Bird Photographer of the Year is the world’s leading bird photography competition with over 20,000 entries received in 2022. The competition is in its 7th year and celebrates the world’s best bird photography, whilst supporting conservation efforts through imagery and financial support. In 2022, my image; the Doting Couple, won the Bronze Award in the portrait category of BPOTY, placing...
My image of a Malachite Sunbird, which was taken in my neighbour’s garden in Balgowan, was highly honoured in Nature’s Best "Mkapa African Wildlife Photo Awards" in the “Backyard” category....
Entering photographic competitions can have many benefits both for the birds and the contributing photographers. Firstly, photographic competitions provide a medium through which we can celebrate birds and drive awareness about their beauty as well as their need for protection. Most competitions have a strong link to conservation. Secondly, they encourage photographers to self-analyse their images, push their creative boundaries and...
Welcome to issue 23 of The Flack’s Photography newsletters! Having been away from home for a month it is such a blessing to be back in Balgowan and surrounded by wintering Cranes, breeding Kingfishers and misty, Midland’s dams. I had initially decided to write this newsletter on Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda, but based on an exceptional and somewhat unexpected trip to...
I hope this finds you healthy and happy! In my last newsletter (Creativity in Bird Photography), I eluded to a new vision for habitat shots or “birds in their environment images” (at least new for me) and mentioned how William Steel and I would be collaborating to see if we could bring our ideas to life. When we first discussed...
When I started photography it was all about the bird. I wanted to take close ups of all birds, but especially rare ones, and soon hoped to get brilliantly sharp images with flawless backgrounds and uncluttered compositions. I was aiming for the perfect “field guide” shot. My dream at that stage was to get a perfect, close up image of...
Welcome to my 20th newsletter and the fifth since the start of my break from the corporate world. It has been such an incredible privilege to take some time out from work and pour my energy into my family, my health and the wonderful world of birds and photography. In the last month I got to speak to a chapel full...
A very happy 2022 to you and your family! Welcome to issue 19 of my bird photography newsletters! I believe that one of the key secrets to improving your bird photography (or any photography for that matter) is to fall in love with your subject! Loving something or someone significantly increases the time you want to spend with them, makes you...
I enjoy most genres of bird photography but if pushed to pick a favourite it would have to be “Habitat Shots” or “Birds in their Environment” images. For me, these photographs not only capture the essence of a specific bird species but they also tell a far deeper story than a pure portrait or action shot. I feel this is important...
