Laith Khalaf Photo & Film

29/07/2024

A Rare Rosy Visitor In Town.

A few weeks ago I was notified that a beautiful rose coloured starling was seen in Felixstowe, near the town centre and very close to where I live so I went to look for it. After searching and waiting for approximately 4 hours I finally got sight of it. It flew overhead and landed on a chimney and then quickly dropped down into a backgarden.
I gave chase and found it again on a feeder in the garden. I then waited and hoped that it would land on a nearby fence to get more favourable photographs and that's exactly what it did 😁

Also, I just want to say thank you again to the kind gentleman who owned the house as he kindly opened his backgate so I could photograph this beautiful rare bird 😊👍

25/07/2024

Unbridled Faith.

When you've waited for several hours and there's nothing. Then you fight the urge to leave because you understand that the conditions are perfect for an appearance and you're dedicated to the craft.
Moments before the light completely died and I could no longer take any photographs, finally an arrival that put a beautiful warm feeling of joy in my soul and a great big smile on my face 😁
Never giving up until the darkness sends me home 💪

17/07/2024

Almost Alone On The Bridge.

It was 3am on a Sunday evening, I'd been in London overnight catching up on some shots of the capital.
I arrived at approximately 7pm and had been walking the streets to capture compositions that I've been thinking of for weeks. Getting creative throughout the night 📷
For this photograph I managed to capture the scene without any cars on it, but it felt like it was missing something, so I then set about waiting for this composition to come to fruition where I only had one car driving towards me. I wanted to match the car's lights with those of Tower bridge which are positioned just above the road.
There were a few occasions where there was too much traffic, which at that time of the morning was kinda crazy 😂 Nevertheless, I kept going and got the final shot how I imagined it after a quick re-think 😁📸

16/07/2024

The latest video on my Youtube channel. I go looking for magical white fallow deer. Check it out and enjoy. P.S - Don't forget to subscribe 🙂👍

In this first episode, I set off on an adventure near England's capital to photograph and film incredible white fallow deer, a majestic sight to behold. I'd ...

11/07/2024

Beauty In The Dark.

While out doing some macro photography of insects, I found a hornet, so I followed it as it flew into a thick bush as it looked like it was about to land, but then it vanished.
I was annoyed at myself for losing it, but then by magic waiting for me there on a leaf was this beautiful Roesel's bush cricket 😁

05/07/2024

Taken From The Bridge.

The Millennium Bridge in London captivates me every time I cross it. The views of the capital from this place are amazing and as a photographer I notice a lot of the characters that cross the Thames using the bridge. Overall a lovely place for landscape shots and portraits too.
These were some of the photographs that I took to share the beauty of the London skyline with an emphasis on St. Paul's Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge.
Also, just so you know, I waited around 3 hours for the 2nd photograph to get as clear of a shot as possible (with minimal people on the bridge). The things I do for my photos 🤦🏻‍♂️😂

30/06/2024

Making A New Friend.

While filming a herd of Fallow deer for an upcoming youtube video, I heard some footsteps beside me and when I turned to look up I saw this beauty. It had walked all the way up to me, being very inquisitive, and just stood there checking me out 😂
As it was a wild animal, I took no chances and made a retreat, but it kept following me 😅 It was a lovely gesture to experience from such a magnificent creature.
I managed to get some space between us by pulling out a large patch of long grass for it to eat and it happily stopped following me around to eat.
If there's a slim chance of danger or injury I'll always retreat, plus I don't want to disturb the wildlife, but capture its beauty as it dances like no ones watching 🙂

18/06/2024

Silhouette of a Giant.

After a long day of filming this beautiful bird, the White tailed sea eagle, I said good night as I left it to roost in the trees.
It was a magnificent encounter that lasted for several hours and I couldn't have asked for anything more spectacular 😁
You can watch the video I made on my YouTube channel, its called 'Behemoth of The Sky', the link is also on one of my highlights, don't forget to subscribe 😉

13/06/2024

The Best View In London.

When I used to work in London, this was the best and most magical view you could get after a long day in the office, absolute bliss 😁👌

09/06/2024

Who Smelt It Dealt It.

A beautiful seal having a peaceful nap on the beach, but waking up with this pose.
I know I didn't pump so this little one's trying to throw me under the bus in front of the other onlookers.
I know your game buddy 🧐😂😂

06/06/2024

Looking Into My Soul.

A Barn owl flies straight towards me at sunset as I've submerged myself in foliage along its flight path.
The full camo attire strikes again with a jackpot shot for me 😁
I positioned myself facing into a beautiful background of sunset bokeh, then just hoped the owl would fly on the other side of a particular tree on its route into my pre-set background.
Every second mattered as the light was fading quick. It was so intense waiting for the arrival of such a majestic subject and I was thoroughly overjoyed when I knew I got the shot. I honestly can't explain the happiness, but if you know, you know 😄

05/06/2024

Dependant On Light.

Two beautiful landscape scenes lit up by the sun and edited in black and white.
This area of Suffolk holds so many breathtaking locations, and this one never fails to deliver. On a sunny day or during a storm, it always looks incredible.
These photographs each have one scene enhancer, be it the flaring sun or the large oak tree, yet they both depict a landscape covered in reeds and when the sun hits them right, always look amazing 😊👌

01/06/2024

In the Thick of It.

A rabbit feeling safe as it hides in thick foliage.
A lot of people tend to take rabbits for granted while out in the field, but I tend to think they're a wonderful addition when encountering them. They always put a smile on my face. Look at those cute eyes 😍

29/05/2024

The Fog of Dawn.

