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