Welcome to my wildlife adventures, follow me as I learn all about wildlife, as I get out with my camera to photograph the wild side of the UK
My plan is to get out at least once a week and create a video of my travels around the UK as I document my wildlife photography and adventures.
My name is Ashley Barnard and I am a full-time professional photographer based in Lancashire UK on the Fylde coast.
I have been a professional photographer for around 15 years, and have recently started with wildlife photography, here on my RU-vid channel you can follow me as I dive into this minefield of wild birds and animals learning their names, identifying them, and learning the calls of the wild.
So please feel free to like and subscribe and follow me on my journey into the world of wildlife photography.
An incredible place. I would love to visit a place like this but in our state nothing like this exists.Those paths are a great idea. It keeps people from trampling all over precious habitats but allows them to be right in the middle of it👍
just come across your channel and love your content, what shutter speed do you use to capture the kingfisher diving in out of the water? do you use 2 cameras or one is enough.
Hi Deo, welcome to my channel, I am shooting from around 3200 upwards, depending on the lighting, and yes two cameras, one in the hide and one outside by the pool. 👍
Thanks! This is relatively local to me so my application is already on its way! Funnily enough I took a picture of an "otter" the other week which I shared on instagram. A few people correctly pointed out that the features were more like a mink. Mine looked quite like yours but as it was land I could see it was over 3ft long. As mink are more like ferrets in size the jury is still out on that one 😃
Hi and many thanks for the comment, yeh I had not given it much thought to be fair, I saw the otter in the morning and just assumed that, that was what it was in the river, I did not give the image much thought other than Otter lol, well I know better now, look a little closer next time and pay more attention. 😊
Nice one Ash, really enjoyed that visit around the Private reserve, I'd imagine after seeing this the membership will vastly increase, lol.. The hides looked fantastic and the Hotel hide looked well stocked with books and picture which would keep you going all day! So nice just to head out and have a look and see what turns up, from the surprise Roe Deer Buck in the morning and the Otter cross the path, plus the beautiful male Kingy I'd say that was a pretty good session! I was on my lunch break and saw this pop up so I thought I'd grab a cupper and a KitKat and watch it. Some cracking environment image shots and loved the 'B' Roll sections and music which flowed really well throughout the video. For me missing the UK, your videos are sure filling the gaps. Cheers mate for another nice Vid. R🙂
Hi Richard many thanks for your comment good to hear from you, glad you enjoyed this little video of my walk around High Batts nature reserve. It has been somewhere I have been planning on visiting for a long time but just never found the time to get round to going over that way, so with the bit between my teeth I got in the car and decided this was the day, with beautiful weather and a temperature of 27 degrees it was going to be a hot one. I think I was very fortunate with the wildlife and the Roe Deer, it's just about being in the right place at the right time I guess, I hope I didn't disturb your lunch break ☕all the best mate and I'll see you soon 😊
Nice one Ashley, I really enjoyed this one as it reminds me so much of home in the UK! The weather, unpredictable and I can almost smell that country air! You’ve highlighted the reality of how it goes and the importance of getting out there! I’ve got a smile on my face as I’ve been there. Superb mate, you may not have got what you wanted but it was a good watch. 💪🏻👍
Cheers Richard, yeh the great British weather you've got to love it lol :) Yeh you're right about just getting out, even on bad days, it can turn out to be the best day you have had, never say never 👍 Just about to watch your new one in Ottawa.
The bain of the UK wildlife photographer I'm afraid Ashley, unpredictable weather and too much human activity disturbing nature out in the wider countryside - still if you succeed I feel you get a great deal more satisfaction " in the face of adversaty" than breezing along without obstructions. Well that's what I kid myself when a session goes "down the pan" !!! ( your final shot of the hare at the end of the video for me would have definitely made the day. ) 👍
Hi Jane, yes I have permission from the landowners on a few farms around here that give me access to roam freely across their land, always good to get to know the land owners and ask for permission 👍
Just stopped at a place on the North Yorkshire moors, Had Dippers in the river and a nightly barn owl swooping around the field behind the cottage. Garth Craven Cottage, can't recommend it enough.
