Alan Smith

A monochrome image of a giraffe standing in an open plain beside a sausage tree. There is a small acacia in the background. The grass and leaves are white because of an infrared filter that was applied while converting the image from colour. The sky is dark grey as a heavy rainstorm is heading towards the giraffe.

The original colour image of the giraffe standing in an open plain beside a sausage tree. There is a small acacia in the background. The sky is dark grey as a heavy rainstorm is heading towards the giraffe.

I like what using the infrared filter in the black and white adjustment layer (modified by me) in Photoshop has done to this photo of a solitary male giraffe in the Serengeti.

#photography #naturephotography

A close up photo of the head of an almost sleeping eagle owl. It has one eye slightly open, showing its orange iris. The bird is turned halfway towards the left of frame.

Peek-a-boo! A captive eagle owl at the British Wildlife Centre shows that even when it is asleep it is aware of what is happening around it.

#bird #owl #eagleowl #photography

Oops I forgot the Romans

He’s absolutely correct but does he really want to get rid of all the descendants of the Normans, Vikings, Jutes, Angles, Saxons, Frisians, Celts … ?

A profile of a red squirrel sitting on a log, amidst conifer leaves, eating seeds and nuts

A red squirrel from my photo day at the British Wildlife Centre.

#photography

A close up of the face of a captive Scottish wildcat, showing his sturdy jaw and the more muscular profile that shows why he is able to take down prey that is much bigger than he is.

A captive Scottish wildcat licks its lips as it looks back over its shoulder while walking up the sloping trunk of a pine tree.

This is Hamish, a Scottish wildcat that I photographed last week at the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey, UK. Note his flatter, squarer face that distinguishes him from domestic moggies.

Wildcats are critically endangered in the UK and captive breeding is the best way to ensure species survival.

Thank you Helen

I usually go for B&W but in this case there is more detail in the wings in the colour version (at least on my phone screen – which is not the best place to judge). Perhaps a change in the filter you use for the conversion would improve the B&W.

A colour image of a tawny owl perching on a branch with its eyes closed, against a dark grey sky.

A black and white version of the image of a tawny owl perching on a branch with its eyes closed, against a dark grey sky.

Another photo from my day at the British Wildlife Centre – a sleeping captive tawny owl (taken in natural light). Which do you prefer, colour or black and white?

#bird #birdphotography #owl

A harvest mouse perching on some dry grass. Its prehensile tail is wrapped around one of the stalks, helping it to balance.

A captive harvest mouse photographed at the British Wildlife Centre. These mice are classified as near threatened in the UK. The centre breeds them for release into the wild. This chap will be given his freedom once his modelling days are over.

#photography

A head on photo of an Indian one-horned rhino walking towards the camera. It has grass in its mouth and 3 Mynahs on its back. The ginger hair on its ears stand out against its grey skin.

Here’s a photo of a unicorn (Rhinoceros unicornis) to cheer us up on Friday evening. They were almost hunted to extinction but now thrive in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park (amongst other places). The passengers are Mynah birds.
# wildlifephotography #naturephotography #birds

A crested serpent eagle perched on a branch. Its body is facing towards, and to the left of, the camera. It has just flicked its head round to look behind and above it. The neck feathers are blurred because they are still moving. The image was taken as dusk was falling in Bandhavgarh National Park in India.

Quick flick – a crested serpent eagle quickly turns its head to look behind and above it

#birds #birdphotography #naturephotography

A red admiral butterfly, with its wings folded back, hanging under a pink flower. Its proboscis is extended into the centre of the flower. The underside of the red admiral’s wings are a fascinating mix of colours with a mottled brown helping providing camouflage to help it hide from predators. However, the tips are red, black and white and need to be hidden by the underwings while roosting.

It’s 2½ weeks until the start of Meteorological Winter here in the UK so I was surprised to see this Red Admiral butterfly still supping nectar this afternoon in Berkshire. (Taken with my iPhone.)

#photography #naturephotography

Thank you, Rob

I am happy to say that my photo “Path of the Brittle Star” has been selected as Highly Honored in the Art in Nature category of the Nature’s Best Photography International Awards.

