover what Nature had to offer. I sat in the back of the Landcover so I could point my lens through the open windows either side of the vehicle. I had my 500 mm lens on my D4 and my 70-200 mm lens on my D500. However, I swapped the bodies over when I wanted a bit more reach from the D500 with the DX format.
Highland Cow near Glen Esk,
Just before we arrived at the Folk Museum at Glen Esk I saw a herd of hIghland cattle in a field as we passed by. We had to stop and take a picture and fortunately the cow just sat and looked on. This is one of the most photogenic animals and has been on my 'wanted list' for some time.
Sheep near Glen Esk,
A herd of sheep were grazing in the next field and a few looked up to see what was going on.
Red Squirrel near Glen Esk,
This red squirrel as very skittish and it took sometime before I could get a good shot even with my 500 mm lens. However, the squirrel stopped for a few seconds to eat a nut and I got the shot.
Lapwing near Glen Esk
This Lapwing came into view with the sun showing the iridescence glow from this bird. This shot was taken on my D500 with the 500 mm lens. I took this image with both the D500 and my D4, but the processing of the image from the D500 was better than the D4.
Woodcock near Glen Esk
This Woodcock was positioned at the base of a tree and seemed unperturbed as we drove along. Fortunately, the Woodcock stayed still long enough to get the shot with my 500 mm lens and D500 body.
Mother sheep with suckling lamb
Driving further into the Glen there were quiet a few sheep grazing on the rugged ground. This shot was taken on my D500 with the 500 mm lens 1/1000 sec at f7.1.
View over Heathlands near Glen Esk
Looking over the loch from high ground in the Glen Esk Valley. Nikon D4 with a 70-200 VR lens at 95 mm 1/320 sec at f8.
Red Grouse in the heather near Glen Esk
Red male grouse poses on a rock. This shot was taken on my Nikon D500 with the 500 mm lens 1/1600 sec at f4.5.
Female Wheatear with a gruber near Glen Esk
Female Wheatear with a grub. This shot was taken on my Nikon D500 with the 500 mm lens 1/640 sec at f6.3.
Male Red Deer near Glen Esk
This male red deer was part of an all male deer herd kept high up in the valley. This shot was taken on my Nikon D500 with the 500 mm lens 1/1250 sec at f5.
Herd of male Red Deer near Glen Esk
Close up view of the red deer herd. This shot was taken on my Nikon D500 with the 500 mm lens 1/640 sec at f4.
Andy and Julia at Queen's Well
Andy Malcolm and Julia at the 'Queen's Well' Glen Esk Valley. This shot was taken on my Nikon D4 with the 24-70 lens at 56 mm 1/60 sec at f8.
Queen's Well
The 'Queen's Well' - Glenesk Valley. This was built over the site of a spring where Queen Victoria stopped on one of her pony treks in the Angus Glens. Nikon D4 with the 24-70 lens at 56 mm 1/60 sec at f8. Nikon D4 with the 24-70 lens at 42 mm 1/500 sec at f8.
View over Heathlands near Glen Esk
Looking down the Glenesk Valley. Nikon D4 with the 24-70 lens at 70 mm 1/250 sec at f8.
Doune Water Falls at the end of the glen near Glen Esk
Doune Water Falls near the end of the Glen. Nikon D4 with the 24-70 lens at 62 mm 1/2.5 sec at f11.
Equipment used: Nikon D4, Nikon D500, Nikkor 500mm f/4D AF-S IF-ED VR, Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8E ED, Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G AF-S VR IF-ED Mk II, general accessories.
My thanks to Andy Malcolm for organising the tour into the Highlands. I have no doubt that we shall return as one day is not sufficient to see the wonders of Glen Esk and it's wildlife.
For information on the tours please contact Andy Malcolm at Glenesk Wildlife The tours run from 1st March 2017 – 31st July 2017.
Further images from the trip can be seen here on my gallery pages of British Nature Photography.
