Behind the Lens: My Favourite Wildlife Photographs

Behind the Lens Wildlife Photography: The Stories Behind My Images

Behind the Lens Wildlife Photography gives me the opportunity to share the stories behind some of my favourite wildlife photographs from Yorkshire.

Wildlife photography is about far more than pressing the shutter.

For me, every photograph has a story behind it. Sometimes it is the excitement of seeing a bird appear unexpectedly. Sometimes it is the patience involved in waiting for the right moment. And sometimes it is simply being in the Yorkshire countryside when everything comes together — the wildlife, the light, and the surroundings.

Over the years, I have photographed many different species across North Yorkshire and Yorkshire, but there are certain images that remain particularly memorable.

In this Behind the Lens blog, I want to share some of my favourite wildlife photographs and explain why they mean so much to me.

Why Some Wildlife Photographs Stand Out

With wildlife photography, you never really know what is going to happen when you head out with a camera.

You can spend hours waiting without taking a single photograph, only for something to happen within a few seconds.

That unpredictability is one of the things I enjoy most.

This is what makes Behind the Lens Wildlife Photography so rewarding for me.

A technically perfect photograph is great, but the images I tend to remember are often the ones where something about the encounter makes the photograph special.

It might be the behaviour of the animal, the expression, the light, the surroundings, or simply the memory of being there.

My Favourite Kingfisher Photographs

The kingfisher has to be included.

With its brilliant blue and orange plumage and incredibly fast flight, it is one of Britain’s most recognisable birds and one of my favourite subjects to photograph.

Kingfishers are also a challenging subject.

You need patience, preparation, and a good understanding of where the bird is likely to appear. When everything comes together, and the bird suddenly appears in front of the lens, there may only be a few seconds to react.

That is what makes capturing a good kingfisher photograph so satisfying.

I have written more about the experience and techniques involved in my guide:

How to Photograph Kingfishers in Yorkshire

You can also explore more of my Kingfisher Photography and see some of the images I have captured.

Kestrels: Moments of Action

Kestrels are another favourite.

They are fascinating birds to photograph because they can go from sitting quietly on a perch to suddenly taking flight or hovering while hunting.

Some of my favourite kestrel photographs have come from being ready for that change in behaviour.

The challenge is anticipating what the bird is going to do rather than simply reacting after the action has already started.

There is also something particularly enjoyable about photographing a kestrel in the Yorkshire countryside. The bird becomes part of the landscape rather than simply being a subject against a background.

For me, that is an important part of wildlife photography.

The photograph should show not just what you photographed, but something about where it lives.

Sparrowhawks: Speed and Surprise

Sparrowhawks provide a completely different photographic challenge.

They are incredibly fast and can appear almost without warning.

Photographing a sparrowhawk requires concentration because you may only have a very short opportunity to capture the moment.

This is where knowing your camera settings becomes important.

I generally want my camera ready before the action happens, rather than trying to change settings once the bird is already moving.

If you are interested in photographing birds of prey, you can read more in my guide to:

Photographing Birds of Prey in Yorkshire

The Quiet Moments with Owls

Owls are another subject that I particularly enjoy photographing.

There is something about an owl photograph that can create a completely different atmosphere.

Rather than always looking for action, I often enjoy photographs where the bird is simply sitting quietly, and the surrounding environment helps tell the story.

Low light can make these photographs particularly atmospheric.

The challenge is balancing shutter speed, aperture, and ISO while still maintaining enough detail in the bird.

I recently wrote more about this in:

How to Photograph Owls in Low Light

Sometimes the darkness is not something that needs to be removed from a photograph. It can actually become part of the image.

Great Spotted Woodpeckers

Great spotted woodpeckers have also provided me with some memorable photographic opportunities.

They are beautiful birds, but their behaviour can make them challenging to photograph.

A woodpecker may be feeding, looking around, flying between branches, or simply disappearing into the woodland before you have had time to react.

Some of my favourite images have come from simply sitting quietly and watching.

That is something I have learned repeatedly through wildlife photography:

Patience often produces better photographs than trying to make something happen.

You cannot control wildlife.

You can only put yourself in the right place, be prepared, and wait.

Red Deer and the Yorkshire Landscape

Not all of my favourite photographs are of birds.

