Welcome to the Darren Clark Photography BLOG Here you will find the latest information on what has been updated along with thing's that I've been up to along with forthcoming plans and events. Take a look at my MobileMe Gallery pages where I upload all my latest images. Feel free to contact me and say hello alternatively you can now become a fan of Darren Clark Photography on Facebook and I can be followed on Twitter.

Monday 23rd January 2012 - Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all and welcome to the first blog post for 2012. A couple of new birds already since the start of the year: Black Redstart and Desert Wheatear. I've also been catching up with a few old favourites including Long-eared Owl, Water Rail and the numerous Reed bunting that are around at the moment.
Good news too that I'm heading back to wonderful Rwanda for three days of Gorilla trekking in February so not long now to that and already getting excited about it!

Monday 19th December 2011 - Seasons Greetings

Merry Christmas and a Happy New year to everyone!!

Monday 12th December 2011 - New and Old Birds

Well nothing for months and I then update the blog twice in two days! Since Svalbard i've been out and about at my usual haunts catching up with a few well known birds such as the Water Rail and Wheatear and also a few new ones, notably Little Stint, Semi-palmated Sandpiper, Glossy Ibis, the very rare White-throated Robin and also the very rare Greater Yellow-legs at Hauxley Nature Reserve in Northumberland.

I was also treated to a wonderful Short-eared Owl encounter a week or so ago. Hopefully in January I will get to see them hunting some more. Click on the link HERE to be taken to see more shots of this beautiful Owl.

Sunday 11th December 2011 - Svalbard, Bears and Walrus

Well it's been a while since I updated the blog and my webpages so here's a few shots from my trip to Svalbard back in early September. A truly magical place which I really enjoy visiting. This time I got to visit the amazing ice cliffs of Austfonna and a glacier cave which I had previously visited two years earlier. Follow the link HERE to see more stunningly beautiful Svalbard landscapes.

The pack ice had retreated a long way north this year and after a full days traveling we finally had some awesome Polar Bear encounters and the trip was not complete without some simply amazing Walrus encounters, memories of which I will treasure for many years to come.

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Monday 26th September 2011 - Salthholme and Beyond : Fragile Earth Exhibition

Well i'm finally back from an amazing trip to Svalbard with hundreds of images to process. I will get round to posting them soon but first I have news of an exciting exhibition that is NOW ON. Called 'Saltholme and Beyond : Fragile Earth Exhibition' it showcases a selection of images from RSPB Saltholme along with other local images and some from much further afield. If you get a chance please visit RSPB Saltholme and take a look in the Wildlife Watchpoint hide. I will be donating 20% to RSPB Saltholme from any sales of images whilst the exhibition is on. Hopefully see you there at some point!

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Saturday 13th August 2011 - Svalbard Bound

Polar Bears have been getting a hard time in the press lately and my thoughts go out to those involved in the tragic bear attack. In two weeks time i'll be heading back to the wonderful sights of Svalbard and I can't wait to get back into the cold and ice of such a beautiful place. Here's a few pictures from my last visit there in 2009.  More scenic images from Svalbard can be seen by clicking the link HERE and one or two Polar Bears HERE. Hopefully over the next few months I will have some more pictures of this wilderness to show you so keen checking back!

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Friday 12th August 2011 - Studio Portraiture and Sunderland Airshow 2011

Having been gifted a free photo session at Venture Photography in Darlington and seeing their hugely inflated prices for prints and framed displays I decided to have a go at some studio portrait style photography with Matthew myself. The results turned out to be pretty decent considering I wasn't using any studio lighting, flashes, softboxes or umbrellas. For the prices that Venture charge I could buy my own full set of studio gear and do a much better job...

I also spent one day at Sunderland International Airshow 2011 to get some shots of the aircraft displaying their. Unfortunately the weather wasn't quite as kind on the Sunday as it had been on the Saturday but I did get some half decent results. The last remaining airworthy Vulcan 'V' bomber was simply awesome and reminded me so much of childhood visits to airshows. Click on the image below to be taken to the webpage.

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Tuesday 5th July 2011 - Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2011

Well the results have come through for this years Veolia Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition and out of the 20 images I submitted 14 made it through to the first round and 6 into the semi-finals, so pretty pleased with this result. I seem to get a few images into the semi's each year but as yet have not got anything higher - I will just have to try harder, much harder! It will be a few months before the winners are announced so looking forward as always to seeing the outcome. Anyway, here's a handful of the images for you to see all of which as usual are available as prints. Enjoy.

