Snakes and Lizards Galore

Wow, I can't believe it has been nearly two months since my last post, oops sorry but I have not been wasting any time as I've been out recording and photographing the reptile populations at one of my local patches. As they start to disperse across the area now I will see less and less of them over summer but the flowers and bugs are starting to appear so my attention will turn to recording and photographing them along with trying some new ideas and techniques along the way.

Just before I share with you some of the reptile photos from this year a little bit of an update as to what has been happening over the last two months, which have been crazy busy. It all started back in January when I started work on a project teaming up with the National Office of Animal Health (NOAH) for their I Heart My Pet campaign as their photography ambassador. We have put together top tips for capturing the best photos of your pet and we want to see yours so please pop over to the website for more details and those top tips - I Heart My Pet

Then came The Photography Show, wow that was busy but a lot of fun and great to catch up with so many people both in the industry and the visitors. I was delighted to be giving a presentation everyday and even more delighted that it had a very good reaction! If you popped by the Manfrotto stand or caught my talk a huge thank you. 

In amongst all this I have also teamed up with Clifton Cameras to run two very special nature photography workshops in Dursley, places are limited so if you're interested you'll need to get in quick, here's all the details you need: One Day Creative Nature Course and I am delighted to announce that I will be speaking at all four PhotoLive events this year with two different seminars, here are the details for those: PhotoLive Seminars 

I do also still have a couple of places available on my Creative Nature Workshop in Somerset in May and also in September if you would like to learn some of my tips and tricks for being more creative and just get to know your camera a little better to get the most out of it: Creative Nature Workshop In Somerset 

Right, with that out of the way it's on to the photos. It's really important that if you are going to take photos of any reptiles (and amphibians, well all wildlife actually) that you do not cause any stress or disturbance to them, they are wild animals and the time they are out basking is vital to them so please enjoy and photograph responsibly. Sometimes I don't take any photos, I just enjoy watching them doing their snakey and lizardy thing, it's a real pleasure to be able to enjoy these species in the wild and spend time observing them, you don't always have to take a photo.

First up are the grass snakes (Natrix natrix), this is a first for me this year and I really enjoyed capturing them on camera and watching their antics.

Next it's the common lizard (Zootoca vivipara), these are the hardest of the four to photograph as they are so quick and don't sit out basking for the same length of time as the snakes. That said I managed to find a couple that were out soaking up the warmth around some rocks so I got myself to eye level and waited.

A quick slow worm intervention (Anguis fragilis)

And finally the adders (Vipera berus), the only venomous snake we have in the UK and arguably the most beautiful due to the markings. Unfortunately it has also become a trophy species for many photographers and as such they are being posed with and in some areas experiencing high levels of disturbance. They are beautiful animals and I can not stress enough how important it is to not disturb them, particularly when they come out of hibernation, it is vital to breeding success that they bask as much as they can. So, please enjoy them responsibly to allow future generations to also be able to enjoy them too, and don't share locations on social media as is some areas they still suffer persecution.

I love spending time with this group and this is my second year with them. I don't spend everyday looking for them but when I do visit the site I always record what I've seen and send these through to ARGUK for their record database, along with any unusual sightings for example this stunning male who seems to have cataracts in his left eye. This image also shows the striking colour of the male, the females tend to be more reddy/brown as in the photo above.

All the photographs I have taken form part of my Forgotten Little Creatures project which is celebrating the smaller species we have around us. Work is in full flow for this project now and I'm very excited about some new accessories and techniques that will help in huge amounts! For now, time for me to say goodbye and wish you a happy weekend as I get back to sorting photos and planning for the rest of the year.

Take care and remember to always enjoy nature responsibly. :)

My Adventures With A Bag & A Very Special Story About Fox Cubs

Hello!

Welcome back to another post, this time I am going to share something I have been working on pretty much since April and my adventures with a bag!

First up is a story about my adventures with my Manfrotto bag over summer shooting all kinds of bugs in the field for my Forgotten Little Creatures Project, you can read the article by following the link below. Having put this bag through it's paces I can certainly recommend it to anyone looking for a smaller rucksack to carry their equipment in.

