Where do pheasants go on holiday?

Ever wonder where all the birds that escape the shooting season end up in the summer? Well, on a recent trip to the Scilly Isles I spotted numerous pheasants and partridge sunning themselves on Tresco! A long migration of 30 something miles from the UK mainland to Scilly or maybe they hop on the Scillonian?

Only joking! The Tresco Estate owned by the Dutchy of Cornwall  is leased by the Dorrien Smith family who run their own shoot on the island. For those that have never been to the Isles of Scilly I’d strongly recommend it. It really is heaven on earth and the Tresco estate and the Abbey Gardens are breathtaking!

I just need to get back there now for the shooting season…. Hmmmm….

United Retrievers Club – Bucks Area Novice Working Test at Englefield Park, Sunday 8th July 2012

Oh… it’s him again!

Yesterday I was at the home of the Benyon family photographing the above gun dog event in their deer park. I photographed a mark and a blind event in the morning and then a mark water retrieve in the afternoon. I’m a total novice at this and still coming to terms with the lingo so please forgive me if I’m talking nonsense!

Anyhow, for all those competitors eager to see the pictures of their dogs here they are! Before you shoot down the page to see them please read the following:

For all those black lab owners who struggle to recognise their dog I have now photographed each handler at the start of their test as an indication that your dog will follow! Most of the pictures are great of handler and dog however if you are not happy with your expression etc please note they are for reference only.

All images on here are purely for viewing and the colours and contrast are only an average setting. Black dogs may appear too black and lighter dogs may appear to light. The foliage of the mornings events may look better in some images than in others due to the process I apply to get these images online asap.

Prints or digital files can be ordered by emailing me at thesportingpicture@gmail.com or calling me on 07971093423. Any orders will be colour assessed by me and produced to a high standard. Blemishes can be removed on dogs as well as owners (!) if necessary. I will naturally clean up eyes, dribble etc on the dogs unless asked not to do so. As we all are aware black dogs coats can show a lack of detail when photographed – in most cases any prints ordered will show very good tonality in their coats.

At the last event at West Wycombe I offered a sequence of images at half price e.g 6 images for the price of 3 – this is a great offer if you wanted a series of your dog running, jumping retrieving etc. This offer is available for any print order over 6 prints.

A couple of people have also asked me if I can do a montage of images of 4 or 6 pictures on one piece of paper.  So I would now like to offer an additional product of a montage with your dogs details on it and the date of the event such as the montage featured below. The Cost of this is just £50 and can contain up to 8 images. I will display them in the most suitable way.

I am happy to put whatever info you require on the montage so please just email me your requirements.

Also, as lovely as the colours were (especially in the morning!) I can also offer black and white versions such as these images below.  Black and white offers a timeless more classical portrait of your dog removing the complication of bright surroundings. If you wish to see you dog in black and white please email me the reference number and I can send it back to you for you to view before making your decision.

For all orders over £25 made before the 20th July please deduct 10% from the total.

Now onto the stars of the show…..

Print Prices
6×4 -£10
7×5 -£12
9×6 -£15
12×8 – £20 closest to A4
15×10 – £25
18×12 – £35 closest to A3

A3 montage of up to 8 images with dogs details etc -£50

A4 montage of 4 images – with or without details £25

p+p £1.95 on all orders.

Canvases and framed wall products available on request. Should you require something that is not featured on my price list please do get in touch and I will do my best to accomodate your request.

Thank you,

Mark

thesportingpicture@gmail.com Tel. 07971093423

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Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust Gun Dog Tests – West Wycombe Park

Here are the images from last Sundays Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust Gun Dog Tests at West Wycombe Estate. It is the first water work I have photographed which I found a great challenge and also most enjoyable. Prints available starting at just £10 per print. All images will be digitally enhanced to ensure good tonality in the dogs coat, any blemishes can be removed and eyes cleaned up etc if necessary.

Full print prices detailed below.

On this occasion I have photographed several sequences of the dogs leaping into water, swimming, retrieving and running. Should anyone wishes to purchase a sequence of images I can provide this at 1/2 price. e.g. a sequence of 6 images would only be charged at 3 images.

Should you have any queries or if you wish to place an order please contact Mark at thesportingpicture@gmail.com or call 07971093423. Thank you!

