Laith Khalaf Photo & Film

10/01/2025

Heart vs Size.

A Buzzard takes on a mighty White tailed sea eagle in a battle of the skies.
Its incredible to see the size difference, yet the buzzard took on the largest bird of prey in the UK and won, making it fly off into the distance. However, that victory was short lived as the next time the eagle flew by it made sure to take revenge and returned the favour as can be seen in the last photo 😅
It was incredible to see this battle in the sky unfold before me, natures magic strikes again 😊

19/12/2024

Little Eyes On Me.

A Little owl perched in a tree had eyes on me 😅
I noticed a silhouette standing out on this branch and upon closer inspection it turned out to be a beautiful little surprise 😁

16/12/2024

Ready To Reign.

In the low light of dawn, before the sun rose over the horizon, I had an incredible encounter with this Red deer stag. We gazed at one another for what felt like 5 minutes, but more realistically it was probably 20 or 30 seconds 😅 which was still quite long to be fair.
I stumbled upon him behind a tree and he didn't budge at all, he just stared me down 😂
The edit in black & white suits the photograph of the encounter perfectly 😊👌

13/12/2024

The Flying Badger.

Waiting for this beautiful badger to reappear was a serious test of hope and excitement. It ran into cover as I'd approached the area, I knew I could outlast it in a game of patience but the issue was where it would reappear.
Thankfully, It wasn't too long until it reappeared and in a place that was exactly where I'd hoped. It amazingly ran straight towards me which was a fabulous bonus.
What a magnificent shot to get 😄 Each paw off the ground as it ran in my direction.
Once it realised I was there with its extremely strong sense of smell, it paused for a brief moment and ran off the other way. A stunning encounter 😁👌

09/12/2024

A Sea of Colour.

A Red admiral butterfly feeding on flowers provides a great moment to capture so much colour in one frame 😊

04/12/2024

Knowing The Route.

A Barn owl flies straight towards me, giving me the chance for some glorious photographs and an incredible encounter 😊
I waited in the thick of some vegetation next to a reed bed, dressed in full camo, with only my eyes partially visible.
The sun began lowering below the horizon, it was time, it was more 'when' and not 'if'. I positioned myself along a reed bed and then just concentrated on a ridge in the distance.
I'd watched this barn owl before and knew it preferred flying along the reeds but initially appearing from over the ridge. So I just waited patiently, then around 45 minutes later I was gifted with this beautiful encounter 😊

02/12/2024

Surreal Sunrise.

One of the most magical sunrises I've ever seen. Before the sun came up there was thick mist everywhere and I could hardly see. I had to listen out for the deer to find them, visibility was so poor that I could only see a matter of feet in front of me.
As the sun rose over the horizon it met the mist and created a fantasy landscape.
I kept track of this red deer stag in the mist hoping for a lovely sunrise shot and oh boy did the conditions deliver 😊

28/11/2024

An Eastern Special.

The Amur stonechat is a species of stonechat native to eastern Asia. It breeds in central and eastern Siberia, Japan, Korea, northeastern China, and eastern Mongolia, and migrates south to southern China and Indochina in winter.
So seeing one in the UK is actually incredible when you really think about it 😁

21/11/2024

Red Deer Stag Calling In The Mist.

When you wake up at 3am to catch first light through the mist and finally find your perfect subject doing exactly what you wanted 😄👌

04/11/2024

Repetitive Entry Into the World of the Fly.

As well as the typical larger creatures that I enjoy photographing, when I put on my macro lens (for extreme close up photography) I can't help but get lost in the magical world that I then become apart of.
Seeing tiny creatures up close and trying to get the shot handheld is quite difficult but so rewarding.
I tried getting close to this fly on around 15 or so occasions with it flying off before I could capture it. I needed to be a couple of inches away for the shot to be in focus.
I kept going though and it finally landed on the perfect nettle leaf and the shot was finally taken 😅

03/11/2024

En Route To Being King.