My Adventures in Search of Insects

Now for something very special, way back in April I took some photos of a couple of fox cubs that were taken into Secret World Wildlife Rescue in Somerset. Over the months to follow and I was back and forth taking photos of the staff as they care for these tiny cubs until finally the time came when they were to go onto the hands off stage. A few months later they were released into a soft release pen and after a couple of weeks the door was opened for them to make their first steps back into the wild. It has been incredible being able to record this whole journey that has a happy ending and I have to say it is all down to the dedication, love and care of the staff at Secret World.

Now that the five cubs have completed the journey and the pen has been taken down, I am happy to be able to share this video with you about their journey from rescue to release.

I hope that you enjoy it.

This story has a happy ending, and I hope that there will be many more, although I know that there are just as many unhappy endings as there are happy. But we don't always get to see the happy stories. I will actually continue to monitor these foxes through a camera trap and every now and then will share any interesting footage!

For now, it is time for me to get back to planning workshops for next year, I have confirmed four very special photographic days with Secret World. I am working on some different workshops for 2015 that will explore more than just taking pretty pictures, alongside these I will again be running my creative nature workshops in Spring and Autumn and looking at running a get to know your equipment workshop as well (this will be in February). I'm in the process of confirming dates but all details or workshops and how to book will appear on my website in due course.

Talks and Workshops

Have a great weekend whatever you are doing. 

Bye for now

Victoria x

Events Through The Rest Of The Year

Hello!

I hope you have all had a wonderful summer and been enjoying all the lovely weather of late.

I've been busy working away on a couple of things over summer including some very special workshops to be announced very soon and my new project Forgotten Little Creatures, but there will be more about both of these very soon I promise. For now I just wanted to update you on various events taking place through the rest of 2014 so here goes:

AUTUMN WORKSHOPS THIS WEEKEND!

Saturday 27th September or Sunday 28th September (both days will be the same)
Shepton Mallet
£60 each, limited to six people per day, for more details and to book click on the link below and select Autumn workshops, I still have a couyple of spaces left for both days and it will be the perfect time to learn some new tips, tricks and techniques ready to shot the stunning autumn colours.

Autumn Workshops

Exhibition and Sale of Work

During the whole of October I will have work on display at the Cheese and Grain in Frome. There will be a selection of canvases and mounted and framed prints, all items will be for sale starting at just £40 and many of the items are one-offs so once their gone that's it! My work will be on display in the foyer, cafe and bar area, and we're just confirming a date for a meet the artist evening so stay tuned to my Facebook or Twitter pages for confirmation of a date.

Doulting Christmas Craft Fair

I will be there again this year and I will be having a bit of a stock clearance as well in preparation for next year, so it's a perfect time to pop down and see what I've got. It will just be me as Rosemary will be with her work at the South West Quilt Show so do pop along and say hello!

Saturday 15th November 10am - 4pm
Doulting Village Hall, Doulting, BA4 4PL

The last three events are all a collaboration between myself and my mum (Rosemary Hillman), showcasing and selling not only our individual works but also work that we do together.

Christmas Pop-Up Shop at the Black Swan Arts in Frome

We have secured the pop up studio just inside from the courtyard area (right by the cafe) for the last two weeks of November. The shop will have a lovely warm Christmassy feel to it and we will be launching a couple of brand new products that we are current;y working on.

17th November - 29th Novmeber (inclusive) 10am - 5pm.

Shillingstone Christmas Craft Fayre

This is a brand new one for us, but it promises to be a really good one with everything being handmade.

Saturday 6th December, 11am - 5pm
Shillingstone Church Centre, Dorset, DT11 0SW

Salisbury Christmas Craft Fair

We will be back at Salisbury again this year after a great time last year and this will be the last event of the year before we take some much needed time off over Christmas and New year!

Sunday 14th December, 10am - 4pm.
Salisbury Guildhall, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 1JH

That is it for now, but in the next couple of weeks I am hoping to release details of my 2015 workshop schedule and will be sharing the launch poster and short video for Forgotten Little Creatures.

Bye for now

Victoria

Up & Coming Events

Hello,

Just wanted to share a quick update on events happening in the next few months.