Sorry to laugh but I am glad it is not just me that it happens too! I have been doing photography every weekend for just over a year now and the number of days that were "good" weather at dawn can be numbered on the fingers of one hand 🤣
Hi, was there yesterday 18 July. Not a lot going on just now but did see the MH twice but to far away, EM hide loads of young Avocets there along with Heron, Egrets etc.
Hi yeh good to meet you too, yes a bit noisy at Grisdale, I heard that they were only working until 2pm but by 2.45 they were still there so I went elsewhere.
Very nice. Where I live, we only have the Belted Kingfisher. They are very skittish. The juvis are a bit more tolerant. Would love to get them diving, but my reflexes are just not good enough. Ours are as colorful, but still a beautiful bird. Would love to have a place to have a hide, but around here they are along public parks. I do what I can with what I am given. Have been watching then for years and this years brood seems to be very lazy. I did manage a few nice images of a juvi with a crayfish. Striving and getting the images is part of the fun.
What an incredible video! The wildlife photography adventure in Wales sounds absolutely mesmerizing.The video beautifully encapsulates the essence of Wales' rich wildlife and the art of wildlife photography. Well done! 🌿📸🐦
Fantastic mate, loved the different locations and the varied species and facts! I love Wheatears and especially the males in all their finery, and Puffins well they are magical and the close encounters you get really does give you a chance to hone in on the detail of the birds. Coasts have a magical effect and there is always something happening so you never tire of getting to see the action. Keep them coming my friend. Cheers Rich 🙂
@@RichardBirchett HI Rich that's very kind of you, yeh that would be very helpful, anywhere in the UK is good with me happy to travel, you can either drop me a bell, 07974262110, email mail@ashleybarnard.co.uk or whats app, much-appreciated buddy.
Love the photos of puffins with small fish in their beak… Unfortunately, puffins are a rare occurrence up on the northern California coast where I live. I have seen them in Alaska, but that was before I wasinto bird photography. And I did not see them on my trip to Scotland and Ireland.
Hi Fred yeh me too, I spent 3 months in Alaska and had a fab time kayaking around Prince William sound for 3 weeks Island hoping, the only downside was the noseeums, they are on the same par as the Scottish midges 🤣😛👍
I have just binge watched some of your videos after finding your channel. Many thanks for all the effort that must go into them. As a relatively new wildlife photographer (13 months) I have already found that it is essential to get up at 3am in the summer. Not to catch the golden hour but to avoid the dog walkers.
Another great video and excellent images. I have booked the hide for later this month, can I ask what settings you use for focusing on the Kingfisher when it comes out of the water? I guess you are at about 1/5000 sec and around f8? But do you prefocus on the water or perch or do you fire off and hope the AF does its stuff? Any advice appreciated. Cheers
Hi Ian many thanks for your comment yes when it comes to photographing the kingfisher's coming out of the water I pre-focused on a spot, and then used my trigger to take the pictures of the Kingfisher diving in and out, I was shooting at 2500 sec, just because the light was bad on that day and I was shooting at a High ISO, obviously the lower the aperture the faster the shutter speed the lower the ISO the better it will be all around. Hope you have a great day at the hide.
@@WildlifePhotographerUK Hi Ashley. Just to let you know had a great day at the hide with KF's. I told Tom you had recommended him, so did another guy who was their. Disaster tho! I took 4000 images (30fps) /6400 sec and pre-focused on the bowl at F8. Not a single keeper., all out of focus. Now just need to tell the Mrs I need to go back. But first I need to find out where I went wrong. Looking fwd to your next video. Cheers
@@ianbrown704 Hi Ian glad you had a great time, sorry you did not get any keepers from the dive pool, did you use the stick to focus on, and set the lens to manual focus? It seems strange that it did not work for you. 🤔
@@WildlifePhotographerUK Thanks Ashley, used manual and prefocused on the fish bowl with peaking. It looks like I didn't have enough DOF but I was at f11 and even tried F16. Just looking at some DOF bird photography video's and I am confused because it says if you are setting to f16 you will still not get a DOF of more than about 10cm. Thanks anyway I just need to do some research to sort this before I go back. Much appreciate your help👌
