HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH LOCAL WILDLIFE

Photographic opportunities of the natural world are never far from home, even if you live in the city

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BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE beholder is a fitting phrase for wildlife photography. For some photographers, it's all about capturing elephants and lions in the Serengeti, while others seek rare and obscure frogs deep in the Amazon, or polar bears and penguins at the frozen ends of the Earth.

But many wildlife photographers find plenty to point their lenses at without ever getting on a flight. The UK is incredibly rich in wildlife, with red squirrels, deer, Arctic hares, puffins and foxes among our most popular and commonly photographed species. The British weather also helps to produce evocative photos, particularly in winter - think Arctic hares curled into balls, bracing themselves against blizzards, or foxes' colourful orange coats against backgrounds of brilliant-white snow.

The UK isn't a country where charismatic megafauna simply falls into your lap. But, whether you're wandering through a national park or waiting to see what happens in your garden, we have an array of fascinating and characterful species that have great photographic potential. It could be a garden spider in its web, with the light catching the morning dew, or a blue tit buzzing to and from your garden feeder. Deer grazing the grassy stretches of parks can make elegant, charismatic shots, particularly in autumn, while relatively sedentary species, such as ducks and swans on ponds and rivers, open up all sorts of creative possibilities. It all boils down to simply getting out there and acquainting yourself with your local patch.