Photo 1/25

Mother and Child
Northern sheep need to be hardy - especially if they live in Tideswell, 1100 feet up. On the Buxton plateau, farmers long ago built stone walled shelters where their sheep could huddle in snow storms. Nobody can guarantee when snow will or won't fall, even in June.

@ Mother and Child
Minty begins her photographic tour of Northern Light: Creatures.

Photo 2/25

Natural Framing
Ostensibly this picture is some cows in a field. But the tree trunk, branches and stone wall frame three sides. 'Natural framing' makes simple pictures look grand.

@ Natural Framing

Blue And Copper Egg
The first painted eggs came from Mesopotamia, and because eggs were forbidden food during Lent, people painted eggs while Lent was being observed—after Lent, they would eat the eggs on Easter Day.

Beautifully decorated eggs “pysanka” are associated with Ukraine, and the oldest painted egg that was unearthed in northern Ukraine is dated to the end of the 17th century.

Photo 3/25

Peter Rabbit's Friends and Relations
At Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's former home, only a wire fence stands between visitors and rabbits at play. They completely ignore humans, because they know they are safe. There is no better place to watch the descendants of Peter Rabbit at play.

@ Peter Rabbit's Friends and Relations
David can still remember the registration number of his parent's first car (ENU 362 C) after over fifty years and can remember his grandmother's telephone number after just as long, but most days he cannot remember what day it is.

Photo 4/25

Heilan Coo
I don't know when or why these cattle were introduced to Derbyshire, but it certainly has highlands! I think it can not have been before 1990. They wander around the hillsides without hindrance. I cannot imagine they are being milked; farmers would have to travel miles just to round them up for milking. But because of their thick shaggy coats they do not need a layer of fat to keep them warm in winter, and thus their beef is very lean.

@ Heilan Coo
David's favourite TV programme ever was Top Gear (British version). The cars have almost nothing to do with that. His favourite movies are the "Pink Panther" series. He drives Lisa wild by laughing his head off at the same old jokes over and over again.

Photo 5/25

Thinking Backwards
In summer, honey bees and other flying insects are on and off a flower as fast as they can. If you want a great shot on an exotic flower, you cannot chase the insect; focus is critical and you will never get the shot right in time.

Instead, wait by the flower you want an insect to land on; get the focus right, stand as still as you can, and wait for the right insect to come to you. The best place to go is a garden centre or public park, where the right kind of flowers are all around. This bee landed on a flower in Sheffield Botanical Gardens.

@ Thinking Backwards
David's first computer was a ZX Spectrum. If anyone told you David was 'on the spectrum' he would think they were referring to a time in his life when he spent all his free time programming!

Photo 6/25

Pollen All Over
I love to do extreme macro work. For this you need a specialist macro lens, or extension rings, or both. I usually use both. A ring flash ensures enough light and thus enough depth of focus. If I can count the grains of pollen, I have got the shot right. Macro work is 90% equipment and the technique to use it properly.

@ Pollen All Over
David can remember random moments from his infancy, some even before he was two years old. But he can never remember where he has put the TV remote!

Photo 7/25

Roaming Wild
I found these horses near Elton, which is close to the middle of nowhere, but not quite the bullseye. All around are tumbled dry stone walls and derelict agricultural buildings.

The only things you can make money out of as a farmer up high are wild flowers. Government subsidies are assigned by bureaucrats with no idea about farming, and the way of life up in the hills depends entirely on what they decide.

When horses can wander onto the road, they are wild. Whether they once had a home, I have no idea; but nobody has the money to mend the walls unless the government decides they make the countryside more picturesque.

@ Roaming Wild
David once cycled 120 miles in a day (a lot of it over 1000 feet up) and was barely able to stand when he got home. He thought he had only ridden about 80 miles and must be ill! Next day he worked out how far he had ridden and everything became clear.

Photo 8/25

Tropical Butterfly
The Tropical Butterfly House at (of all places!) Doncaster gives you the chance to see and photograph exotic insects which could never survive in the British climate. The climate inside the butterfly house is so much warmer and wetter than the world outside, it took twenty minutes for condensation to quit forming on my camera lenses (and spectacles!) But the wait is well worth it.

@ Tropical Butterfly
David’s parents tried to have a child for seven years, then gave up and left the matter to God. David arrived shortly afterwards. They chose his name from the bible to give thanks for being given a son.