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Setting off with my recently acquired Nikon D500 and a couple of lenses I spent the most wonderful week with my wife cruising round the islands of Croatia on board the MS Medula June 2017.
We arrived at Zaton, not far from Dubrovnik, boarded the yacht in time for dinner and spent the first night on board in the harbour.
MS Medula at Zaton harbour
MS Medula - what a beautiful yacht this is and very photogenic from all aspects.
The dining area onboard MS Medula
The dining area on board MS Medula
View of Zaton Harbour from MS Medula
View of Zaton harbour from the gangway of MS Medula.
It did not take long for me to realise that a polarising filter was essential for most of my shots on board and and the surrounding scenery. Bright skies, high contrast and loads of sparkles and reflections from the sea. I tried various shots with and without a polariser, but most of the time the polariser just took the edge off the highlights. With mixed and difficult lighting I always shoot in RAW, just to be sure I have further control in post processing if required. I am quite happy using jpeg's if the lighting is stable. The D500 produces the best jpeg images of any camera I have used. I am still getting to grips with trusting the histogram of the D500 in regard to preventing highlight blow outs. The histogram is very sensitive indicates over exposure, so I often shoot with -0.3 or -0.7 exposure compensation. When using my D4, I often use +0.3 or +0.7 exposure compensation, so I need to keep this in mind when using the D500. I have read similar comments from other photographers using the D500, so perhaps it is a factor with this camera.
Arriving at Pomona harbour, Mijet the first island we visited
Pomona harbour, Mljet was the first island we visited with a National Park and a Monastery. The harbour area was very pretty and this seemed to be typical of all the islands we visited. Crystal clear water and extremely clean everywhere, it was a stunning place.
The Monastery on Mljet
The Monastery on Mljet
View from the Monastery, Mljet
View from the Monastery, Mljet
Line abreast at Pomona Harbour, Mljet
Yachts line abreast at Pomona Harbour, Mljet
Afternoon and overnight stop in Lumbarda, Korcula
Afternoon and overnight stop in Lumbarda, Korcula
Passing a cruising boat
One of many small cruising yachts that tour the islands
Another swimming spot next to a luxury yacht
Another swimming spot next to a luxury yacht
Approaching Hvar with the Fort above the harbour
Approaching Hvar with the Fort overlooking the harbour
The Fort overlooking the harbour of Hvar at night
The Fort overlooking the harbour of Hvar at night
Early morning light on yacht in Hvar harbour
The early morning light bathes a yacht in Hvar harbour
Boat for hire in Milna, Brac,
One of many boats for hire in the harbour at Milna, Brac
Leaving Milna harbour on Brac
Leaving Milna harbour on Brac
Our swimming area outside Milna, Brac,
Our swimming area outside Milna harbour
Approaching Split harbour
Entering the harbour of Split
One of the narrow walkways in Omis
One of the narrow walkways in Omis
The inner harbour at Omis
The inner harbour of Omis
Porthole view of Makarska harbour
View of Makarska harbour through the porthole of MS Medula
Small cruise boat leaving Makarska harbour
Small cruise boat leaving Makarska harbour
Sea view from Korcula old town
Sea view from Korcula old town
One of the many passageways in Korcula
One of the many narrow passageways in Korcula
Late night shopping in Korcula
Late night shopping in the harbour area of Korcula
Leaving Korcula from MS medulla
View of Korcula old town from MS Medula
Equipment used: Nikon D500, Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8E ED, Nikkor AF-S 16-35mm f/4G VR ED, Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G AF-S VR IF-ED Mk II, general accessories and a polarising filter.
The trip was organised by Newmarket Holidays and I can recommend this trip to anybody contemplating a cruise on a small yacht with the maximum number of passengers of around thirty. The food was very good, crew excellent and combined with the wonderful old towns on the islands is a trip not to be missed.
Further images from the trip can be seen here on my website.
