About

“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.”

~John Burroughs

Peter HillmanHello and welcome to “A Nature Journey”, and thank you for visiting! Photography is one of my passions, and one of the ways I record and interpret the beauty and wonders around me. All aspects of nature always awaken my curiosity, and never fail to excite and inspire me.

All it takes are a few moments to  simply stop, have a look around, listen and open up the senses to discover some of the interesting and fascinating wonders of nature. It is a hope that these pages will help in identifying some of these wonders and to further knowledge in these discoveries. It is also a hope to instill appreciation and conservation in the varied habitats and species which rely on them for future generations to enjoy and be inspired by.

Pete Hillman June 2016.

Nikon D7200 with Sigma 105mm Macro Len and Nikon SB700 SpeedlightEquipment

My current equipment is the Nikon D7200. I use a Nikon Speedlight SB-700. I have a Sigma 105mm macro lens for close-up work, which is my very favourite lens, as I love macro photography. I also use a Nikon 18-55mm lens for general photography, and a Nikon 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens for those far away photos. I don’t use a tripod as most things I photograph are taken in the moment, hence all the images on this blog are handheld. I do a little digital processing to try and bring out the best in the images I take before uploading them.

I have recently added a Raynox DCR-250 conversion lens which I attach to the front of my lens so I can get that little bit closer.

Although I have a good general knowledge of species, and do diligent research, I am an amateur in all that I do here, so if there are any mistakes made in identification I would appreciate it if you could let me know via a comment so I can review it.

Elephant Hawkmoth (Deilephila elpenor)
Comma Polygonia c-album
Comma (Polygonia c-album)
Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)
Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)

I really hope you enjoy the photographs here and they give out a good vibe. All the photographs which appear on this website have been taken by me, Peter Hillman. These photographs may be used for personal, educational or non-profit purposes. However, please let me know out of courtesy before using them, as I don’t want to find them suddenly appearing elsewhere on the internet, or anywhere else. For any other uses of my photographs please use the Contact page.

89 thoughts on “About”

    • Thank you for your kind words Margie :0) I am pleased I have found your wonderful site which is so detailed and full of the beauty and the wonder of nature. I will look forward to visiting more!

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  7. Hi Pete,
    Your blog is such a wonderful collection of photos, interesting creatures and the beauty that nature brings us. I have talked a few times on my own blog about wanting a pond in my garden one day to attract wildlife. I very much look forward to seeing what joys yours brings to you.
    Kind regards,
    Laura

    Liked by 4 people

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    • Thank you very much for stopping by and for leaving such a lovely comment. I had always wanted a wildlife pond in my own garden, but I kept putting it off, until I finally took the plunge this year. And within a short space of time I was amazed how much pond life was visiting and taking up residence there. In my ‘Garden Pond’ tab behind ‘Garden’ you will see what I have discovered so far. I hope you do build your own pond one day, Laura, and that you experience the daily delights as I have! Best wishes, Pete

      Liked by 2 people

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  9. Your two paragraphs at the end: “I find beauty, wonder, peace…” And “All it takes…” both capture how I feel outside when I photograph nature. It’s neat to discover people that have the same interests from across the globe!

    Liked by 4 people

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    • Thank you for your lovely comment 🙂 It is indeed neat to join up with kindred spirits from around the world, and very interesting to see the flora and fauna on their side of the fence, so to speak.

      Liked by 2 people

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    • You are very welcome, and thank you for joining me here! Yes, I have always loved seashells, collecting them and photographing them, and wondering what the animal inside them was up to in life before shedding its shell.

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  18. Your new home page (or is it one I’ve never discovered before?) is a great showcase for your year’s photos. It’s an impressively wide selection of both well and lesser known species with some beautifully atmospheric images too.

    Liked by 4 people

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  19. Hi Pete,
    Many thanks for the follow on my photography blog, and for the many ‘likes’ on posts yesterday. It’s kind of you to take the time to look at so much, which takes time. I find it quite hard at times to comment on and like the (too many) blogs I follow, and write my own posts etc.

    I was just re-reading your ‘About’ page and a lot of your thoughts are the same as mine especially with regard to how nature is wonderfully calming and good for the spirit. I was brought up on a farm in Oxfordshire and moved to Canada when I was twenty-two, ending up in the Rockies in the very depths of nature. Now in a most wonderfully isolated spot in France with no one in shouting distance. Silence definitely feeds the soul.