Pop-Up Shop at the Black Swan Arts in Frome
16th June - 28th June
We will be open every day 9am - 5pm.

Sunday 22nd June we have booked the Tower room for talks and drop in sessions:
Talks are 30 minutes with time for questions, limited to just 20 people and tickets are just £2 each or £3 if you buy for two different talks and will be available from the shop from Monday 16th June or you can pre-book by contacting us direct on victoria.vikspics@gmail.com or rosemary.hillman@btclick.com the drop in sessions are completely free.

10am - 11am Free Drop In Session with Victoria Hillman
11am - 12pm Rosemary Hillman "Quilts To Snuggle Up With"
12pm - 1pm Victoria Hillman "Somerset"
1pm - 2pm Free Drop In Session with Victoria Hillman
2pm - 3pm Rosemary Hillman "Quilts For Decoration"
3pm - 4pm Victoria Hillman "Around The World"

To keep up to date with the Pop_Up Shop we have our own brand new Facebook page where you can also see some of the items we will be selling, many of which are one-offs or limited editions.

Just Us

Manfrotto Takeover Days

Great in-store days with free talks and one-to-one sessions, exclusive offers, competitions and much more. I will be presenting a brand spanking new talk on Thursday 24th July at Clifton Cameras in Dursley at 12:30pm with some never seen before images and will also be available for one-to-one sessions. For more details click on the link below.

Clifton Cameras Takeover Day

Autumn Workshops

Saturday 27th September or Sunday 28th September (both days will be the same)
Shepton Mallet
£60 each, limited to six people per day, for more details and to book click on the link below and select Autumn workshops, I have 6 spaces left on the Saturday and only 3 left for the Sunday.

Workshops

Mid Somerset Camera Club Talk

Creative Nature
Tuesday 30th September, 8pm
Tor Leisure, Street Road, Glastonbury, BA6 9EF

Castle Cary Gardening Club Talk

Natural World Through My Lens
Thursday 2nd October, 7:30om
Methodist Schoolroom, Caslte Cary

And finally, I would like to share with you my event photography page (which I have finally got around to setting up!) and blog. I am running the event photography under my married name to keep the two areas separate, although I take my creativity that I use in my wildlife and nature photography over to my event photography to be able to offer something different.

Victoria Woolley Event Photography Facebook Page

Event Photography Blog

Well, that's it for now, don't forget to pop in and say hello at our shop in Frome if you are in the area. Coming soon will be an update on the adders I have been photographing, some wonderful orchids and of course plenty of bugs! 

Bye for now!

Spring is here

Hello everyone,

Spring must be here, saw my first swallow today! Hope everyone has been enjoying the lovely weather we've been having here in Somerset over the last few weeks, I have certainly used it to get out and about with my camera to work on a new project which is all about Somerset. The last 6 weeks or so have been very busy here's a bit of an update of what I've been up to.

The Photography Show - Great success, really enjoyed talking to people about my work on the Manfrotto Stand as a Manfrotto Ambassador and also chatting to people about the products and why I use the items that I do. Met some fantastic photographers and had a great time catching up with old friends and making new ones. For anyone that was able to catch my talk thank you, if you didn't manage to catch it I have some talks coming up this year which will follow a similar theme.

Adders - For many years I have wanted to see and maybe photograph adders in the wild here in Somerset, I know of some good sites elsewhere in the country but the challenge was to find them at home. So I started doing some research and found a couple of potential sites to start looking, I have been to these locations a couple of times now and every time seen adders which is a promising sign, but they have also been great for other wildlife so I will definitely be looking at making them a regular stop during the next few months. But enough of that here are some pictures form those first few visits. 

My Coffee Stop in Shepton Mallet - I've very happy to say that I have been invited to exhibit some photos at My Coffee Stop in Shepton Mallet, they now have seven (6 from Somerset & 1 from Romania) mounted and framed images up on their walls and they are all for sale. A huge thank you to them for asking me to exhibit. 

