Mother Nature and scenic photography

Coastal 
I always struggle when it comes to mother nature and scenic photography,I can never get the ratio's right and end up with either under exposed or parts of the intended photo cut off.
But with practice and patience i am slowly getting to grips with this amazing and interesting subjects.
Because of my location i have access to some amazing beauty spots and rugged coastline.

The Shot above was taken last year as the first of the Autumn storms battered the light house at Seaham Harbour.The storm raged for a few days and gave me a great days photography.

I shot this in colour but this works better in monochrome

I am fascinated with history and old ruins and the next couple of shot show this.Groverake mine is located in Weardale at Rookhope.

Mining started around 18th century when they were mining for Lead up to the 1880's when the mine was taken over by the Weardale Lead company.The mine changed hands a number of times and was operated by Sherburn minerals worked the mine until it closed in 1999.

This shot was taken in HDR and it's of the wheel tower of an ruined mine in weardale called Groverake Mine and i am impressed with this shot .

Waterfall

Linked by footpaths a leisurely walk to Low Force, High Force and the Pennie way,

A peaceful,unspoilt landscape and wildlife are plenty for all to observe. 

Bowlees is set in teesdale and is of outstanding natural beauty and Gibsons cave waterfall is a stunning waterfall to see.

My attempt at Moto Cross Photography

                                            My attempt at sports photography

My name is Rob Ayres and i am trying to make it as a photographer be it wildlife scenics or sports (ie moto cross circuit racing etc) it is a real challenge and so much to learn.
At the beginning of the year i decided to to try a different type of photography as i have been concentrating mainly on wildlife.So in march this year i went along to my local motor cross track with camera in hand and had a go at this nut fest of a sport.The riders ages ranged from the very young to the middle aged and the racing was exhilarating. It brought back some happy memories from my childhood.

This triggered off a new extension to my photography and i am impressed with some of the results.

Over the last couple of months i have meet some interesting stars in this physically demanding sport where spills and crashes are common with wounds from bruising through to broken bones.

At the moment i have only covered my local event but i am thinking of traveling further a field to other events. 

Below is a young rider named Carlton Husband and a big thank you for this photo opportunity . 

and this shot was taken at Wooley Grange in County Durham.

It was like re-lighting a passion that i had back in the early 80's but camera technology has changed ten fold for back then,Using a 35mm camera required different techniques and planning.

Now you can see what your pictures look like before you get to the processing stage.

I have started to attend  meetings at Wooley Grange which has  featured the first round of  the moto cross outfits which  provided excellent photo opportunities.

I have also started to cover Moto Cross at a practice track at Kilnpit Hill @Schoolhouse Mx and it is becoming a very popular event with riders all across the North east  of England are enjoying this track and are talking about it.

With time and patience my photography is starting to get better and the riders are talking about my images which is a real buzz.

I have had the privilege of meeting some amazing riders and some real characters and 90% of the riders love the camera and will try to get there picture taken.

The stars of this sport have to be physically fit as it is a very hard sport on all the joints and bones and sometimes bones get broken ligaments get torn but yet they keep coming back for more.

If they come off and they jump straight back on and carry on as if nothing had happened. They are true sportsmen.

Life with Red squirrels though my lens

The Red Squirrel through my lens

In 1989 i took a long break from photography through fatherhood and relocation to the beautiful county of Durham.
The only regret now was it was 2009 before i rekindled the passion i had for photography which i had put aside 20 years earlier.
I still dabbled with a camera but only a digital compact but was struggling getting shots that i was so used to capturing in the earlier years. 
So i decided to bite the bullet and invested in a second hand Canon Eos400D and with a few upgraded lenses i set about doing what i used to enjoy doing in my earlier years,
With-in a couple of outings i was getting the hang of digital photography and the best part is i could see straight away what kind of pictures i taking.
I still live in the county of Durham but now its not just my home but also my photo studio as well.
I have access to some of the most  beautiful,natural and rugged country side with views and secrets waiting to be discovered, across the Pennines to the Lake District,north to the Farne Islands and Scotland, South towards the Yorkshire moors And east towards the Eastern Coast.Teesdale and Weardale are just a few miles away all having secrets to reveal.
After joining the Durham wildlife trust i learnt about a couple of colonies of  Red squirrels located within the boundaries of County Durham,and with the camera i set off for my first experience of the red squirrel.
I witnessed my first ever sighting of these endearing little creatures in the autumn of 2012,and i have been captivated by these little creatures and i cant get enough time to spend with them.

