{"id":22288,"date":"2025-04-15T15:14:18","date_gmt":"2025-04-15T15:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/22288\/"},"modified":"2025-04-15T15:14:18","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T15:14:18","slug":"covid-leads-to-bird-photography-passion-for-mark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/22288\/","title":{"rendered":"Covid leads to bird photography passion for Mark"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cYou have to get up before sunrise,\u201d says Mark Ball, from Shrewsbury. \u201cRain or shine I\u2019m at my local reserve every Saturday and Sunday, and I often stay there till noon. You get the best bird pictures in the early morning, and then by the time everyone else is getting outdoors, we\u2019ve gone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mark is a member at the Venus Pool Reserve near Shrewsbury and he became interested in bird photography when Covid restrictions were lifted.<\/p>\n

\"MarkMark Ball from Shrewsbury.<\/p>\n

\u201cMacro Photography was my first interest \u2013 this is photographing subjects using high magnification,\u201d says Mark who is married with two grown-up children. \u201cSo I could take a picture of a fly and you would be able to see the little details, such as the hairs on its body.<\/p>\n

\"MoorhenMoorhen taken at Venus Pool Reserve.<\/p>\n

\u201cI continued with my Macro Photography during lockdown, but once Covid restrictions were lifted I fancied a change. Like a lot of people I wanted to get out, and do something different after being kept indoors for so long \u2013 that\u2019s when I started taking my bird photos.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad Michael is also interested in photography and so we went to a reserve not far from us, and after one day of taking pictures that\u2019s it \u2013 we were hooked!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"OspreyOsprey in flight at Attingham Park.<\/p>\n

Mark, who works across the West Midlands as a digital media consultant for MNA Digital, can often be found at the bird hides at Venus Pool, but he also heads to the Long Mynd, Stiperstones, and Attingham Park to get his stunning shots.<\/p>\n

\"RedpollRedpoll on a frosty morning.<\/p>\n

Here he is able to capture a wide range of birds including Great White Egrets, Egyptian Geese, Oystercatchers and Kites. Mark says: \u201cThe picture I\u2019m most proud of is of a Kingfisher, as they are small birds and very fast, so you need to be very quick to get a good shot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hoping to see the Osprey once again in Shropshire this year, which is a beautiful bird of prey.<\/p>\n

\"ReedReed Bunting taken at Venus Pool Reserve.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, at this time of the year there is often some fighting due to it being the start of the breeding season, as the birds can be very territorial.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AA Snipe bird taken at Venus Pool Reserve.<\/p>\n

Mark\u2019s photos have been used on a number of social and members sites including For the Love of Shropshire and Shropshire Ornithology.<\/p>\n

\"SwanSwan getting ready to fly.<\/p>\n

So how do you create stunning bird photography? Here\u2019s Mark\u2019s advice:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Join a club like the Shropshire Ornithological Society where you can get lots of advice and tips<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Invest in a good camera- Mark has both a Nikon D810 and Nikon D850<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    For shutter speed aim for at least 1\/2500th or faster for capturing sharp images of birds in flight<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  4. \n

    Use an aperture between f\/5.6 and f\/8 for a good balance of light and background blur<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  5. \n

    Be patient and get up early \u2013 most of the best photos are taken at sunrise<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"SwanSwan taking off\"TealTeal taken at Venus Pool Reserve<\/p>\n

    Mark says photography is an expensive hobby and can cost thousands of pounds. \u201cI started with a basic DSLR camera but have top range with zoom lens,\u201d says Mark who has been interested in photography for around 10 years.<\/p>\n

    \"AA Wren at Venus Pool Reserve.<\/p>\n

    \u201cOver the last couple of years more people have become interested in bird photography, because it\u2019s more than just a hobby. There is the thrill of capturing those fleeting moments \u2013 it is a pursuit of beauty.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI would say to anyone wanting to become a bird photographer, get the right gear and prepare for the early mornings. With patience you too can capture the majestic flight of a kite or the elusive shimmer of a kingfisher. Why not head to your local reserve and give it a try?\u201d<\/p>\n

    \"AA Yellowhammer taken at Venus Pool Reserve.\"AA Long Tailed Tit.\"BlackBlack Headed Gulls in flight.\"BlackBlack Headed Gull having a drink\"CanadaCanada Goose landing\"ChaffinchChaffinch on a frosty morning\"CormorantCormorant bird\"GreatGreat White Egret at Sunrise.\"GreyGrey Heron with a fish.\"GreylagGreylag Goose\"KingfisherKingfisher in flight at Venus Pool Reserve.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cYou have to get up before sunrise,\u201d says Mark Ball, from Shrewsbury. \u201cRain or shine I\u2019m at my…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22289,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3939],"tags":[4021,4020,4022,77,16,15,4350],"class_list":{"0":"post-22288","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-design","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-your-world"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114342637933819709","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22288"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22288\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}