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Sunday 26th June 2011 - A Touch of Spring

I've been out and about with the family lately and really like the shot below taken at Wallington National Trust in Northumberland. I know the selective colouring has been done to death but really liked it here with the flaking paint on an old bench. I've been catching up with the Spoonbill at RSPB Saltholme and despite not being in great positions or light to photograph I managed to get a couple of shots. These can be seen if you follow the link to the Heron Page. I managed to get to see the great rarety that was the female White-throated Robin at Hartlepool Headland too which was a bonus. Not a great deal else for you this month i'm afraid so that's all for now.

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Monday 30th May 2011 - Nepal Trip

Well it's been a long time since i've updated my blog here as what with work and travelling it's been a busy time for me. My three week trip to Nepal was fantastic so many thanks to Mike & Sarah, Ian, Ken, Mike and Hem for making it so successful. With well over 300 species of birds seen by the group it was pretty impossible to photograph them all. I've finally uploaded the best of the shots to various pages throughout the site with the majority on the page for Miscellaneous Birds.  You can also take a look at a compilation of my Nepal pictures on my MobileMe Gallery Page here. The highlight photography wise for me was capturing the Green Bee-eater shown below with a huge Dragonfly. There were lots of bird of prey amongst the sightings as we travelled from Chitwan National Park to Koshi Tappu Nature Reserve in the far south-east of Nepal. Mammals included One-horned Rhino, Great Black Squirrel and an awesome Tiger encounter whilst on an Elephant ride.
For the techies out there my 11" Macbook Air worked a treat allowing me to edit and keep notes on a day-by-day basis. The majority of the shots were taken handheld using the D3s and D3x cameras with the 600mm 4f lens. My 1.4 converter took a pounding on the bumpy roads and during the trip lost a few screws which confined it to the bag for the last few days.
That's about all for now. Hopefully I can get out and about in the UK over the summer months so will post any new stuff here......

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Sunday 2nd April 2011 - Knot Not Art

It's been a busy start to the year for me on the work and family front so my photography has been put on the back burner. The days that I have managed to get out have been either poor cold and grey weather or very quiet. I've managed to catch up with some Whooper Swans, Redpoll and one or two other things here and there. I had a brief chance to photograph a Knot roost one one of those grey uninspiring days but rather than pack up and go home I tried something a little more artistic. Hand holding in poor light meant slow shutter speeds so after a few trial and errors I managed to get a few shots that I quite liked, especially once converted to black and white. Some may say it's 'Not Art' but I prefer to call it 'Knot Art'!! I've added these to my Wildlife Art Page so take a look.

Nepal 2011

Well it's not long to go now until I head off to Nepal with a group of friends so getting very excited about that. Hopefully there will be plenty of opportunities to get some great shots of both the wildlife and culture out there. I will be taking all of my Nikon D3x, D3s and lenses ranging from 12mm to 600mm all packed in the Andy Rouse Cobra. I will also be taking my new 11" Macbook Air for storage and editing when there, it's flash storage, small size and light weight make it ideal for travelling. Keep an eye here for the results.....

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Sunday 9th January 2011 - Snow and Foxes

Well first of all Happy New Year to everyone out there, I hope you all had a great festive holiday!! Things have been fairly busy for the last few weeks as following my last post on here Matthew Isaac Clark was born on the 21st of November. I have still managed to get out and about in between despite the bad weather and snow we had and capture a few images. The cold and snow brought the foxes out into the open and on a number of occasions they were seen hunting and even catching birds. Here are a few of my favourite images taken recently of them. More can be seen by visiting my Fox Gallery Page. I'm away at work at the moment so will be updating various pages with new shots so have a look through to see some new images. Until next time, enjoy!

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Saturday 20th November - Murmurations and Squacco Heron

Well over the last couple of weeks i've been watching the local Starling roost on an evening and witnessing some amazing acrobatic displays from the thousands of birds that gather each night. Another new bird this week was the rare Squacco Heron which shortly after I took these shots unfortunately died overnight.

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Wednesday 11th November - Buzzards, Crests and Waxwings

Yet again i'm sorry it's taken me a while to update the blog but things have been busy, busy, busy. Over the last few weeks i've managed to get out and about and the highlights have been some Goldcrests, Rough-legged Buzzards and the start of the Waxwing influx. Hopefully with the latter i'll get some more pictures over the next few weeks. I've updated all the pages and there are now new pages for both the Buzzards and the Waxwings, so have a look at the taster shots below and then check them out!

Hopefully i'll try to keep you more updated with the latest but with my first (and last!) child due to arrive shortly things might once again be fairly quiet on here. In the meantime why not check out Darren Clark Photography on facebook for the most up to date news.

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Monday 4th October - Wedding Pictures

I've finally uploaded Alan and Kim's wedding pictures to the site. They married on 4th September at St. Andrews Church in Gorleston with the reception at Fritton House, Norfolk.