]]>On Friday 21st April the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association (HGPCA) holds a practice day at Silverstone Motor Racing Circuit, Northamptonshire, UK. I had an invitation from the HGPCA to come along and photograph the cars and general activities. The practice day is the warm up before the season starts and allows the drivers and mechanics to get the cars ready for the 2017 season. Saturday and Sunday was Round 1 of the Formula Vintage event organised by The Vintage Sports Car Club (VSCC). I love photographing historic cars for the variations in shapes and colours and just looking at such beautiful machinery. As well as a passionate photographer I am a Chartered Mechanical Engineer and the mix of classic engineering and my love of photography make a good mix.
I also took the opportunity the use my new Nikon D500 camera body in addition to the Nikon D4 I normally use, so lets see if the reviews of the D500 are as good as they say. As an accredited photographer I had access parts the circuit not accessible to the general public e.g in front of the high mesh screens and behind the Armco barriers. Apart from the pit and paddock areas which are very interesting places to be, I found one spot near Maggots where I could use my 500mm f4 lens of the cars coming down the long straight after Copse corner and Maggots where the cars came round the corner. I used my 70-200mm lens for close side shots of the cars.
The weather conditions for the day were grey and dull. One of these days I'll get some sunshine!
Roger Tushingam in the beautiful MG N Type Special - Nikon D500 1/1600th at f8 200mm ISO 1600
Hanno Lichtschlag in his Elva Mk 7s - Nikon D500 1/2000th at f7.1 175mm ISO 800
Christopher Phillips in the Cooper Bristol - Nikon D500 1/80th at f8 86mm ISO 200
One of the busy garages at Silverstone - Nikon D500 1/125th at f8 70mm ISO 800
Beverley Phillips in the background behind her MGB - Nikon D500 1/1000th at f8 70mm ISO 1600
Chloe Mason driving her Aston Martin Ulster LM18 - Nikon D500 1/2500th at f7.1 500mm ISO 800
Steve Hart with Fierro Guillermo in his Maserati 300S - Nikon D500 1/640th at f7.1 130mm ISO 800
Richard Kent's helmet on his Ulster Jaguar
Richard Kent's helmet on his Ulster Jaguar - Nikon D500 1/1600th at f8 70mm ISO 800
Stephen Bond in his Lister Flat Iron - Nikon D500 1/125th at f8 125mm ISO 200
John Ure and passenger in the Cooper Bristol T24/25 - Nikon D500 1/2500th at f5 200mm ISO 800
Robert Barrie driving the Lotus 7 - Nikon D500 1/125th at f11 105mm ISO 125
Steve Hart in the GT 40 - Nikon D4 1/160th at f5.6 135mm ISO 125
Graham Alderman's beautiful Maserati 250F - Nikon D4 1/125th at f6.3 38mm ISO 2000
David Wenman in the Cooper Bristol Mk 2 - Nikon D4 1/160th at f7.1 180mm ISO 125
Out of the fourteen images shown here only three were taken with my Nikon D4 body all the rest were with my Nikon D500. I bet you can't tell the difference. My impression of Nikon D500 lives up to the published reviews and a welcome addition to my sports photography bag. The Nikon D500 is light in the hand and when fitted to the 70-200mm lens makes a well balanced package that I can use all day. The 10 fps shutter speed is remarkable and care must be taken when using continuous high that a short burst of say 3 frames turns out to be 5 - 6 frames, the button is so light to the touch. Tracking fast moving subjects is not a problem and if an image is out of focus it is operator error, not the camera! I use the back button for focussing and manual exposure in general. The Nikon D500 does not appear as robust as my Nikon D4, but time will tell.
One of the comments from the reviews was high battery use. I noticed the battery indicator was about 70% of charge after little use. However, the battery finally gave up after 3650 images - not too bad as I was doing a lot of 'chimping'. I am still getting use to the metering as I think it is a bit too sensitive with the highlights. I often shot at -0.3 compensation and with the D4 I was shooting with +0.3 to +0.7.
The Nikon D500 is a pleasure to use, producing high quality images in a small efficient package at a good price.