Photo 9/25

Middleton of Nowhere
I said Elton was not the bullseye. Middleton, Derbyshire, is well named. It is the middle, the very centre of nowhere. The only inhabitants I saw in the village were this cat and a few chickens. I would love to retire there.

@ Middleton of Nowhere
David did not cycle until he was 16. At college he got a bike to save on the bus fares and then spent all the money improving his bicycle.

Photo 10/25

Snowdonia Pony
Grazing on the undulating lowlands of Anglesey in front of the mountains of Snowdonia, this Welsh pony was probably the first animal of any kind which gave me the impression it wanted to be photographed. It posed more like a human than a horse. Once I had taken a photo it got on with grazing. I prefer the natural shot to the posed one!

@ Snowdonia Pony
David's first dog used to take him for a walk. Whenever the gate was open the dog looked for him and then bolted. It always stopped in the same spot for him to catch it and always came home wagging its tail. He never caught on that the dog intended to be caught until the dog was dead.

Photo 11/25

Vivid Dragonfly
I have often seen dragonflies in pastel shades. This just doesn't happen in the Lathkill Valley. Maybe they have all the minerals it takes to be so colourful here? I don't know. But for once the sun was out by the little pool at Monyash, and I caught this one lazing on a rock.

@ Vivid Dragonfly
David's dog followed him to school one day, over a mile away, just by following his trail. Perhaps he should have changed his socks more often?

Photo 12/25

The Compleat River
In later editions of "The Compleat Angler" (first published in 1653), Izaak Walton's young friend Charles Cotton described the "Lathkin" as "the purest and most transparent stream that I ever yet saw … and breeds, it is said, the reddest and the best trouts in England."

However the river often disappears into mines delved beneath it when there is little rain. Then the trout are stunned by electric shocks and transported downstream by dedicated conservationists. If that happens anywhere else in the world but here, I will be amazed.

@ The Compleat River
David was born at home, which was his mother's preference. Home was above his grandmother's shop until a year later.

Photo 13/25

It's an Upside-down World
Ladybirds, or lady bugs as they are known in the USA, are the gardener's friend, because they eat aphids. They can eat as many as fifty a day! My father taught me never to kill one. If you can't find one on top of a leaf during summer, try looking underneath it.

@ It's an Upside-down World
David's favourite book of the Bible is Hosea.

Photo 14/25

Ravenous Caterpillar
If it's ragwort for dinner, then this must be the caterpillar of the cinnabar moth. Anyone can get a picture of a caterpillar. But why not try to see the world from its point of view?

I like to show them with a sense of purpose, going somewhere or doing something, not just being looked at from far above. Their lives are filled with purpose. Eat!

@ Ravenous Caterpillar
David has never been drunk. He's seen it done; that's what put him off.

Photo 15/25

Cat's Eye
Taking a picture of a cat's eye is easy with macro gear. But it is almost impossible to do so from the front without getting a reflection. Ring flashes can be dialled down to very low intensities - this ginger tom was not the least bit bothered when I shot this picture with a ring flash.

@ Cat's Eye
Oh look ... you won a little pet!

Photo 16/25

Carsington Fly
I went out for the day to Carsington Water, a manmade reservoir that takes water from the rivers in winter and gives it back in summer. There are plenty of things to do there, but as usual the sky went iron grey as soon as I got near to it. So following my own advice, I looked for insects. Just look at the colours in those wings in an enlarged version of this picture! When you meet the very small on its own terms, there is so much to see.

@ Carsington Fly
David was born in the 1950s (just 13 days short of the 60s!) The US number one was “Heartaches by the Number” by Guy Mitchell. There were TWO UK number ones: "What Do You Want?" by Adam Faith, and "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" by Emile Ford and The Checkmates.

Photo 17/25

Water Dog
There are so many breeds of dog, I cannot keep track! I think this one is an English Setter. It was playing in and around the River Bradford with its owner.

@ Water Dog
David came from a family with an endless supply of aunts and very few uncles. Two of the few uncles he had were called Granville. This made life quite confusing for him on occasions.

Photo 18/25

Doncaster Meerkat
The Doncaster Butterfly House is home to far more than butterflies. For meerkats, community is everything. This one appears to be making political judgments about who it should suck up to and whose beetles it can get away with stealing. They are very expressive creatures, and a lot of fun to watch.