These little Rodents are native to the British Isles and species of Red squirrels are found across Europe but is under threat by the Grey squirrel and through deforestation.With help from from various action groups across the UK  we are fighting a big battle to try and prevent the extinction of the red  squirrel.

The coat of the red squirrel varies in colour with the time of year and location.Red is the most common colour in the United Kingdom.The underside of the squirrel is always white-cream in colour.

The red squirrel sheds its coat twice a year,switching from a thinner summer coat to a thicker,darker winter coat with noticeable larger ear-tufts (a prominent distinguishing feature of this species) between August and November.

The red squirrel occupy boreal,coniferous woods in Northern Europe and Siberia,preferring Scots pine,Norway spruce and Siberian pine.
In Western and Southern Europe they are found in broad-leaved woods where the mixture of tree and scrub species provide better year round source of food.In most of the British Isles and in Italy, broad leaved woodlands are now less suitable due to the better competitive feeding strategy of the introduced grey squirrels.

I have recently become a volunteer photographer for a Red squirrel action group in the Dales to help preserve this endearing little creatures.I have also started a red squirrel group on Facebook and its growing from strength to strength to try and ensure the survival of this little colony.
Killhope Had lost a third of its pines due to wind damage over the winter months.A 5 year thinning program taken out in one night.

But this little colony coped with this destruction very well and are doing well and are in very good health.I get up there as often as i can but I'm am limited .The other colony that i have been following for the last couple of years is at Pow Hill in Derwent County Durham.They have had a bit of a struggle what with shootings and the threat of grey squirrels.

I enjoy spending time with endearing little creatures and given the chance to help raise money to help protect them.I have made some new friends who care as much about these as i do and i let my camera do all the explaining. Most of my of Red Squirrel photos were taken at Pow Hill in County Durham and at the beginning of Feb 14 i submitted a photo to the BBC wildlife Magazine and it was excepted for the March edition of the Magazine.

For  a couple of weeks i was the happiest man in Durham and it has play a big part as it has made me think more about the images that i am after. I am not after the super imposed shots but the more natural shots showing the red squirrels natural abilies and agility. 

I have become a volunteer as a red squirrel photographer for a group in Cumbria. I do some processing to my photos but none are photo-shopped as i haven't the time to figure it out so most of my finished results are done by my professional Friend that own their own photographic business so i have professional advise on tap. His advise is priceless and most appreciated,and always welcome and i think it shows in my photos.He does my printing and supplies me with my items that makes my stuff stand out from other photographers.

  I like to try and get shots that other photographers do try for.I like the unorthodox shots as sometimes they are the shots that give you the results.I like to get down to the level of my subject and i found that they are happy and will sit and eat while I'm taking the photos.
For 21/2 years i have been building a trust with this group of red squirrels and i have always tried for the natural shots and i have tried for a while to get them eating there natural food. I have always found chewed Pine nuts and that is usually a sign that the reds are in the area.
Today was one of the best photo shoots I've had in a while i got there early and was set up by 6.30 and with in 10 minutes the reds had arrived for breakfast consisting of sunflower hearts and mixed nuts.
I placed an opened pine cone in the seed tub and and packed it with sunflower hearts, i had tried this a couple of times and with no success. This morning however they picked up the cone and started eating from it.

Today i also observed that they are now starting to loose their winter coats and it wont be long before they also loose their ear tuffs.