Before sunrise, I layered up as it was cold and got into position in the dark. My heart full of hope.
I waited around an hour for the magic of nature to appear. This magnificent stag to walked across the field ahead of me and the scene was incredible to capture. Absolutely love this composition 🙂👌

27/05/2024

Check out my new video on YouTube called A Year in Film: Highlights 2023/24.

A lovely short containing seaside, urban and wildlife clips.

Don't forget to subscribe 😉

A short video presenting some of my highlights over the past year, from May 2023 to May 2024. I've enjoyed visits to the beach, day trips in London for proje...

26/05/2024

Last Light.

A barn owl glides across a meadow on the hunt while being lit by the last fragments of light at dusk.
I didn't use any software to remove the background or turn it black, just very slight amendments in Lightroom were used for this image, the photograph is otherwise as shot 📸
The reason why the background is black is due to where I decided to position myself when assessing the scene in preparation for the owls arrival.
The sun was just about to dip below the horizon on the right which was scattered with trees.
I also chose my final position for this photograph, of a wild barn owl, due to the runs that I came across in the long grass. I knew the owl may potentially track them in flight and it eventually did 😊👌

25/05/2024

Containing Drama.

Thick dark clouds filled the sky with drama as the rain fell on this particular day. As the rain slowed up I decided to make my way to the fort to look for reflective compositions.
As I arrived I didn't need to walk far from the car park as I came upon this lovely scene 😊

23/05/2024

Young King.

A young lion cub sitting peacefully.
After many attempts to capture this cub with a simple background, he finally played ball and walked out onto the plains to give me an incredible composition.

16/05/2024

Sunset Reward.

There's nothing better than an intense sunset after a gloomy day that's been full of showers and downpours. Each time the rain stopped thinking that the sun was about to come out, only to be met with darker looking clouds rolling in.
Certain times when you keep positive in the hope that the sunshine will prevail, even if only for a moment, just for that moment to show itself so that you can capture it.
This day was one of those. I held hope until the last embers of light and it rewarded me an incredible show 😊

09/05/2024

The No Look Shot.

A barn owl flew out of nowhere towards me and I didn't even have time to put my eye to the viewfinder. A pure hit and hope, I think it came out alright considering 😂

06/05/2024

No Corners For Cowards.

A track day at Snetterton, the sun was shining and fast cars were everywhere. What more could you ask for 😁
This Caterham was on fire through the corners and looked even more beautiful after every lap.

19/04/2024

Part 2 of my adventure looking for wildlife at Lackford Lakes Nature Reserve is now live 🙂👍

In second part of this video, I continue my adventure at Lackford Lakes Nature Reserve (which is run by Suffolk Wildlife Trust) in search of amazing wildlife...

17/04/2024

Gone Fishing.

A beautiful common otter hunting in the shallows.
A very confident animal, the best encounter with an otter that I've ever had. It came so close on several occasions, literally within a hands reach from me and it just went about its business once it saw that I wasn't moving.
This series of images was edited in black & white to represent the fact that this specific individual is sadly no longer with us 😔
**If you'd like to see more of this beautiful creature, I uploaded a short film about my encounter to my YouTube channel, its called 'The Brazen Otter'.
Click on the link to my website in my bio, then on my homepage you'll find the link to my YouTube channel.**

05/04/2024

Check out my new video of my adventure at Lackford Lakes 😁👍

In this video, I go to Lackford Lakes Nature Reserve (which is run by Suffolk Wildlife Trust) in search of amazing wildlife.Situated near Bury St. Edmunds th...

04/04/2024

Over The Edge.

A Grey wagtail looks over the edge of a waterfall feature in Canary Wharf, London, UK.
I used to walk through this little park in Canary Wharf quite often to get the tube home and I often saw this bird looking for food around the park.
On one occasion I saw it land on the waterfall feature and quickly grabbed my camera from my bag to get this wonderful shot of it peering over the edge of one of the levels of the waterfall.
It was a lovely and close up encounter, close enough for my canon 70-200mm F2.8 vII 😊👌

26/03/2024

Incoming Monochrome.

One of my favourite experiences from last year was this wonderful encounter with a badger.
I was there to film them for a short film I was producing so spent the day looking for tracks and signs of their whereabouts for the evening.
As I returned to check on some fresh tracks from earlier in the day, I dropped to the ground immediately and looked ahead of me to see this amazing sight. A badger running towards me 😁
One thing I cannot stress about wildlife is that you won't necessarily see something on every outing that you hope to see, but when you do its the best kind of magic 😊

11/03/2024

Behemoth Of The Sky.

A White tailed sea eagle flies just overhead in the early evening sun.
I'd spent a long day trying to get a great photo of it. I decided to walk along a footpath and heard buzzards mobbing something, I knew it could only be one bird for the area. I paused and followed the sound with my camera until over the trees just ahead of me flew this absolutely amazing bird.
As you guys know I love birds of prey and this is the largest one that we get in the UK, so the encounter for me was incredible 😁
Check out my highlights to see my latest Youtube video I made about the White tailed sea eagle 👍

07/03/2024

Peaceful Tides.

Living by the beach is all I've ever known as I've almost always lived by a beach.
Sometimes I have to remind myself not to take it for granted and it's true what they say, a quick visit honestly replenishes the soul.
The sounds, smells, peace and sights of being at the seaside does something remarkable to me that I can't explain. If there's anything on my mind then a trip down there to catch a sunset or sunrise, or a short stroll on the beach helps me to walk away with the answers.
If you live by a beach let me know which one and when was the last time you visited? 🏖️☀️