IMAGES — ANDY PARKINSON

ALL TIME FAVOURITES

These images represent a small selection of some of my personal favourite images since my transition to digital capture in 2006. These include close-up portraits, motion blur, dramatic backlighting, aspects of behaviour and my most preferred style; shooting animals and birds within the context of their environment.

MOUNTAIN HARE
among snow

BADGER
in a pine forest

BENGAL TIGER
detail

BROWN HARE
with a walking stick

DUNLIN
pulling a worm

FULMAR
diving

GREAT CRESTED GREBE
in the fog

GREYLAG GOOSE
in motion

GRIZZLY BEAR
adult male

MOUNTAIN HARE
during a ferocious storm

MOUNTAIN HARES
on an exposed ice field

MUTE SWAN
cygnet

MUTE SWAN
cygnets

MUTE SWAN
family on a mist shrouded lake

MUTE SWAN
shaking its head

MUTE SWAN
with its cygnet

NORTHERN GANNET
pair

NORTHERN GANNET
territorial aggression

NORTHERN GANNETS
over storm force seas

RABBIT
ears

RED DEER
sheltering in a pine forest

RED FOX
in spotlit pine forest

RED FOX
sub-adult

RED SQUIRREL
reaching for food

REDWINGS
fighting

YELLOWHAMMER
in a winter landscape

BACKLIGHTING

I have a real passion for backlighting because it is an extremely effective way to make starkly graphic and often dramatic images. There is also a significant amount of exposure latitude, freeing the photographer to render a scene how she/he wants and it is this creative freedom that I find quite liberating. Backlighting can be quite tricky to get right, not least the problem of lens flare when shooting toward the sun, but in the right conditions and in the right light it can be transformative.

BADGER
in a pine forest

BADGER
in back light

BISON
at sunset

BISON
in winter landscape

BLACK-HEADED GULL
taking flight

BROWN HARES
boxing

CANADA GOOSE
in flight

COOT
charge

COOT
silhouette

GREAT CRESTED GREBE
courtship

GREAT CRESTED GREBES
at dawn

GRIZZLY BEAR
female at dawn

MOUNTAIN HARE
at full speed

MUTE SWAN
and cygnet

MUTE SWAN
backlit

MUTE SWAN
cygnet shaking itself dry

MUTE SWAN
cygnet standing

MUTE SWAN
in threat posture

MUTE SWAN
shaking its head

MUTE SWAN
with its cygnet

NORTHERN GANNET
adult and young

NORTHERN GANNET
being chased by a GREAT SKUA

NORTHERN GANNET
landing

NORTHERN GANNET
profile

NORTHERN GANNET
sky pointing

PIED WAGTAIL
hovering

PIED WAGTAIL
in flight

BENGAL TIGERS

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BIRD BEHAVIOUR

Whether it is something that happens in the blink of an eye, often too fast for the eye to even perceive, or something as graceful and exquisite as the courtship dance of great crested grebes it is aspects of bird behaviour that often reveal so much to us about the species with which we work. My passion for working locally makes understanding bird behaviour not only interesting but in photographic terms it’s absolutely essential.

GREAT CRESTED GREBE
with a fish

ARCTIC TERN
threat display

ARCTIC TERN
threat

COOT
pursuit

COOTS
fighting

DUNLIN
pulling a worm

FULMAR
diving

GREAT CRESTED GREBE
in territorial pursuit

GREY HERON
taking off

GREYLAG GOOSE
in motion

MUTE SWAN
and cygnet

MUTE SWAN
and newborn

MUTE SWAN
in threat posture

MUTE SWAN
pursuit

MUTE SWANS
fighting

NORTHERN GANNET
courtship

NORTHERN GANNET
courtship close-up

NORTHERN GANNET
territorial aggression

PUFFIN
in flight

RED KITE
diving

REDWINGS
fighting in winter

REDWINGS
fighting

RINGED PLOVER
running

SPARROWHAWK
with prey

BIRD FAVOURITES

This showcases a small selection of some of my personal favourite images of our avian cousins. From intimate close-ups to expansive habitat shots, dramatic behaviour to refined beauty it can be so difficult to isolate a preferred image type. These images I guess are the ones with which I have the biggest connection but equally I’ve tried to keep the choice as varied as possible.