My imagewill be published in the 2025 Winter Special 30th Anniversary Edition of Nature’s Best Photography magazine.

A close up of the face of a baby monkey while it is being held in its mother’s arms. The baby is looking straight into the camera.

Monkey cuddles

A baby grey langur monkey being cuddled by its mother in Pench National Park, India.

#monkey #baby #wildlife #naturephotography

Backlighting brings out the hairs on the monkey’s head as it stares up into the trees above it. The image is a close up of its head.

Contemplation!

A grey langur monkey looks up during golden hour in Pench National Park, India.

#monkey #wildlife #naturephotography

A tiger lies in the sand beside a pools of water with her head raised in the air with an expression that looks like ecstasy. The water in the pool has been disturbed by the tiger’s tail as it has used it to flick an arc of water into the air towards its body.

A tiger uses her tail to splash water on her body to help cool down as the temperature rises above 40°C (100°F).

#tiger #cat #wildlife #nature #photography

A sunbird hanging down from a branch with its neck bent backwards as it sips nectar from flowers

A bronze sunbird taken in Uganda a few years ago

#bird #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #naturephotography

Monkey tug of war. Two grey langur monkeys fight over which one gets to keep the baby. Unfortunately the baby is being pulled in different directions during the struggle.

I spotted this strange behaviour while on safari in India earlier this year. The monkey on the right appears to be stealing the other’s baby . Of course it could be the other way round. The one on the left could have been the original kidnapper.

#wildlife #behaviour #naturephotography

Thank you Mick

A female tiger briefly glances up from her rest spot. She had been lying down, partially hidden behind an earth bank covered in long grass. The light has caught the white on her face drawing attention to her eyes.

It is rare to be on your own at a tiger sighting and it is difficult to find the best spot for photography. For more than an hour this was a “meh” photo opportunity. Then something caused the tiger to glance up and transformed the scene for a second.

#tiger #cat #wildlife #nature #photography

An intentional camera movement photo of an otter running on a beach. The beach is wet and it is reflecting the colours of the sky.

A slow shutter speed photo of an otter running on a beach. Its blurred body is partially reflected in the wet sand.

Sometimes when I am out with a camera an unexpected photo opportunity presents itself. In spite of not having the most appropriate lens on the camera and much too slow a shutter speed selected, I still give it a go. The results can be interesting.

#wildlife #naturephotography #otter

A vervet monkey sits in the fork in a tree trunk, looking up into the canopy. She looks like she is smoking a cigarette – in fact she is chewing on a fruit that she had gathered the ground.

A monkey cigarette break (it’s actually chewing on a fruit/nut that it had gathered from the ground.

#monkey #photography #naturephotography

A male tiger stretches out its right foot as it strides towards me. Its eyes are fixed on mine.

The large male tiger known as Jamhol, photographed exactly 4 months ago today in Bandhavgarh National Park, India.

#tiger #photography #wildlifephotography #naturephotography

A close up of the head and forelegs of an Indian one-horned rhino. Two egrets are visible between the head and the foremost leg – one of them is partially hidden behind that leg. They are both looking very closely at the ground beside the rhino’s mouth.

Two cattle egrets in breeding plumage keep a very close eye out for any insects that might be disturbed by a grazing Indian rhinoceros.

#photography #wildlifephotography #naturephotography #rhinos #birds

The chick flaps its wings as it tries to regain its balance after backing off from launching itself off the ledge.

One final stretch of the wings before launching off the ledge.

The fledgling flying the short distance back to its nest.

The swallow chicks fledged today. This is one of them plucking up the courage to make its second flight (back to the nest).

#bird #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #naturephotography

Thank you Rob

A barn swallow chick sits with its head in the dip on its nest that is easiest for its parents to reach so that it is fed in preference to the others. Only the head is visible in this photo.

The biggest chick is hogging the prime feeding spot but its parents are ensuring that all three are getting enough to eat

#bird #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #naturephotography

Three swallow chicks in a nest open their mouths as wide as they can as a parent approaches bearing food

The open-mouthed chicks follow the incoming flight of one of their parents

The middle chick almost swallows the head of its parent in its eagerness to eat

The chicks are growing and they’re hungry – very hungry

#bird #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #naturephotography