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Professional Freelance Photographer
The Starlings Season Begins In Blackpool
My First Photograph From The New Starlings Season In Blackpool
Taken at 17:49pm on North Pier, Blackpool. Friday 15th October 2010.
October is the month when we begin to see murmurations of starlings returning once again to the Fylde coast. They are one of my favourite subjects to document and I’ve eagerly awaited the day when I’ll see them once again.
Over the past two weeks I’ve noticed an influx of visitors to my website searching for information relating to the best time to see starlings flocking in Blackpool. Searches include “are the starlings in blackpool in oct”, “best time to see starlings at blackpool”, “starling murmuration blackpool”, “blackpool starlings morphing near blackpool”, “starlings in blackpool 2010” and so on.
Blackpool Air Show 2010
On Sunday 8th August 2010 thousands of people gathered on Blackpool beach to admire a fabulous air display. The event took place between South and Central piers just after 4pm and began with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight which featured a historic Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster Bomber. The Breitling Wing Walkers (the world’s only formation wing-walking team) were also there and, to conclude the airshow, the RAF Red Arrows Formation Team performed a spectacular aerobatic display.
Murmurations: My First Canon 5D Mark II HD Video
Watch This Video In HD On My YouTube Channel
This short film is inspired by my documentary photography project 'Starlings Above' which won third place in the 'Fine Art - Natural History' professional category of the Sony World Photography Awards 2009.
There is something innately beautiful in the way starlings fly together, forming hypnotic shapes and patterns in the sky above.
"Impenetrable as the flock's movements might seem to the human eye, the underlying maths is comparatively straightforward. Each bird strives to fly as close to its neighbours as possible, instantly copying any changes in speed or direction. As a result, tiny deviations by one bird are magnified and distorted by those surrounding it, creating rippling, swirling patterns. In other words, this is a classic case of mathematical chaos (larger shapes composed of infinitely varied smaller patterns). Whatever the science, however, it is difficult for the observer to think of it as anything other than some vast living entity."
Murmurations Signal The Beginning Of Winter
Taken at 04:30pm on North Pier in Blackpool, UK. Tuesday 27th October 2009.
Since my last blog post back in October (Blackpool Public Artworks Photography Commission) there have been several noteworthy developments to my photographic practice. One of the most exciting items of news is that I’ve been asked to be an Associate Lecturer in Photography at UCLAN’s Media Factory in Preston. I’m currently teaching and mentoring first year photography degree students undertaking PH1010, a module that consists of a number of traditional black & white photography assignments. The last time I was in a lecture I was studying for my Masters in Blackpool, so its great to get back into the classroom and brainstorm new ideas about photography with the students.
Starlings Above (Part Two)
Taken at 04:33pm in Blackpool, UK. Thursday 29th January 2009.
This black and white photograph is the latest addition to my on-going personal project documenting starlings in flight. Photographing natural subjects like starlings requires a great deal of patience as you never quite sure what they may do next. I usually find the best way to approach them is to compose the image the way you want it and then hope that they will do something rather spectacular within the frame (which doesn’t always happen!). They also demand that you think quickly on your feet as they are often unpredictable and incredibly fast in flight.
Starlings Above (Part One)
Taken at 3:51pm from North Pier, Blackpool. Tuesday 4th November 2008.
North Pier in Blackpool is a wonderful location to view starlings during the winter months and this afternoon I got another opportunity to photograph them. This is the first chance I’ve had to do some personal work since finishing my MA course and completing my recent freelance assignments, so I’m really pleased to be starting my postgraduate life with this photograph of starlings over Blackpool beach.