YELLOWHAMMER
in a winter landscape

BLACK-HEADED GULL
in a blizzard

DUNLIN
pulling a worm

GREAT CRESTED GREBE
in the fog

GREAT CRESTED GREBE
with a fish

GREYLAG GOOSE
in motion

MUTE SWAN
cygnet shaking itself dry

MUTE SWAN
cygnet

MUTE SWAN
cygnets

MUTE SWAN
family on a mist shrouded lake

MUTE SWAN
in dawn light

MUTE SWAN
shaking water off its head

MUTE SWAN
with its cygnet

MUTE SWANS
fighting

NORTHERN FULMAR
over a precipitous drop

NORTHERN GANNET
pair

NORTHERN GANNET
sub-adult

NORTHERN GANNET
profile

NORTHERN GANNET
territorial aggression

NORTHERN GANNET
trio

NORTHERN GANNETS
over storm force seas

PIED WAGTAIL
in flight

PUFFIN
in the rain

PUFFIN
with purple thrift

REDWINGS
fighting

BIRD PORTRAITS

Whether it is light, colour, character or behaviour these varied portraits feature some of my favourite species. Having spent years working first with gannets and then with swans there is no surprise that these birds feature heavily but I hope is that with each portrait an inclination of the character of each bird can be found.

MUTE SWAN
cygnets

BLACK-HEADED GULL
in a blizzard

CURLEW
in ballet pose

GREAT CRESTED GREBE
in the fog

LITTLE OWL
in dawn light

MUTE SWAN
and cygnet

MUTE SWAN
and newborn cygnet

MUTE SWAN
cygnet on its mothers' back

MUTE SWAN
in evening sunlight

MUTE SWAN
in the rain

MUTE SWAN
in threat posture

MUTE SWAN
on a mist shrouded lake

MUTE SWAN
territorial charge

NORTHERN GANNET
pair

NORTHERN GANNET
portrait

NORTHERN GANNET
profile

NORTHERN GANNET
sky pointing

NORTHERN GANNET
teenager

NORTHERN GANNET
trio

NORTHERN GANNETS

PUFFIN
amongst purple thrift

PUFFIN
emerging from its burrow

PUFFIN
in falling rain

PUFFIN
in the rain

PUFFIN
with purple thrift

PUFFIN
yawning

RED KITE
in flight

SHAG
sub-adult gaping

BIRDS IN THE ENVIRONMENT

Undoubtedly my favourite style of photography it is the wide open spaces of Hermaness National Nature Reserve on the northernmost tip of the Shetland Islands that draws me back time and again. As the seas rage and boil below its towering 150m cliffs there is nowhere in the UK that I’d rather be. Perched precariously and with a buffeting 70mph Force 8 gale surging up the cliffs the photography can be challenging but the scene below, one of absolutely breath-taking beauty and drama has to be seen to be believed.

