Some of the best moments in photography aren’t planned.

I was at RSPB Saltholme recently, running a one-to-one beginner photography workshop, when this grey heron stepped out from the reeds and into the water. There was no rush, no sudden movement — just that slow, deliberate pace they have, completely at ease in their surroundings.

It’s funny how quickly everything else fades when something like that happens.

We’d been working through the basics earlier in the session, getting comfortable with camera settings, understanding light, and just building confidence. But moments like this are where it all starts to make sense. Not because of the technical side, but because you realise what photography is really about.

Scarborough seafront has always been one of those places I keep coming back to with a camera. During the day it’s busy, colourful and full of life, but once the evening settles in and the lights begin to glow, it becomes something completely different.

It’s also one of my favourite places to run a night photography workshop on the Yorkshire coast.

There’s something about razorbills at RSPB Bempton Cliffs that always makes me stop and watch a little longer.

They’re not the biggest or the most dramatic seabirds on the cliffs, but they’ve got so much character. Small, compact, with that distinctive black and white colouring and the thick, blunt bill, they almost look like little wind-up toys dotted along the rock edges.

I was photographing at Bempton Cliffs in East Yorkshire recently and found myself completely drawn to one particular razorbill. It was just sat there quietly, perched on the cliff face, totally unfazed by everything going on around it. Then for a brief moment, it turned and looked straight into the lens.

I was back at RSPB Bempton Cliffs the other day running another full beginner photography workshop, and it turned out to be one of those days that just reminds me why I love doing these.

There’s something about Bempton that always delivers. It’s not just the location — although the cliffs, the seabirds and the views out over the North Sea are hard to beat — it’s the whole experience of being there. You’ve got wildlife right in front of you, space to move around, and that constant feeling that something’s about to happen.

There’s something really rewarding about teaching a beginner photography workshop and seeing that moment when everything finally clicks for someone. Recently I had the pleasure of running one of my Beginner Photography Workshops at Sewerby Hall in Bridlington, and it turned out to be a fantastic day for everyone involved.