Red deer are another subject that I particularly enjoy photographing, especially during autumn.

The combination of a red deer stag, autumn colour, and the Yorkshire landscape can create an image that feels very different from a close-up wildlife portrait.

This is one of the reasons I enjoy photographing around places such as Studley Royal Deer Park.

The environment becomes part of the photograph.

A stag standing beneath autumn trees tells a story about Yorkshire that a tightly cropped portrait cannot always convey.

My recent Autumn Wildlife Photography in Yorkshire blog explores some of the opportunities this season provides.

Some of My Favourite Photographs Are Close to Home

One of the biggest lessons photography has taught me is that you do not always need to travel a long way to find something worth photographing.

Many of my wildlife photographs have been taken while exploring the countryside around North Yorkshire.

Woodland, farmland, hedgerows, rivers, and quiet countryside can all produce opportunities.

A kingfisher beside a river, a kestrel hunting over a field, or a woodpecker moving through woodland can all create memorable photographs.

Sometimes returning to the same location again and again is more rewarding than constantly looking for somewhere new.

You begin to understand the landscape.

You learn where the light falls.

You start to recognise the behaviour of the wildlife.

And gradually, you become more prepared for those moments when everything comes together.

Behind Every Photograph Is a Story

Looking through my favourite photographs, I realise that what makes an image special is not always obvious from the photograph itself.

There may have been hours of waiting beforehand.

There may have been a missed opportunity just moments earlier.

There may have been difficult weather, changing light, or a bird that refused to appear.

That is the part of wildlife photography that you do not always see.

The finished photograph might only take a fraction of a second to capture, but the experience behind it can last much longer.

That is why I enjoy looking back through my images.

They are not simply photographs.

They are memories of being outdoors, watching wildlife, and exploring the Yorkshire countryside.

Wildlife Photography Is About More Than the Camera

It is easy to concentrate on cameras and lenses when talking about wildlife photography.

Of course, equipment matters, but I believe observation and patience are just as important.

Learning how wildlife behaves can give you a much better chance of capturing the right moment.

Understanding light can help you create a stronger image.

And spending time in the same places can help you recognise opportunities that you might otherwise miss.

I have also written about the practical side of wildlife photography in my Wildlife Photography Camera Settings Explained guide.

Exploring Yorkshire Through My Photography

Yorkshire is at the heart of my photography.

From the countryside around North Yorkshire to the Yorkshire coast, there is an incredible variety of habitats and wildlife to discover.

Some days might involve photographing birds in woodland.

Another day might mean watching deer in historic parkland.

And another might take me to the coast to photograph seabirds.

That variety is one of the reasons I continue to enjoy wildlife photography.

You can explore more of my work on my North Yorkshire Wildlife Photography page, where I share more of the wildlife, birds, and landscapes that inspire my photography.

See More of My Favourite Wildlife Photographs

These are just some of the subjects that have provided memorable moments behind my camera.

Kingfishers, kestrels, sparrowhawks, owls, woodpeckers, and red deer have all given me opportunities to capture something different.

But my photography is always evolving.

There will be new locations to explore, new wildlife to photograph, and hopefully many more moments when the light, behaviour, and composition come together.

If you would like to see what I have been photographing recently, you can visit my Latest Nature Images.

And if you would like to bring a little of Yorkshire’s wildlife into your home, selected photographs are available through my wildlife photography webshop.

Final Thoughts

Wildlife photography has given me the opportunity to spend countless hours exploring the countryside, watching wildlife, and experiencing some incredible moments.

Not every photograph works.

Not every outing produces an image worth keeping.

For me, Behind the Lens Wildlife Photography is about remembering the experience as much as the finished photograph.

But every time I take the camera out, there is the possibility of something special happening.

That is what keeps me coming back.

For me, the best wildlife photographs are not necessarily the rarest or most technically perfect images.

They are the photographs that bring back a memory.

A moment beside a Yorkshire river.

A kestrel suddenly taking flight.

A woodpecker disappearing through the trees.

An owl sitting quietly in the fading light.

Or a red deer stag standing among the autumn colours.

Those are the moments behind the lens that make wildlife photography so rewarding.

Continue Exploring J P Watson Photography