PUFFIN
among coastal thrift

BLACK GROUSE
on a misty moorland

FULMAR
in flight

GREAT CRESTED GREBE
courtship

GREAT CRESTED GREBE
dawn courtship

GREAT CRESTED GREBE
on a mist shrouded lake

MARSH HARRIER
over a mist shrouded reedbed

MUTE SWAN
family on a mist enveloped lake

MUTE SWAN
family in dawn light

MUTE SWAN
family on a mist shrouded lake

MUTE SWANS
on a tranquil river

NORTHERN FULMAR
over a precipitous drop

NORTHERN GANNET
coming in to land

NORTHERN GANNET
in spotlight

NORTHERN GANNET
on precipitous cliffs

NORTHERN GANNET
over a raging sea

NORTHERN GANNET
soaring over Force 10 seas

NORTHERN GANNET
trails with slow exposure

NORTHERN GANNETS
over a storm force ocean

NORTHERN GANNETS
over storm force seas

PHEASANT
in a blizzard

PUFFIN
in flight

RED KITE
in falling snow

RED KITE
in flight

RINGED PLOVER
on a secluded beach

SANDERLING
flock

WAXWINGS
on a TV aerial

YELLOWHAMMER
in a winter landscape

BRAZIL

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COAST AND MARINE

Our varied and dramatic coastline is home to spectacular seabird colonies, breath-taking views and myriad wild species. Images here feature species photographed from precipitous cliffs to sandy beaches, from the midst of a gannetry to the seaweed strewn shores of the Outer Hebrides.

RINGED PLOVER
among seaweed

ARCTIC TERN
threat display

ATLANTIC PUFFIN
among coastal flowers

ATLANTIC PUFFIN
among coastal thrift

ATLANTIC PUFFIN
group

ATLANTIC PUFFIN
in flight

ATLANTIC PUFFIN
in the rain

ATLANTIC PUFFIN
with company

DUNLIN
pulling a worm

EURASIAN OTTER
among seaweed

GREY SEAL
among breaking waves

GREY SEAL
female

NORTHERN FULMAR
over a precipitous drop

NORTHERN GANNET
adult and sub-adult

NORTHERN GANNET
at sunset

NORTHERN GANNET
colony

NORTHERN GANNET
coming in to land

NORTHERN GANNET
during a Force 10

NORTHERN GANNET
in spotlight

NORTHERN GANNET
over a raging sea

NORTHERN GANNET
over storm force seas

NORTHERN GANNET
over stormy seas

NORTHERN GANNET
profile

NORTHERN GANNET
territorial aggression

NORTHERN GANNET
trails with slow exposure

RINGED PLOVER
walking

SHAG
juvenile gaping

CREATIVE

In photographic terms there is always a new angle to be found, a new way of seeing or a previously overlooked detail that gives new insight into a species. The only limitations here are to be found with the individual photographer and from a personal point of view then creatively, anything goes. As long as the final image works for me on an individual level then I will always explore the creative possibilities.

MUTE SWAN
in threat posture

BLACK GROUSE
displaying

BROWN HARE
in mid-air

BROWN HARE
lost in space

COOT
curled up in a ball

MOUNTAIN HARE
detail

MOUNTAIN HARE
heading home

MOUNTAIN HARE
in mid-air

MUTE SWAN
backlit preening

MUTE SWAN
cygnet neckwarmer

MUTE SWAN
cygnet on its mothers' back

MUTE SWAN
cygnet siblings bobbing

MUTE SWAN
cygnet

MUTE SWAN
cygnets backlit

MUTE SWAN
cygnets bobbing

MUTE SWAN
cygnets

MUTE SWAN
preening backlit

MUTE SWAN
shadow

MUTE SWAN
shaking water off its head

MUTE SWAN'S
steaming feet

NORTHERN GANNET
detail

NORTHERN GANNET
portrait

NORTHERN GANNET
profile

RABBIT
ears

RED DEER
hinds

RED KITE
gathering

SANDERLING
flock

FIELD AND FOREST

From the wide open fields to secluded forests these habitats are home to some of our most iconic, and often unjustly persecuted species. These are often species with which I have worked extensively as, along with a patchwork of rivers and lakes it is these fields and forests that are most abundant close to my Derbyshire home.