Equipment used: Nikon D500 and D4 bodies, Nikkor 500mm f/4D AF-S IF-ED VR, Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G AF-S VR IF-ED Mk II, Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8E ED, Nikkor AF-S 16-35mm f/4G VR ED, Gitzo GM5561T mono pod, general accessories and bags.
My thanks to Stella Jackson and Chris Wilson of the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association for the invitation to photograph the cars.
For more images of the day please see my website here.
]]>On Saturday 8th April 2017 I realised one of my dreams and photographed Saracens v Harlequins rugby match as an accredited photographer at Wembley Stadium. I had access to the pitch sitting behind the advertising banners and between the loud speakers! There were a number of England players from both teams and the match was set to be fast and frantic with a lot of strong players on both sides.
The lighting was awful with one side of the stadium bathed in string sunlight whilst the other side was set in shadow. After selecting a spot behind and to the left of the goal I was able to shoot into the shaded areas and produce some good shots. Shooting into the sunny areas was too harsh and resulted in poor image quality. Sitting on a stool with my 500mm f4 on a monopod and my 70-200 I was ready for action, or so I thought. At this level of rugby the game is so fast with the ball moving between the players at a tremendous pace. As the players came towards the goal, passing to each other whilst weaving about in an erratic fashion proved extremely difficult for me to follow with my 500mm lens. Trying to predict where the ball was going, so I could at least anticipate and frame the shot, proved challenging with more failures than successes. Welcome to the art of photographing professional rugby!
Let's look at a few successful images I managed to capture.
Mako Vunipola escapes the tackle at Saracens v Harlequins rugby match
Full on tackle at the Saracens v Harlequins rugby match
Mike Brown of Harlequins is going down
Chris Robshaw of Harlequins with the ball
Mako Vunipola receives attention on pitch
Tim Evans of Harlequins takes a penalty kick
Dave Ward of Saracens pulls down a Harlequin player
Owen Farrell takes a penalty kick
My thanks go to Mark Pain who organised the day. Mark is a very successful sports photographer who also runs a sports photography school specialising in similar events. I suggest you have a look at his website www.sportsphotographyschool.co.uk and see the range of events he covers. For anybody who wishes to step up to the next level with their photography, Mark is the man you should contact.
Equipment used: Nikon D4 x 2 bodies, Nikkor 500mm f/4D AF-S IF-ED VR, Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G AF-S VR IF-ED Mk II, Gitzo GM5561T mono pod,
For more images of the Saracens v Harlequins rugby match please see my website here.
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I joined Sid Hoole and guests at Circuit en Croix de Ternois in France for a few days testing before the racing season starts in ernest. Sid owns and runs Hoole Racing & Restoration of Historic racing Cars which compete on the worlds motor circuits. My intention was to photograph the cars in their garages and testing on the circuit. Arriving at the circuit on Wednesday morning 8th March to be greeted by howling rain and high winds, this looked challenging, to say the least. The first car to venture out onto a very wet circuit was Andy Middlehurst in his Lotus 25 in green and yellow livery. Wow! What an impact Andy made driving like the true professional he is, fast and in full control, very impressive.
Andy Middlehurst in his Lotus 25
Andy Middlehurst in his Lotus 25 driving through the rain
Photographing the cars at my initial position was extremely challenging. The best spot to photograph the cars was entering the straight that passes the pits at the top of the circuit where the track was very wet. However, the wind was driving the rain right into the front element of my 500 f4 mm lens. After one or two bursts of the shutter, I had the wipe the front element to clear the rain. I can't remember such adverse conditions. After a while I had to find another location where my back was against the wind to prevent rain ingress on the lens. The rain did not stop for a day and a half! I wore full wet weather gear for myself and my equipment. I received a few comments from members of the teams; "you must be mad". I looked like a drowned rat at the end of the first day. However, I got the pictures!
