As some of you will know, I love a good storm and although very distressing for those that get flooded, it offers the photographer a very different experience. Storm Gerrit blew in earlier this month and offered the chance of some decent light rather than rain, so some friends and I made our way to the south coast.

Winter can be a fabulous time for photography. Despite the cold, which I must admit I’m not a fan of, the light can be great, you don’t need to get up at silly times of the day and dusk comes early.

The colour of autumn is a magical time of year and as a day out, a visit to RHS Wisley is a treat.

Nearer to home, another wonderful place to visit for some autumn colour, is Cannizaro Park, beside Wimbledon Common.

Light is key to any good photograph and although I have stressed this in a previous tip, a recent visit to Cannizaro park highlighted this for me and I thought I would share it with you.

I love all the seasons but autumn offers a richness of colour that the other seasons find hard to compete with. The sun is low and although the days are shorter, the light can be fantastic.

I have known for some years that Short-Eared owls winter here from Scandinavia but I have never been to see them before. This year is a bumper year apparently, which is good to hear and at Staines Moor, where I was kindly taken by some photographic friends, there were at least 7.

With September, the long summer evenings start to draw in, misty mornings return and dew can be found out in the fields and on our cars. The weather can still be fine and there’s still much to see and glory at out in our open spaces, so read on the discover what you might find…

Those that know me well, will know that my wife and I took up Croquet during Covid and Diana in particular, has really taken to it, even qualifying to play in the Women’s world Championships that were held on the South coast last month.

To help realise your ambitions of capturing the very best picture, it is sometimes worth studying your subject, especially if an animal. They will all have habits and peculiarities that once known can be used to your advantage. This can be as simple as knowing that a swan will stretch its wings once its finished grooming itself and a dragon fly will often come back to the same perch.