    Re photography, like you, I hardly ever use a tripod, and I do some photo editing, I also use photo editing to create pictures for cards and a simple book I’ve written, and for sheer fun.

    Thanks again for following all my blogs! 🙂

    Liked by 4 people

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    • You are more than welcome, Jude and thank you 🙂 You appear to have travelled far and wide, and and have lived and live in some amazing locations on the planet. It is fabulous being close to nature! 🙂

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    • Thank you for your query, Brian. I use an old version of photoshop, Adobe CS4. There is a new version available, and Adobe Lightroom, but you have to pay monthly for it, which is why I have not gone for it yet. It all depends on what you want to do. I only usually crop, adjust levels, reduce noise and sharpen. Maybe remove the odd artefact or two which may be a distraction from the main subject.

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  21. Hi Pete – I just saw your “new?” home page. Wow! What a huge and amazing selection of images. I was trying to scroll down to the bottom to leave a comment, but it just kept loading up more photos. How many do you have on that page?

    Liked by 3 people

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    • Hi Michael – Thank you very much for your lovely comment 🙂 The home page has always been there, and each image represents a post, and there are 923 posts to date, hence 923 images on this page. Some posts have one image, others may have four or more. The top menu makes it easier to navigate as it breaks the posts down into catergories.

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  24. Hello Pete,

    I’m glad I found your website ! and I will frequently come back.
    Your photos are wonderful, You can see by looking at your photos that you are fascinated by nature.
    Wish you a nice day,
    Els

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Hi Els,

      Thank you very much for your lovely comment 🙂

      I have visited your blog and you have some beautiful photographs on there, and you are certainly passionate about the natural world and phototography as I am 🙂

      Best wishes, Pete

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  27. Just found your lovely blog. I moved to France this year and am in the process of setting up a wildflower garden for the local wildlife. You seem to see such a wide variety, it just shows there is so much going on if you encourage these little visitors. Lovely photos too.

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    • Thank you for your lovely comment, Judi 🙂 Sometimes it is just seeing what has been there all along, and encouraging more, diverse wildlife into the garden can only be a good thing 🙂 All the best with your wildflower garden!

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  28. Hi Pete, I have a question. Do you have the WordPress 3G plan? Your blog is .wordpress.com. With so many photos on your blog, are you running out of media space?
    I used 74% of the media space. I’m trying to figure out if I want to upgrade? If I do, they would ask me to change to .com, .blog, or .net. Last time I made a slight change of my link, many bloggers couldn’t find me.
    Eventually, I need more media space. I’m wondering how you handle the space situation.

    Liked by 3 people

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  30. Thanks for this lovely introduction.. and the great pics. I don’t think I have read it throughly before. So sorry. It would wonderfully have answered my questions of before. x

    Liked by 2 people

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  34. Good morning. In your site is not easy to find how contact you.
    I wish to use one photo of Coreus marginatus for article of entomology.
    Best regards. Guido Pedroni Italy

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Hi there Pam,

      Sorry I am late in replying, but thank you for the well wishes for a New Year which again seems to be flying by. I hope you are well and you are enjoying your Year there! Best wishes Pete

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    • My dear blogging friend Ark,
      Thank you for your comment, but I am good thank you. I can’t believe where the months have gone since I was last on here. I hope all is well with you and yours over there.

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      • You’re back! If only for a flying visit?

        Life is such that bloggers succumb to it – life – like ”normal” people, and sadly some end up with the Choir Invisible.
        Several blog pals have gone this way unfortunately, so when the ”airwaves” are quiet for any length of time there is a general feeling of concern.
        In fact, during the time you were off the air our area had no phones or internet for six weeks after a spate of cable theft.
        It was disconcerting and family and friends were getting in a bit of a tail spin.
        How we rely so heavily on such means of communication.
        That said, it’s nice to know you’re alive and kicking, Pete.

        Yes, everything is hunky dory over here in Johannesburg – now that the lines of communication have been restored.
        Regards
        Doug
        (Ark)

        Liked by 2 people

      • Thank you very much Ark! I am hoping to stay now things have settled down here somewhat. Sorry you have had your own issues there, but glad things are up and running again. I will look forward to dropping by and seeing what you have been up to! Best wishes Pete

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