Peter Mullen in the Chevron B19
Peter Mullen in his Chevron B19 gets ready to venture out in the rain
Elliott Hann in the Cooper T41
Elliott Hann in the Cooper Climax T41 braving the wind and rain
Maserati 250F next to Cooper Maserati T51 in the garage.
Gerry Hann's Maserati 250F and the very pretty Cooper Maserati T41 owned by Chris Wilson wait out the rain in the garage.
The majority of the drivers are members of the Historic Grand Prix Cars Racing Association which has races throughout Europe where historic racing enthusiasts are dedicated to keeping alive the spectacle of the Grand Prix race cars in action.
Gerry Hann in the Maserati 250F
Gerry Hann driving his Maserati 250F approaches a bend after the long straight past the pits
The rain abated the following day making conditions easier for drivers and the yours truly, but, alas, no sunshine to brighten up the pictures. I moved to other locations around the circuit obtaining a selection of shots.
Chris Wilson in the Cooper Maserati T41
Chris Wilson in his Cooper Maserati T41 at the end of the pit straight
Steve Hart in the Cooper Climax T41
Steve Hart drives the Cooper Climax T41 back into the pits
Peter Mullen in his BRM P261
Peter Mullen in his BRM P261 leaves the garage for a run
Elliott Hann, Steve Hart and Gerry Hann with the Maserati 250F
Elliott Hann (left), Steve Hart (middle) and Gerry Hann sitting in his Maserati 250F after his last run of the day.
Sid Hoole in the Cooper Climax T41
Sid Hoole in Gerry Hann's Cooper Climax T41 offers his observations after a couple of laps on the circuit.
The beautiful 1958 Lotus 15 in the garage
The beautiful 1958 Lotus 15 in the garage
This is one of my favourite images from the two days at the circuit. I could see the picture in my mind before I took the shot and under exposed the image, plus adding a 'Vignette' in post processing. A good "arty" shot.
My thanks to Sid Hoole for staging such an enjoyable few days, Gerry Hann for providing transport and all the drivers and teams for their dedication and good spirits in arduous conditions.
Equipment used: Nikon D4 x 2 bodies, Nikkor 500mm f/4D AF-S IF-ED VR, Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G AF-S VR IF-ED Mk II, Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8E ED, Nikkor AF-S 16-35mm f/4G VR ED, Gitzo GM5561T mono pod, Think Tank Hydrophobia rain hoods, general accessories and bags.
For more images of the two days events please see my website here.
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As an avid photographer of Historic Motor Sport racing a visit to the Historic Motorsport International show was essential. I went on Saturday 25th February and was pleasantly surprised to find a busy show, but plenty of access to view the cars. The other hall hosted the London Classic Car Show and I don't think I haver ever seen so many high value cars all together under one roof, immaculately turned out.
The Historic Grand Prix Cars Association stand displayed a 1957 Maserati 250F in all it's glory. Also, at the back of the stand a large photo board showed a selection of images from various racing events. My image of the Maserati 250F racing at Goodwood Revival was displayed (bottom right) is one of my favourites showing the Maserati 250F at it's best; Racing!
Maserati 250F on the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association stand
1957 Maserati 250F on the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association stand at Excel, London. Kindly loaned by Gerry Hann
1957 Maserati 250F Chassis No CM7: Juan Manuel Fangio gave the Maserati 250F its first race at the 1954 Argentine Grand Prix where it won. Ex-Ferrari man Gioacchino Colombo was responsible for the engine and tubular work by Valerio Colette. 8 GP victories were earned by the 250F before it stopped racing in 1960.
In 1957 Fangio drove to four more championship victories including the legendary final win at German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring (Aug. 4, 1957) where he overcame a 48 second deficit in 22 laps, passing the race leader, Mike Hawthorne, on the final lap to take the win. In doing so he broke the lap record at the Nurburgring 10 times.
Only two original Maserati 250F Tipo 4 'Piccolo' cars were built as a smaller lighter version of the earlier version that took Fangio to his Drivers' World Championships. Cameron Millar obtained the original 250F spares from the Maserati factory and was given permission to build a limited number of cars from these parts as long as they were built exactly to the original factory drawings. Fangio purchased one of the Cameron Millar 250Fs which is now in the museum in Balcarce , Argentina.
