Beware ducks swimming up a hill of water

Water droplets can appear to bounce off a bird's back. WWT/James Lees

Photographing wetlands is exciting, challenging and always unpredictable, according to WWT’s James Lees.

Birds arrive in their thousands in winter, their vivid colours stunning, their antics stopping the show.

Spring and summer captivate with courtship and new life. Autumn is tints and shades, and glowering weather fronts routinely akin to a Constable canvas.

Writing in The Guardian, James highlights the bonus to photographers of wetlands’ constantly changing conditions. He explains how best to take photos in rain and sun, and when and how to zoom in on particular species.

Ducks bathing, taking off and skidding back into the water can make the most memorable shots, James says. Where to stand, how to frame your image and even which way your avian subject should face are all part of the Slimbridge Conservation Warden’s lively wetlands commentary.

His favourite photo has rippling foreground and hunting action behind, against a tiered backdrop of land and sky. Do check your background though, James warns: “A wonky horizon is a disaster: you'll have a whole load of ducks swimming up a hill of water”.

James’s article is part The Guardian’s Green Shoots nature series which presents amateur photographers with a new challenge each month. It coincides with the launch of the winter round of WWT’s photo competition. Seasonal entries close on 29 February 2012. The competition runs until 31 August 2012 with the top prize a trip to Antarctica.

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