Finding My Creativity - I have found myself a bit up and down the last few weeks with my creativity, but it seems to be flooding back now and I have been trying some new ideas and techniques. So far I have only been able to test these out on an oil beetle and some common whitlow grass but I am looking forward to exploring and pushing the boundaries even more this year both with plants, insects and other species that I may come across. So here are a few images taken in the last few weeks, hope you like them. 

New Badger Collection - In June we will be launching a brand new badger collection, we are still working on the items but here's a sneaky peek at the smaller items that will be included. 

A few dates for your diaries:

Burnham-On-Sea Camera Club Talk

Flowers & Plants through the Year
Tuesday 6th May, 7pm - 9pm
Bay Centre, Cassis Close, Burnham-On-Sea, Somerset, TA8 1NN

Spring Creative Nature Workshops

Do you fancy learning to be more creative with your photography or just have the confidence to do it?
Well this workshop is for you, I'll share some of my top tips, tricks and ideas to create very different images of common subjects. It is a workshop so most of the day will be spent outside trying out these ideas and discussing the results.
Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th May 10am - 4pm (both days exactly the same)
Shepton Mallet, Somerset
£60 per person (includes tea, coffee, cakes and lunch) max of 6 people per day.
To book follow this link: Spring Workshop

Pop-up Shop

Black Swan Arts, Frome
16th June - 28th June
We will be open every day, times to be confirmed
Sunday 22nd June we have booked the Tower room for talks and drop in sessions, details of which will be confirmed shortly

Autumn Creative Nature Workshops

Do you fancy learning to be more creative with your photography or just have the confidence to do it?
Well this workshop is for you, I'll share some of my top tips, tricks and ideas to create very different images of common subjects. It is a workshop so most of the day will be spent outside trying out these ideas and discussing the results.
Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th September 10am - 4pm (both days exactly the same)
Shepton Mallet, Somerset
£60 per person (includes tea, coffee, cakes and lunch) max of 6 people per day.
To book follow this link: Autumn Workshop

Mid Somerset Camera Club Talk

Creative Nature
Tuesday 30th September, 8pm
Tor Leisure, Street Road, Glastonbury, BA6 9EF

Castle Cary Gardening Club Talk

Natural World Through My Lens Talk
Thursday 2nd October, 7:30om
Methodist Schoolroom, Caslte Cary

When I get home I will be working re-designing my blog to fit in better with my website which I have been adding more photos to over the last week and also redesigning mum's website so that everything fits in together ready for some exciting news in June. 

Right I best go pack so that is all from me now for a few weeks as Chris and I take off to South Africa on Tuesday until early May to go see some penguins and other smaller critters! I will be trying out the SIGMA 120-300mm f2.8 DG OS HSM lens during this trip and I'm really looking forward to testing it out and seeing what it can do. I will let you know how it performs along with some images on my return. 

Bye for now

Victoria 

The Photography Show 2014 & Somerset Wildlife Trust

Hello and Happy New Year (I know's it's now 1st March). Things have been hectic these last couple of months and here's just a couple of things that have been happening. 

The Photography Show 2014

I am honoured to have been asked back to talk as a Manfrotto Ambassador on the Manfrotto stand at this years Photography Show at the NEC in Birmingham (replaces what was Focus on Imaging) 1st March - 4th March. I will be at the show from Sunday morning and will be on the Manfrotto stand all day Monday and Tuesday so please do pop by and say hello if you are going, I'll be there to help with any bag related questions you may have and really anything else you would like to ask about my work and why I chose the accessories that I do. In addition to that I will also be giving a talk at 3pm on both Monday and Tuesday all about getting creative with nature and wildlife hoping to inspire people to look at things differently, my talk this year comes complete with my little assistants, here they are in their very own habitat (took a while to get it how I want it). 

There will be a whole range of talks and demonstrations going on at the stand and they are all free but on a first come basis so get in early so you don't miss out, here is the full list with timings: Manfrotto Stand What's On 
I'm really looking forward to heading up and catching up with old friends, meeting new ones and checking out the new show. Here's a quick sneaky peak at one of the slides from my talk.

Website

I have now completed the overhaul of my website so it has a brand new fresh look and feel about it, I still have more images to upload but there are plenty to get you started including many new and never seen before images. 

New Website

I have also updated the workshops releasing the dates for the Autumn and updated the information about talks. 