Print Prices
6×4 -£10
7×5 -£12
9×6 -£15
12×8 – £20 closest to A4
15×10 – £25
18×12 – £35 closest to A3

p+p £1.95 on all orders.

Canvases and framed wall products available on request

#German Shorthaired Pointer Photo Shoot

Last night I popped out with a friend to make the most of this beautiful weather, great light and stunning new vegetation in our local countryside. She has a couple of German Shorthaired Pointers, Luna and Lottie. Luna’s a lively 2 year old and Lottie a more sedate older girl who trots along happily. Luna on the other hand bounds around making her a challenging subject to photograph shall we say!  Well, here are a few of my pictures from the session I was rather happy with. I will photograph them again soon in the next couple of months so keep an eye out!

And the lovely Lottie…

Pictures from the Open Working Test for the Bucks Area of the United Retriever Club

 Here are the photographs from the Open Working Test for the Bucks Area of the United Retriever Club held on the Portman Burtley Estate, Beaconsfield on Sunday 20th May by kind permission of Shoot Owner, Mr John Blakeston. The test was a qualifying event to select the Bucks Area team for the URC Area Finals to be held on July 15th.

Prints or digital files can be purchased by emailing me at thesportingpicture@gmail.com. Prints and digital files start at £10 each. All orders will be digitally enhanced to remove blemishes, ‘dribble’ (on the dogs!) unwanted debris attached to them such as small bits of bracken etc. Black labs may appear dark in some of the proofs however anything purchased will have a good tonal range and detail in the dogs coats. Any questions or feedback please email me. Thank you,  Mark

Working Gun Dog Tests – Pictures Coming Soon…..

Keep an eye out on The Sporting Picture blog for the pictures from today’s working gun dog tests at Beaconsfield. I hope to have them online by the end of this week.

Here’s one of my favourites to keep you going. Not only could the Lab clear the jump easily but also pose for the camera!

Prince’s Countryside Fund Charity Shoot – The Pictures

Earlier this week I photographed a charity clay pigeon shoot for The Prince’s Countryside Fund hosted by Sir Edward Dashwood at his West Wycombe home. E J Churchill put on a superb display of targets for the guests to shoot in the grounds of West Wycombe Estate. After a breakfast served in the hall the 9 teams had an eventful morning shooting in their teams of 4 guns over the various stands. England rugby star Phil Vickery, the new ambassador of The Prince’s Countryside Fund was there demonstrating his sharp shooting eye and support to the other guests and the PCF.

With teams from various industries that support the PCF competing the final winners were Samworth Brothers and runners up Dovecote Park who had their awards presented to them by Sir Edward Dashwood, Phil Vickery and Managing Director of Waitrose, Mark Price. With other notable figures in the teams it really was a great fund raising event for the PCF and raising awareness to help rural communities across the UK.

To find out more about the Prince’s Countryside Fund and to support the Great British countryside and it’s people please click here.

If you wish to purchase prints or high resolution digital files from this event please email me at the thesportingpicture@gmail.com Thank you, Mark

Prince’s Countryside Fund Charity Shoot – West Wycombe

To all those that attended the brilliant day of clay pigeon shooting at West Wycombe Estate for  the Prince’s Countryside Fund charity shoot the pictures will be online by the end of this week. Keep an eye out or follow me on Twitter @thesportingpic for an alert once they are online! Thank you.

Point to Point Racing, Kingston Blount, Oxfordshire

Last Saturday I went to my first Point to Point meeting and what fun it was! Living just half a mile from the racecourse it seemed a worthwhile way to spend a Saturday afternoon supporting local businesses, having a flutter and taking some pictures along the way.

This Point to Point event was at Kingston Blount, Oxfordshire and have a select number of race days a year. At this event there were seven races with the first five being with horses and the last two with ponies. There was a great atmosphere with both young and old and people from all walks of life watching the horses as they race around the course with some jumps along the way.

The Kingston Blount race course has a beer tent, hog roast, other catering facilities and a selection of countryside based stalls for the visitors. With entry for cars being £20 and only a fiver if you walked there it has to be one of the best fivers I’ve ever spent. I lost a bit more with the bookmakers but I still came away with a smile on my face and some great pictures to back up my enjoyment.

So here are a few of my favourite pictures telling the story of the Kingston Blount Point to Point. More details about Kingston Blount and their fixtures can be found here.

Enjoy the pictures!