Alan Mackenzie Photography

On a warm March afternoon, a chance encounter with a landowner, led to my being granted access to a privately owned woodland at my leisure. My camera with a 500mm lens attached is a talking point for the many people I bump into. The landowner suggested I would have more luck spotting deer in her woodland, than the forest I happened to be exploring at the time. I've visited the wood three times now; a stream flows through the centre and about thirty wild Fallow deer roam freely. A further advantage of visiting a private forest is the absence of people. Members of the Katy Perry Generation telling the entire forest that "I'm so OCD about my makeup!" are thankfully consigned to history or Abbots Wood on a Sunday evening. I now have seven good quality deer locations in Sussex to work with. Some are exclusively Roe deer sites, while others, particularly the woodlands are home to Fallow, Roe and Muntjac. I hope you enjoy my latest work and will follow me over the summer, ...

Kingston Ridge, seen from Houndean Bottom is an easily accessible part of the South Downs, for car and bus users alike. Situated just outside Lewes, I often go there to unwind after a busy week. Unsettled weather seems to model the South Downs well, accentuating hilltops and carving out valleys. Rainfall cleans pollutants from the air, improving visibility, while fast-moving clouds allow the sun to cast beams of light over the landforms. The first, third and forth photos were taken immediately following showers; notice the crisp and well defined lighting. In the second photo, the combination of milky cloud and smoke from a bonfire has muted the background lighting, while leaving the foreground gleaming with unfiltered sunlight. In just a couple of hours, I've managed to show how varying lighting conditions can dramatically alter the appearance of a landscape. I run workshops on the South Downs to teach people how to achieve this. If you are interested in spending a four hour ...

To the people who work on Brighton Pier, the sight of a rather tall man carrying a big telephoto lens must be as familiar as the starlings themselves. Meeting people on the pier is an integral part of the experience; a passion shared is a passion doubled. I'm delighted that my photos have inspired so many people to visit, either to simply enjoy the spectacle or create their own photographic narrative.  Watching starling murmurations is an exciting and rewarding experience in all weather conditions. Starlings are undeterred by gales, hail and thunderstorms. That's not to say that their behaviour is not influenced by the weather. When temperatures are low, starling murmurations last longer, as the birds need to generate more body heat to keep warm overnight. When starlings detect the sudden onset of severe weather, they will fly in to Brighton Pier up to one hour early. Thank goodness for weather-sealed cameras and lenses! I took images 10 to 17 during a hail storm. You may e...

A crowd had gathered around a washed up Guillemot on Brighton beach. Frequent storms this winter have weakened many sea birds, causing them to get stranded on beaches around the English coast. Many casualties were covered in oil. Rather than use their initiative and find a solution, the bystanders faffed about. Some filmed the bird on their smart phones; others talked at length about doing something, but then failed to act. Humans may think they have freewill, but it is well established that they behave in highly predictable ways, especially when in groups. A phenomenon called the diffusion of responsibility causes individuals in a large group to refrain from helping a stricken person, bird or animal. This is regardless of personality, culture or socio-economic status. We are all capable of walking past someone who has collapsed in the street. I decided to phone the RSPCA. It's fairly straightforward: one has to look them up on Google, tap the Call icon and navigate t...

I had the pleasure of introducing Alex Lawrence to Beachy Head in January 2014. Attractive cloud formations and warm afternoon light added to an already stunning location on the Sussex coast. And what better way to finish a trip to Beachy Head with a vindaloo or phall at the Elizabethan Cottage Tandoori in Brighton.

Every winter, starlings escaping the harsh Scandinavian winter migrate to the British Isles and other mild European countries. Starlings feed in gardens and farmland in the daytime and gather in huge groups called murmurations over Brighton Pier in late afternoon.  Murmurations are thought to serve a number of purposes. Firstly, they are a defensive strategy against birds of prey; each starling monitors and shadows seven of its neighbours and this leads to murmurations adopting a typical fluid movement. Should a predatory bird attempt to intercept a murmuration, each starling in its path will automatically move aside, allowing the adversary to pass straight through. Flying in murmurations generates body heat and the collective warmth of bodies acts as a giant radiator when the starlings roost. Competition for the most sheltered places to roost is fierce and dominant males get first preference. Females and juveniles have to sleep in more exposed spots. Although migrant starling...

I don't photograph people nearly as often as I'd like, but I always enjoy it, especially when they are photogenic and look natural in front of the camera. Developing bonds with people unfortunately means having to say goodbye at some point and on Saturday, two lovely people said farewell to us on a night out in Brighton. Zane is returning to Latvia, while Laura is returning to Albert Square as Kat Slater. I wanted to create a permanent record of the occasion and chose the super-fast Canon 50mm f/1.2 L USM lens for the job. This exotic optic is designed for use without a flash in dim light by maximising the transmission of available photons to the camera sensor. Depth of field is extremely shallow, requiring very careful focusing and lens calibration. The resolution is surprisingly good at f/1.2 and bokeh is absolutely beautiful. I would however, like to see a version with an image stabiliser, as shutter speeds of 1/60th second are just on the margin of acceptability.  ...