@ Doncaster Meerkat
David freely tells anyone he was committed to killing a believer at the time he got saved. He also told everyone about this the day he was baptised. The guy he intended to kill was holding onto David's towel while he got dunked. They have been friends since about a month after David was saved (in 1987).

Photo 19/25

Border Collie
I have a deep affection for this breed. They want a lot of exercise, but are very entertaining. My father owned one; it would be tied up on a rope so it could go inside the barn or lie outside. When there was rain, it invariably stayed outside because it could.

This one was playing in the River Bradford, and I got the camera set to a fast shutter speed ready for the inevitable shake!

@ Border Collie
David's dog followed him to school one day, over a mile away, just by following his trail. Perhaps he should have changed his socks more often?

Photo 20/25

Bull in the Sun
What a magnificent coat this bull has. The rare sun has picked out so many subtle shades.

My aunt kept cattle. My cousin showed me how to bring an entire herd in for milking with little effort. You need to know which is the 'boss cow', get her attention, and she knows what comes next. She starts moving and the rest of the herd follow her.

@ Bull in the Sun
David’s parents tried to have a child for seven years, then gave up and left the matter to God. David arrived shortly afterwards. They chose his name from the bible to give thanks for being given a son.

Photo 21/25

Bradgate Stag
One of the first brick built mansions in England, Bradgate Park was once the home of the De Grey family. They are best known for Lady Jane Grey, the nine day Queen, unwilling centre of a plot to prevent Queen Mary from taking the throne.

Bradgate Park is now preserved forever as a gift to the city of Leicester. It is a deer park where you can encounter red deer and fallow deer. The fallow deer are a gentle lot which like the woods. The red deer have a very strong sense of territory. If one of them gets up and looks at you, you go round it. After taking a picture, perhaps.

How big are they? I once walked out of the toilet block and nearly walked clean underneath one.

@ Bradgate Stag
David took an interest in (fluff) friends because a real-life friend said it would unite his love of writing with his love of visual art. The result was the 616 episodes of "Tweety Pi's Daily Adventures", the last set of which was posted the day SGN introduced the 'new UI'. This made him so furious he began work on his own software that month. See the cartoons here!

Photo 22/25

Fish Flash
The River Wye at Bakewell runs fast and furious under the bridge. As a result it is very hard to see the large fish which swim beneath. But for the duration of a flash, a ten thousandth of a second, the water is almost perfectly still. Then the camera can see right through it, and all is revealed. You will need a powerful flash to get a result like this; not the midget mounted on your camera by the makers.

@ Fish Flash
David was a big Tolkien fan in his teens and twenties. He credits Tolkien with explaining more about Christianity to him than the church he was raised in. He never saw the word 'fellowship' used anywhere before he read "The Fellowship of the Ring".

Photo 23/25

Might is Right
I have followed wild red deer round swamps and into them. After trying long enough, you realise it would be better to go to a deer park and watch them where they do not run away.

Once you do, you will be doing the running. This stag and many others could look down at me with their neck raised. When they get to their feet and hold their ground, you go where they want you to, not vice versa. But when they are solely concerned with one another, you can take all the shots you want.

@ Might is Right
The first time David went to an Italian restaurant he was very nervous, and especially afraid that he might pick something with garlic in it. He told his friends to make sure he did not do so! Then he ordered a Chicken Kiev. When he asked what the delicious sauce was, he found out it was garlic (and not to trust his friends again!)

Photo 24/25

Winner Takes All
Even more interested in the stags than the cameraman, the rest of the herd watches inter-stag conflicts attentively. Who wins, rules. Who rules, breeds.

@ Winner Takes All
David would like to drive a Lamborghini, maybe once; but he could never justify owning one.

Photo 25/25

Pole Dancer
Times were hard. I struggled over whether to buy a second hand macro lens on the internet. When it arrived, I thanked the Lord for it. That night, this strange beauty flew in through my barely open window. She then settled down for an hour, just twiddling with her feelers.

Those little balls are a sixth of an inch apart. I have never seen anything like her before or since.

@ Pole Dancer
Minty has now completed her viewing of Northern Light: Creatures. As she prepares to go home, she receives a wonderful gift!

Minty has enjoyed her photographic tour of Northern Light: Creatures, but it is time to go home now! Please select another pet as visitor, so it can also enjoy a photographic tour of "Northern Light!"