Photography has always been a hobby for Andy Gudgin, who lives in Irthlingborough. He was once particularly drawn to motorsport and aviation, but as those interests waned, his camera was set aside for almost a decade.
A holiday in New York in 2023, reignited his interest in photography. Armed only with his phone, he found himself wandering, noticing light, framing scenes, and taking far more photographs than usual. That trip sparked a return to photography, leading him to invest in a couple of mid-range Nikon mirrorless cameras.
For Andy, photography is driven by curiosity and enjoyment rather than perfection — it’s about getting out, exploring, and capturing moments that resonate. Living in Irthlingborugh on the doorstep of Stanwick Lakes, long walks with his family prompted an interest in capturing wildelife and nature.
“I live near Stanwick Lakes and often walk there with my wife. Being there sparked an interest in wildlife — birds, animals and deer — as well as landscapes. I’m trying to learn different things with my photography, and I’m inspired by the great photos I see in Facebook groups. I often study images I like and try to recreate them as a way of improving.”
SPOTLIGHT PHOTO
Two squirrels caught fighting at the bird hide at Stanwick Lakes recently. As you enter the hide, there’s a pile of logs just outside, usually crawling with activity. Around five or six squirrels were darting about, scrambling over the sticks and squabbling for position.
Two of the larger squirrels decided to settle things properly, and a full-blown scrap broke out on top of the log pile. It looked like they’d stumbled across a nut superstore and neither was prepared to back down.
This picture was taken at Stanwick Lakes, where I sat for quite a while watching the squirrels fighting around the bird hide. Right at the edge of the hide, a muntjac deer was lying quietly in the bushes. Then, as I looked down, a blue tit was just standing there — incredibly close, no more than ten feet away.
Moments like that are a case of being in the right place at the right time.
The light was hitting perfectly, and that’s what allowed that level of detail to come through in the image.
Abington Park – I really like it here. It’s particularly good for getting close-ups of nature and capturing great photos.
This cygnet was sitting right by the water with its parents. I had to move further away and zoom in to take the shot, so I didn’t disturb.
I have two different Nikon mirrorless midrange cameras and a 150mm to 600 lens.
Robins are my favourite birds – they are very photogenic and this particular one I caught whilst walking along at Summer Leys. This friendly robin kept appearing, coming closer and closer.
I don’t do a huge amount of photo editing as I like my images to stay as true to the subject as possible.
This was taken at Summer Leys walking past the bird hide. I spent about half an hour in there and these birds started fighting and I was able to get a good shot of one bird ‘having a go’ at another. I was experimenting with capturing birds in motion and birds in flight when this impromptu fight broke out.
To see more of Andy’s work visit: https://www.instagram.com/spanner282024/