CM7 is probably the finest of all the Cameron Millar cars and it is certainly the most successful. Amongst the many original parts is the works 'stroker' crankshaft which gave this car the unusual engine size of 2660cc. It has now been rebuilt to 2494cc spec.
The following two images show the 1957 Maserati 250F (22) in the Richmond Trophy race at 2014 Goodwood Revival. The race is for 2.5-litre front-engine GP cars of a type that raced between 1954 and 1960.
Allan Miles surges ahead of Jose Albuquerque
Allan Miles surges ahead of Jose Albuquerque at the start in the Maserati 250F
Allan Miles enters Madgwick corner the Maserati 250F
Allan Miles enters Madgwick corner the Maserati 250F
My thanks to Stella Jackson of the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association for showing my image on the stand.
For other pictures of Historic Motor Sport racing click here on my website.
]]>I attended the NG Road Racing event, Round 14, at Thruxton Motorsport Centre 8th October 2016. As an accredited photographer I was able to gain access to areas for ensuring good pictures. The day was action packed with twenty races involving, practice, qualifying and the final races for several championships.
Arriving early, about 08.00, after signing on and obtain my 'photo bib' I looked round the paddocks where the riders were in various stages of readiness and took a few photos. Practice was about to start and the roads leading to the track were filling up with riders. After several minutes the air was filled with the noise of the bikes as they raced over the start/finish line after exiting the three bends at Club in front of the public grandstands. With so much going on you need a plan to make sure you cover enough locations to get different aspects of the riders around the track. If you are there to photograph each and every rider on track during the day, good planning is essential.
Dave Hampton on his Ducati 899 Panigale
A good clean shot of the rider
My approach to photographing motor cycle racing is to observe the riders at various locations and study the line the riders take as they come round the bends and what position on the track they take. You should now have a good idea of what to expect when you start shooting. Also, if you are not familiar with the track, you know what lenses you will use to capture that special picture. I have a number of images in my mind of what I want to come away with at the end of the day, so I try to get myself into a position where I can achieve that. Taking single pictures of the riders is ok, and essential if 'record shots' are required, however, I try to get several riders in one shot and if possible each rider in a different position to give the shot a 'WOW' factor. For this type of shot you need several riders bunched up as they enter, or leave a bend. The 'In line' shot is one I particularly like. Timing and position is essential, plus a bit of luck if the riders line up for you.
James Harrington on his Yamaha R6 leads the pack.
The above picture was taken before the start/finish line as the riders accelerate past the grandstand.
To obtain that sense of speed it is necessary to capture a sense of motion in the picture. When riders are coming towards you a fast shutter speed is essential to freeze the action. How high the shutter speed? Well, that depends upon the speed of the motor cycle, your location and lens used. This can be calculated and to give you an idea, if the rider is coming at you straight on at 100 mph (133 ft/sec) or 41 m/sec approx. You need a shutter speed in excess of 1/1000th second to freeze the action. This assessment becomes instinctive and you don't need to do a sum each time you shoot in these situations. For the panning shot, to install a sense of action, this is generally taken with the subject at 90 degrees to the camera. It is a simple shot, but one of the hardest to master and requires lots of practice before you can achieve success. Shutter speeds range from 1/30th to 1/250th second for most situations, however, it depends upon the distance from the camera to the subject, focal length of the lens and the speed of the subject, multiple combinations to understand. It is essential to lock onto the subject and try to keep the focus square on the same point all the way through your panning. Find a hard edge or transfer on the motor cycle and lock onto it. The picture below is an example of panning with a shutter speed of 1/60th and 200 mm focal length lens.
Ade Walbridge on his Aprilla RSV4 RF
The background is blurred and the wheels seem to be detached as the spokes are blurred with the low shutter speed
Adam Grosch on his Yamaha R6
One of my favourite pictures showing a sense of urgency and action.
