Express & Star

Take a look at these stunning shots of wildlife captured for a new calendar

From guilty looking squirrels to butterflies in a blaze of colour – a wildlife photographer is getting ready to release his second calendar.

Published

Neal only picked up a camera in pursuit of a new hobby less than two years ago but now he has produced a second calendar of shots.

The 51-year-old from Stafford has now made a habit of pitching up at Radford Bank and Cannock Chase ready to capture nature unfolding before his watching lens, using his trust second-hand camera which he picked up for £100.

He soon began to catch the eye of Staffordshire Wildlife Trust who started sharing his pictures to their 9,000-strong army of followers on Twitter.

A group of bucks captured by the camera on Cannock Chase

One of Neal's best shots, featuring three fallow bucks perfectly captured glaring back at him, was picked up in the Mail on Sunday's annual photograph competition.

After making a bit of a name for himself he took a gamble and produced his own calendar last year.

Now he is at it again, and has vowed to send a 16 by 16 inch print of his now-signature buck shot to a random purchaser if he manages to shift 100 copies.

Neal told the Express & Star: "There is a bit more humour in the photographs this time but as always I just try and capture nature as it is, which is when it is at its best."

Neal's dramatic picture of a dragonfly perched on a leaf

His camera-work come on leaps and bounds in the last two years – but one occasion it was his limitations which helped him get the perfect shot.

Mr McIntosh was out at one his favourite snapping spots down Radford Bank in the middle of the summer.

However he was not having much luck trying to frame swallows as they were zooming about passed his lens before he could capture them.

But undeterred Mr McIntosh stuck it out and persevered trusting the perfect opportunity would come along. And before long he was rewarded.

Neal McIntosh with his 2017 Staffordshire Wildlife calendar

He said: "I was at Radford Bank down by the canal near a boat club.

"I was watching the swallows trying to get shots of them but I was not having much success. They were way too quick for me. But then I noticed parents flying down feeding their young who were perched on top of a barge chimney spout.

"It turned out far, far better than I could have expected. I thought I had got some good shots but I did not realise how good until I got them up on the computer."

A curious grey squirrel strikes a pose

Mr McIntosh added: "I just loved everything about it, the sharpness, the colours, the composition.

"Of course it is always good to get an action shot. But more than anything I think it gives people the chance to make up their own little story as to what is happening in the picture

The calendars are available by emailing argazkimac@gmail.com

You can see his work on Twitter by following @Argazkimac

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