GREY SQUIRREL
with its arms folded

BADGER
and insects

BADGER
back-lit close up

BADGER
back-lit portrait

BADGER
portrait

BADGER
scene

BADGER
spotlit

BROWN HARE
close up

BROWN HARE
grooming

BROWN HARE
pursuit

BROWN HARE
spring pursuit

BROWN HARE
stretching

BROWN HARE
winter portrait

FALLOW DEER
fawn

GREY SQUIRREL
close up

RABBIT
in a summer meadow

RABBIT
kittens

RABBIT
standing

RED FOX
cub amongst bluebells

RED FOX
cub in Summer flowers

RED FOX
cub watching a hot-air balloon

RED FOX
sub-adult portrait

RED FOX
sub-adult

RED KITE
diving

RED KITE
eating on the wing

RED SQUIRREL
standing

SIKA DEER
in dappled light

SIKA DEER
in evening light

SIKA DEER
with calf

LAKE AND RIVER

From duck-pond to lake, canal to meandering river, our watercourses are a vitally important resource that support myriad fascinating species. I have some particularly favourite locations close to home where I have spent thousands of hours but in photographic terms I have barely even scratched the surface with what is possible.

GREY HERON
with a fish

CANADA GOOSE
in flight

COOT
charge

COOT
diving

COOT
fleeing

COOT
pursuit

COOT
silhouette

COOTS
fighting

GREAT CRESTED GREBE
in dawn mist

GREAT CRESTED GREBE
with fish

GREAT CRESTED GREBE

MALLARD
duckling siblings

MALLARD
ducklings

MUTE SWAN
and cygnet

MUTE SWAN
cygnet wrapped in its mothers neck

MUTE SWAN
cygnets

MUTE SWAN
family

MUTE SWAN
in dawn light

MUTE SWAN
in threat posture

MUTE SWAN
landing

MUTE SWAN
portrait

MUTE SWAN
preening

MUTE SWAN
shaking itself dry

MUTE SWANS
fighting

MAMMAL BEHAVIOUR

Capturing such images always requires an in depth knowledge of ones subject, not to mention the countless hours spent observing and studying their behaviour. As expected it is the mammals that live close to my Derbyshire home that feature most prominently

RABBIT
kitten and nettle

BADGER
cubs

BROWN HARE
and sheep

BROWN HARE
foot stretching

BROWN HARE
in mid-air

BROWN HARE
mating pursuit

BROWN HARE
running

BROWN HARE
shaking its paws

BROWN HARE
Spring pursuit

BROWN HARE
stretching

BROWN HARE
winter pursuit

BROWN HARES
boxing

BROWN HARES
winter boxing

GREY SQUIRREL
descending a tree

GREY SQUIRREL
with arms folded

MOUNTAIN HARE
at full speed

MOUNTAIN HARE
foot stretching

MOUNTAIN HARE
running

MOUNTAIN HARE
shaking itself dry

MOUNTAIN HARE
shaking its paws

RED DEER
jumping a fence

RED DEER
roaring

RED FOX
cub on a log

RED FOX
stalking

RED FOX
watching a hot-air balloon

RED SQUIRREL
reaching for food

SIKA DEER
mother and calf

MAMMAL FAVOURITES

This section features a selection of my personal favourite mammal images and they are as varied in tone as they are in species. From intimate close ups to expansive wide angles, from the graphic simplicity of a winter mountain to the autumnal colours of a Derbyshire forest these are some of the mammal images to which I am most connected.

GREY SEAL
among breaking waves

BADGER
in secluded pine forest

BROWN HARE
in a winter landscape

BROWN HARE
in falling snow

BROWN HARE
running

BROWN HARE
with a walking stick

BROWN HARES
in a winter landscape

GREY SQUIRREL
with its arms folded

MOUNTAIN HARE
during a ferocious storm

MOUNTAIN HARE
among snow

MOUNTAIN HARE
close up

MOUNTAIN HARE
encrusted in snow

MOUNTAIN HARE
foot stretching

MOUNTAIN HARE
lying flat

MOUNTAIN HARE
shaking its paws

MOUNTAIN HARE
summer portrait

MOUNTAIN HARE
yawning

MOUNTAIN HARES
on an exposed ice field

OTTER
amongst seaweed

RABBIT
ears

RABBIT
kitten and nettle

RABBIT
kittens

RED DEER
in a forest habitat

RED DEER
in a pine forest

RED DEER
sheltering in a pine forest

RED FOX
cub watching a hot-air balloon

RED FOX
in spotlit pine forest

RED FOX
sub-adult

RED SQUIRREL
reaching for food

MAMMAL PORTRAITS

It’s inevitable when we spend as much time as we do looking into the eyes of our distant cousins that we are able to see their characters, their charm and their personality. We also get to be reminded of their value, not just on an individual level but to the ecosystems and environments in which they can be found. Some of these portraits are inquisitive or funny, confiding or alert but I never fail to marvel at the beauty of the UK’s natural history.