Gary Stevens No. 211 on his BMW S1000 RR
The above shot taken after the start of the race showing the back of the riders in tight formation sweeping round the bend at Campbell.
Peter Wilson (227) on his Suzuki GSXR 1000 K5
The above picture of Peter Wilson shows tremendous concentration which is always good to catch 'the eyes'.
Roo Cotton with his Yamaha R1 in the Paddock
Pictures in the Paddock area show the background activities.
My camera bodies are two Nikon D4s with my Nikkor 500f4 afs VR lens, plus Nikkor 300f2.8 afs VR lens and the occasional shot with my Nikkor 70-200 f2.8 afs MkII.
This was one of the best organised events I have attended and all credit must go to NG Road Racing for good organisation. Running twenty races, including the couple of incidents where the ambulance was required, was the way all events should be run.
My thanks go to Trevor Swettenham, BARC Press Officer for accreditation on the day.
To see more pictures of the day click here where you will be directed to the gallery with my images.
Enjoy the pictures.
Michael
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I have always had a passion for Power Boat Photography and jumped at the opportunity to photograph RAF High Speed Launch 102 on the Solent this September. In my younger years, I built and raced sea going radio controlled model power boats. One of these models was a RAF Launch similar to HSL 102, so now I had the chance to see the real thing in action.
HSL 102, was commissioned in 1936 and is the only boat of the 100 class to survive. Capable of speeds up to 40 knots and initially powered by three Napier Sealand engines. Currently, HSL 102 is powered by two 1200 hp diesel engines. Length 64 ft, Beam 14 ft, Draught 3.5 ft with a displacement of 13.5 tons. The design was inspired by Hubert Scott-Paine, racing boat designer along with Aircraftsman T E Shaw (better known as Lawrence of Arabia). HSL 102 is owned and operated by the Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust.
The weather for the morning shoot was dull and grey and as we all know in these conditions the sky is grey, the sea is grey, not the most appealing setting. However, I had a picture in my mind of what I wanted to come away with, which is the launch travelling at speed generating lots of spray. Some of the cloud formations looked very dark and ominous presenting a moody scene. I am quite happy with these cloud formations as with a bit of post processing dramatic images can be achieved.
I took the pictures from another boat that accompanied HSL 102 into the Solent. HSL 102 made several high speed passes across the stern and on both sides presenting many aspects of the launch to photograph. The water was sufficiently choppy and with our launch also running fast, hanging on and composing the shot proved most challenging. This is one of those occasions where a high percentage of my images find their way into the trash can! During the shoot the weather conditions changed presenting a backdrop of soft warm lighting plus a blue sky mixed with white clouds.
I came away with a great sense of satisfaction and pretty sure I had got the images I wanted. I must admit the sight of RAF High Speed Launch 102 speeding towards me throwing up lots of spray and at times disappearing from view was a 'WOW' factor moment which I shall remember for some time.
This is the only place you can photograph RAF High Speed Launch 102 at a reasonable cost plus the prospect of producing good action images. The event was organised by Neil Cave of Time Line Events, who, apart from this outing, organises many other heritage events. I suggest you have a look at Neil's website which offers something for photographers of all levels. The event was well organised and I look forward to attending more of Neil's photo shoots.
I used both of my Nikon D4 camera bodies with Nikkor 24-70 f2.8 afs and 70-200 f2.8 afs VR lenses. Shutter speed all at 1/800 sec, aperture f5 and f8 as required with ISO ranging from 125-500. I shot all images in RAW. There is one image I shot with my Nikkor 300 f2.8 VR, No. 2295, but stability of the boat/lens combination was too challenging, so I discarded this setup. The focal length of lenses used was quite sufficient for this event.
A selection of images are shown below. Further images can be seen here on my website.