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Thursday 23st September - Whiskered Tern & Firecrest

Well two updates in less than a week, it must be something special. Finally getting through the backlog of pictures from the last few months and here are a couple of nice shots of the Juvenile Whiskered Tern that made an appearance at RSPB Saltholme and a really beautiful Firecrest from Hartlepool Headland.

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Tuesday 21st September - Wild Alaska and Grizzly Bears

Sorry that it has been so long since i've updated the blog but i've had a hectic few months with work, travelling and other things.  I'm now in the process of updating and adding new pages to the site so keep an eye out here. Firstly is a new page packed full of wonderful Grizzly Bears from the Katmai Coast of Alaska. I spent 12 amazing days in Alaska onboard the Waters with Captain Mike, Brad the Guide and not to mention Cathy's amazing cooking! Andy Rouse and the rest of the gang made for a superbly enjoyable experience. Anyway, follow the link HERE to be taken directly to the Bears. I've also started a new page of Bald Eagles as they were everywhere as you would expect out there in Alaska.

I also shot a wedding recently so will be adding this to my website over the coming months once i've finalised the layout and images.

Plans are underway for 2011 with a trip to Nepal and also back to Svalbard on the MS Stockholm.

That's all for now. Remember to check my Apple MobileMe Gallery for all my latest images.

Friday 25th June - Portraits and Touring Cars

I've just uploaded some new portraits taken at the recent British Touring Car Championships at Croft Circuit. The models were very obliging to having their pictures taken and some of the drives made for some good shots too!  Something a little different from my usual wildlife photograph anyway, so check them out on the Portraits Page.

I've also uploaded a whole page of cars taken at the event including the British Touring Car Championship, Porsche Cup, Formula 3000 Racing, Ginetta Racing and Renault Clio Cup. Check these out on the Touring Car Page.

Monday 14th June - Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition

I just found out that out of the fifteen entries I made to the 2010 Veolia Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, five made it through to the first round and ten made it through to the semi-finals. Needless to say i'm increadibly happy with this result and hopefully next year I will have more success at this annual competition that showcases the very best nature photography. Some of the images are now available on my Prints Page so take a look there.

Wednesday 16th June - Nikon Here To Stay Well i've finally taken delivery of all my new Nikon camera gear so it's goodbye to Canon and their constantly failing pro bodied cameras and hello to no noise and an auto focus system that actually works! Items include a D3x, D3s, 14-24mm, 24-70mm, 70-200mm, 200-400mm, SB-900 flash, 1.4x and 2x converters and spare battery. The only thing i'm still waiting for to finish the lens lineup is the hallowed 600mm monster!

Monday 31st May - Update Pages

Hello once again. This is just a quick not to let you know I have made a few minor changes to some of the pages and added a few new pictures. I've added a Miscellaneous Bird Page, Miscellaneous Mammal Page and Miscellaneous Reptile & Insect Page. I've also added a few more shots from the 2010 Kite Surfing Championships at Redcar's Majuba Beach to the Kitesurfing Page and also created a new African Landscape Page. Have a look at these new pages and enjoy the images. I'm away at the moment for a few weeks so things will be fairly quiet until I get back.

Thursday 13th May - MobileMe Gallery

Just a quick note to let you that I am now uploading a lot of my latest images to my Apple MobileMe Gallery page so why not take a look there. I've been out and about lately shooting in Scotland and locally and here are a few of my newest images. First a few local Dipper shots, these birds are such fun to watch bobbing up and down and swimming through the torrents catching insects to feed on.

And here's one or two others from the last couple of weeks. Yellow Wagtail have been showing very well at my local RSPB Saltholme reserve, a chirpy Corn Bunting and finally a Buzzard from Scotland.

That's all for now so watch this space...

Monday 19th April - Gorillas are Online

Rwanda's Mountain Gorillas are finally online on the official page so click HERE to be taken directly to them.

I've also added one or two new shots to the general Wildlife Page so take a look.

Saturday 17th April - Rwanda's Awesome Gorillas

Hello once again. Well after a very busy and simply amazing trip to the beautiful country of Rwanda i've finally got round to processing the images. I haven't uploaded them to the official website yet but they are on my Apple MobileMe Gallery Page which can be found HERE. Rwanda is not only about the awesome Gorilla, it's the people that make it such a special place. Everywhere you look there are smiling faces that are happy to see you. I hope these pictures inspire you to go out there and help save the last of the Mountain Gorillas.

Saturday 17th April - Switch to Nikon

Having had two brand new Canon 1D Mk4 cameras fail over the last month I have decided to switch systems from Canon to Nikon. The superior sensor quality of the D3x and high ISO performance of the D3s along with a superb range of lenses and a far better auto focus system to the Canon helped to make the decision final. So over the coming months i'll be trying out and getting used to this new system and hopefully will have some even better images to post.

That's all for now, i'm off to make the most of the nice weather!