MOUNTAIN HARE
close up

BADGER
adult

BADGER
cub

BADGER
portrait

BROWN HARE
on the move

BROWN HARE
portrait

GREY SEAL
among breaking waves

GREY SQUIRREL
and daisies

GREY SQUIRREL
with its arms folded

MOUNTAIN HARE
among snow

MOUNTAIN HARE
curious portrait

MOUNTAIN HARE
encrusted in snow

MOUNTAIN HARE
in close up

MOUNTAIN HARE
in open ground

MOUNTAIN HARE
looking goonish

MOUNTAIN HARE
looking startled

MOUNTAIN HARE
lying flat

MOUNTAIN HARE
portrait

OTTER
amongst seaweed

RABBIT
in evening sunlight

RABBIT
kitten

RABBIT
sitting

RED FOX
cub among Spring flowers

RED FOX
cub next to an adult

RED FOX
looking alert

RED FOX
sleeping

RED SQUIRREL
in Autumn colours

RED SQUIRREL
sitting upright

SIKA DEER
in dappled light

SIKA DEER
in dawn mist

SIKA DEER
in evening light

MAMMAL ENVIRONMENTS

Undoubtedly my favourite style of photography I now find myself moving my camera further and further away from the subjects with which I seek to work. Never has this been more obvious than with my recent work with both foxes and badgers over the last two years. On both occasions I have been using smaller and smaller lenses and sitting further and further away, hopefully allowing the animals to be seen as part of a wider, more expansive image.

RED DEER
in falling snow

BADGER
among ragwort

BADGER
in a pine forest

BADGER
in secluded pine forest

BADGER
overlooking wooded valley

BROWN HARE
in corn stubble

BROWN HARE
in falling snow

BROWN HARES
boxing

BROWN HARES
in a winter landscape

BROWN HARES
in a wintry landscape

MOUNTAIN HARE
during a ferocious storm

MOUNTAIN HARE
conpicuous on heather moorland

MOUNTAIN HARE
during a blizzard

MOUNTAIN HARE
encrusted in snow and ice

MOUNTAIN HARE
in a blizzard

MOUNTAIN HARE
in mountain lansdscape

MOUNTAIN HARE
on a snow covered moorland

MOUNTAIN HARE
on an icy hillside

MOUNTAIN HARES
high on an exposed ice field

MOUNTAIN HARES
on an exposed ice field

RED DEER
camouflaged among bracken

RED DEER
procession

RED DEER
sheltering in a pine forest

RED DEER
winter procession

RED FOX
at sunset

RED FOX
in a pine forest

RED FOX
in a Summer meadow

RED FOX
in spotlit pine forest

MASTERS OF DISGUISE

The animals with which we share this planet have been around as long as we have and evolution, in all of its complexity and wonder is in the end remarkably simple and efficient. Adapt to survive is what it’s fundamentally about and never will this come more starkly into view than in this rapidly changing world in which we find ourselves. Whether disappearing into a snow covered moorland or melting in to autumnal bracken these wild species demonstrate how perfectly adapted they are to their environments.