RAF High Speed Launch 102 forging through the stormy waters in the Solent, off Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK
RAF HSL 102 image No. 1557
RAF High Speed Launch 102 crashing through the rough seas in the Solent
RAF HSL 102 image No.0140
RAF High Speed Launch 102 forging through the stormy waters in the Solent, off Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK
RAF HSL 102 image No. 0216
Close up shot of RAF High Speed Launch 102 in the Solent, Portsmouth, UK
Close up shot of RAF102 image No. 2295
RAF High Speed Launch 102 highlighted against a warm sky whilst cruising in the Solent
RAF HSL 102 image No. 0176
RAF High Speed Launch 102 passes by one of the forts in the Solent, Portsmouth, UK
RAF HSL 102 image No. 3204
RAF High Speed Launch 102 crashing through the rough seas in the Solent, Portsmouth, UK
RAF HSL 102 image No. 0353
RAF High Speed Launch 102 in the Solent crashing through a choppy sea
RAF HSL 102 image No. 0137
Those of you who have visited my web site previously may have thought the layout wasn't sharp enough and some thought it was ok. My previous site became too busy with a mix of social, family and anything else that I could put on the site. However, after a lot of soul searching I took the plunge and completely revamped my website to what you are now looking at.
Why did I do it?
I had two providers, Photoshelter and Wordpress, both excellent organisations, but I never seemed to be in control, or produce what I wanted. I was contacted by many organisations that would make me a star on Google and the world (for lots of money) as I expect some of you get the same e mails. I did spend some money with a few SEO specialists, but to no avail. Maybe that was to do with the design of the site, but I was up for a change.
How did I do it?
I decided I would construct the site without the assistance from software specialists.
On my quest for an organisation that fitted my requirements; that being simple to configure (no programming), offered a dynamic display for my images - straight away, a good gallery/photos section and a cart for selling.
I came across 'Zenfolio', liked what I saw and proceeded to build this site as you see it now. My site still needs some polishing and fine tuning, but I will endeavour to build on the present platform.
The Result
I consider the Zenfolio platform to be about the best I have come across and can recommend it to anyone who wants to build their own site.
Benjafields_Bentleys.02874.ALine up of the Bentleys and other cars at Benjafield's Sprint Goodwood 23 May 2015
Please send me your comments
]]>I was very pleased with the results and from a flat and uninteresting image the result has atmosphere and impact. Even with the use of ICE, noise reducing software, during the scan the image is still peppered with dots. The pitting is further accentuated by the software process and I think it adds impact and atmosphere to the end of the line and end of an era.
Over the last forty years great strides have been made by collectors and preservation societies with approximately 213 steam locomotives rescued. Most are back in regular service throughout the UK. One could say the end of the line was also the start of of the line for steam preservation in the UK.
7100 Duke of Gloucester in a sorry state at Barry scrapyard during the 1970s.
This was the first image I scanned which is flat and uninteresting.
End of an era for 71000
The image after adjustment now has atmosphere and impact.
The images below are a few that had a similar adjustments using NIK software.
Barry011ASrapped railway locomotives at Woodham Brothers scrapyard, Barry, South Wales
The locomotive 92134 Class 9F can just be seen in the background arrived at Barry Scrapyard in 1976 and subsequently has been rescued and restored after staying at Barry for over thirteen years.
Barry019Srapped railway locomotives at Woodham Brothers scrapyard, Barry, South Wales
Locomotive 75079 is now running on the Mid Hants Railway Watercress Line which is about one mile from where I live, so I get to see this and other locomotives.
Barry014Srapped railway locomotives at Woodham Brothers scrapyard, Barry, South Wales
Barry012Srapped railway locomotives at Woodham Brothers scrapyard, Barry, South Wales
BR Standard locomotive 80151 Class 4MT has been fully restored and is working on the Bluebell Railway in Sussex,UK.
Barry017Srapped railway locomotives at Woodham Brothers scrapyard, Barry, South Wales
Locomotive 45699 is now operational on the main line running steam specials and as of 2014 in British Railways Crimson Livery.
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