Somerset Wildlife Trust

I'm very honoured and happy to announce that my image of a reed bunting in the snow was selected as the overall winner in the Somerset Wildlife Trust photographic competition and here it is:

You can see all the other wonderful images that have been selected for the 2015 calendar and vote for your favourite on the Somerset Wildlife Trust website, there are some fantastic images that really reflect the beauty of Somerset.

Somerset Wildlife Trust People's Choice

I have been busy working on a couple of other projects and even managed a couple of days out when it hasn't been raining but more about those in my next post and even my blog will be getting an overhaul soon. For now I have to go and pack ready to head to the NEC tomorrow, have a great weekend everyone and if you are at the show please do pop by and say hello. 

News and Autumn Colours

Hello,

It's been a while as things have been crazy busy over the last few weeks with the webinar, which was a great success and for anyone that wasn't able to join us I will post the link to the recorded version as soon as it is available for anyone that did join us thank you so much for making it fun and asking lots of great questions and I must say a huge thank you to Dave and Giorgio from the School of Xcellence for a great webinar.

I have just announced the first two dates for my Creative Nature workshops which will take place in April in Somerset, I will be covering many different aspects of getting creative with your subject and awakening your more creative side. The workshops will take place on Saturday 26th April and Sunday 27th April (both days are exactly the same) and the day costs just £80 per person with a maximum of 6 people per day. This price includes a full days tuition plus lunch, teas, coffees and biscuits. For more details or to book your place here's the link, I'm hoping to announce the dates for autumn soon.

Workshops

In other news the Christmas craft market season has started! Unfortunately due to other commitments the dates are limited this year, but as some of you know I do these markets with my mum and we combine our talents to create some truly unique gifts made with love perfect for that special someone many of which are only available through the craft markets. So here are the dates for the remaining markets this year:

Friday 29th November

Lady's Pamper Night, High Littleton Church Hall, 

High Littleton, BS39 6HF, 8pm - 11pm

Saturday 30th November

Warminster Civic Centre, BA12 8LB

Warminster, 10am — 5pm

Saturday 7th December

Bath Guildhall, BA1 5AW

Bath 10am - 4pm

Sunday 8th December

Salisbury Guildhall, SP1 1JH

Salisbury, 10am — 4pm

I now have just a handful of 2014 Borneo calendars left in stock and once they're gone they're gone, I will be taking them to the craft markets but they will also remain available through the shop on my website as are the last remaining packs of Christmas Cards featuring dormice. I do have a few small and large gifts sets available through my shop as well. 

I have also added three brand new canvas sets to my shop, these are sets of three full wrap high quality 10 x 10 inch canvases featuring either British wildlife in sepia, poppies or frogs from Borneo. Each set is made to order and costs just £130 which includes courier service and I will have the British wildlife and poppy sets at the craft markets, so here they are:

I'm looking to add more sets in the coming months along with different sizes, as soon as these are available I will let you know. There are going to be some big changes over the coming months with a complete re-vamp of this blog and website and the way that prints will be available. I'm working on this now and hoping to launch it all in the New Year with other exciting news for 2014. 

Everything is still going very well in Transylvania with the research, footage is coming in thick and fast and I am busy going through it all and putting together another article for my Explorers Journal. You can keep up to date my clicking on the link to the left of this page. So that's about it for news at the moment, I have started a brand new project which will be kept under wraps for now but what I will say is that it is based right here in Somerset! 

Despite being crazy busy, I have managed a couple of outings with my camera to capture some wonderful autumn colours, so I will leave you with just a couple of images to wet your appetite and will post more very soon including fungi and the odd bird. Whatever you get up to in the coming weeks, have fun, stay safe and hope to see you at one of the craft markets.  

Liquid Gold - A lone leaf drifting along among the golden reflections 

Green to Rusty - the changing colours of the leaves

The Mighty Oak - Taken through the branches and leaves of an ancient oak tree

The Colours of Autumn - Acer tree with beautiful red colours to encompass autumn

Artistic Autumn - variety of colours in just one tree

The Colour Gold - Sun lighting up the beautiful golden yellow colours of the leaves