A portrait of a red deer stag in the growth stage of his antlers. If all goes well, he'll have a very impressive crown when his antlers are fully grown 👑🙂
This encounter was still amazing even without his full set of antlers. He walked towards my position and just paused for a minute, as he checked me out, then he finally moved on once he realised that I wasn't a threat.
Being face to face with him was incredible and in my eyes they're the kings of the forests across the British isles 😊

22/10/2024

Sweet Little Visitors

Whenever the Waxwings grace our lands with their presence, around wintertime, it's always so wonderful. I have to admit that I've grown very fond of them and I'll always try to visit them when I hear of their arrival for an annual sighting 😊

21/10/2024

Cultural Portrait of A Stranger.

I was on the Millennium Bridge in London, photographing the capital's skyline, when I saw this woman walking towards me. In my head, the frame I instantly imagined was a black-and-white tight portrait oozing with culture.
I quickly changed all my settings and then composed myself then the photograph 😂 as I knew I'd only get one chance to get this woman's portrait as people were walking all over the bridge and I saw my tiny window of opportunity. As she came into view I took the shot and thankfully all went to plan. I also love the subtle emotion on her face that I was also able to capture , it ties everything together 🙂

20/10/2024

Surface Vibrations.

A sweet little gosling swimming in the River Thames, following its mother non-stop.
It's in its early days of life where it completely depends on its parents to help teach it the ways of the world.
Little does it know of the journey that has just started, and hopefully it can lead a long and happy life on the river. Then again, it may relocate, and another chapter can begin to write itself; no matter what happens, it made my day watching this particular little one as it kept swimming towards me and looking me up and down with its little eyes 😄
I always make a point to treasure little moments like this 😊

18/10/2024

Dear Caller.

A stag calling out to the herd.

I could've stood there and taken a simple shot of this stag as it called out a few times, but I wanted to create some depth in the image, so I waited for around an hour until the opportunity presented itself.
It all started when another male stag had taken a seat nearby and the calling stag was initially quite far away from it, but as I watched I knew it was a matter of 'when' and not 'if'. It very slowly moved closer towards the sitting stag, but then it stopped calling. That was the next issue.
As I continued to wait for the exact composition I was after, I could begin to see it coming to fruition as they got closer to each other and then the calls began again. A quick reposition as they crossed and I finally got the shot 😊

15/10/2024

Closest Encounter Yet.

On Saturday an Osprey gave me my most magical encounter yet. Flying above my head a few times as it chose its prey and then diving for the fish around 40 feet infront of me, I couldn't believe how lucky I was to experience such a majestic and large bird of prey being so close.
Unfortunately, the heavens opened with heavy rain, but I stayed while everyone else left and I alone was treated to further dives for fish but in such dramatic weather. I felt so much happiness yet I was drenched in water from the downpour 😂
I was doing some filming for my Youtube channel and I cannot express how excited I will be when its published in the near future 😁😁😁

10/10/2024

Orange Hills

Walking through fields for so long and getting stuck for the perfect composition, then suddenly it hits you. Just plant your feet, look into the orange and take the picture.
It's one of the most intense sunsets I've seen in a long time.
I love how at sunset the lighting can be so different and how fast it can change.
Early-on in my career as a photographer I used to find it rather panicking. Finding the right composition, inputting the right settings and choosing the right lens, but nowadays its really more fun than anything. Its like a game I play with nature, plus I'm now always prepared and know what I want to shoot and how I'm going to shoot it. I don't leave anything to think about. Sometimes I may see something and the shot changes, but the other factors remain the same so there's no room for any thought or panic to set in.
There's nothing worse than driving for hours to a certain location and missing the shot, every photographer has been there before so they know the pain 😂
Take the time to plan it and you'll get it done 👍

05/10/2024

I uploaded a new video today I made about swifts and there are some lovely and cute little guests 🙂🐣

The New Arrivals At Felixstowe Library were an incredible addition this summer. For the first time in years, swifts used one of the nest boxes on the side of...