OTTER
among seaweed

BROWN HARE
concealed in corn stubble

BROWN HARE
in a snow hole

CURLEW
among moorland grasses

MOUNTAIN HARE
in a snow hole

MOUNTAIN HARE
abstract

MOUNTAIN HARE `
covered in snow

MOUNTAIN HARE
demonstrating camouflage

MOUNTAIN HARE
during a ferocious snowstorm

MOUNTAIN HARE
emerging from the mist

MOUNTAIN HARE
encrusted in snow

MOUNTAIN HARE
in moorland grasses

MOUNTAIN HARE
in mountainous environment

MOUNTAIN HARE
on a high ice field

MOUNTAIN HARE
on a snow covered moorland

MOUNTAIN HARES
on a high ice field

PTARMIGAN
descending an ice field

PTARMIGAN
feamle running

PTARMIGAN
in a white out

PTARMIGAN
male

PTARMIGAN
on an ice field

PTARMIGAN
wing stretching

RED DEER
in a ferocious snowstorm

RED DEER
in a pine forest

RED DEER
stag among autumnal bracken

MOUNTAIN AND MOORLAND

As challenging as they are exciting there is a unique thrill to working in these most inhospitable and inaccessible places. I return to the Scottish mountains every year in winter, not simply for the starkness of the beauty and the graphic nature of the potential images but also for the beautiful isolation, the breath-taking beauty and the physical challenge of just trying to function creatively up in the mountains for weeks on end.

PTARMIGAN
descending an ice field

CURLEW
calling

CURLEW
in ballet pose

GREAT SKUA
bathing

GREAT SKUA
chick on the move

GREAT SKUA
display

MOUNTAIN HARE
at full speed

MOUNTAIN HARE
close up

MOUNTAIN HARE
covered in snow

MOUNTAIN HARE
in its winter coat

MOUNTAIN HARE
on a snow covered moorland

MOUNTAIN HARE
profile

MOUNTAIN HARE
running uphill

MOUNTAIN HARE
shaking itself dry

MOUNTAIN HARE
stretching

MOUNTAIN HARE
yawning close up

MOUNTAIN HARE
yawning

PTARMIGAN
calling

PTARMIGAN
feamle running

PTARMIGAN
in a white out

PTARMIGAN
male

PTARMIGAN
on an ice field

PTARMIGAN
wing stretch

SNOW BUNTING
on an exposed rock

SNOW BUNTING
portrait

SNOW BUNTING
profile

OVERSEAS

Travel was one of my motivators when I sought to become a wildlife photographer and whilst I still do travel quite frequently I prefer those times, such as when I visited India for 2 months, when I can really immerse myself in the lives of the species with which is seek to work. From tigers to grizzly bears and from lions to langurs this section will doubtless grow in the years to come.

GRIZZLY BEAR
adult male

AFRICAN LION
cub

AFRICAN LION
family

BENGAL TIGER
adult male

BENGAL TIGER
adult snarling

BENGAL TIGER
at 9 months old

BENGAL TIGER
at first light

BENGAL TIGER
close up

BENGAL TIGER
cub partially hidden

BENGAL TIGER
detail

BENGAL TIGER
diving into water

BENGAL TIGER
in dappled forest light

BENGAL TIGER
in tall grasses

BENGAL TIGER
on a secluded forest track

BENGAL TIGER
portrait

BENGAL TIGER
stalking

BENGAL TIGER
sub-adult stalking

BENGAL TIGER
tree scratching

BENGAL TIGER
yawning

BENGAL TIGERS
play fighting

BIGHORN SHEEP
avoiding traffic

BISON
at sunset

BISON
in winter landscape

GRIZZLY BEAR
and yearling cub

GRIZZLY BEAR
clamming

GRIZZLY BEAR
cub running

GRIZZLY BEAR
cub

GRIZZLY BEAR
female

GRIZZLY BEAR
in habitat

GRIZZLY BEAR
investigating a quad bike

GRIZZLY BEAR
on a coastal estuary

HANUMAN LANGUR
jumping

HANUMAN LANGUR
portrait

MOOSE
sparring

WHITE ON WHITE

The starkness of winter offers myriad opportunity to produce unique and creative images, all set against the blank canvas of white. There is something about this colour, or absence of it, that I am so drawn to and there are few places on Earth where I’d rather be than in deep and pristine snow high in the Scottish mountains.