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There was I wandering alongside one of the leats in the Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen, an amazing place of grown-over sand-dunes which are used as a huge water purification system to supply Amsterdam, when I saw a toad.

In that fantastic time of year known as summer, we are blessed to see the wonder of the few remaining butterflies. Yes, miserably, in most parts of the world, our pre-occupation with pesticides and monoculture, along with climate change, means there has been a staggering decline in both numbers and species. For those of us lucky enough to still see these beauties, and whom have the desire to try taking pictures of them, here are a few tips.

In this case an early sunny summers' morning, and a shuffle along the beach. Why a shuffle? It's the best way to notice things, especially small things. Crouch down if you can, and you'll see a whole bunch more. Even better, crawl if it's sandy. The whole business of looking until you see is really highlighted when looking at a beach, there are truly so many things that grab your attention, that it's really easy to miss the small stuff.

So, after so much dry weather, it was raining quite heavily this morning, great for farmers, and cow's that are allowed on pasture. Also an ideal time for me to get out and take some images to inspire you with simple photography tips for what to do when you're out for a walk in the rain.

Ferns and their fossil remains have been found on every continent, so wherever you are in the world, possibly barring Antarctica, this blog on photographing ferns may be of relevance. Over the last forty years and more I've been mesmerised by these amazing plants, especially in the spring when they go through the most intricate, and taken many images of the unfurling of the leaves.

So let's take your imagination a bit further. You are out for a walk, you may have a few minutes semi-time to yourself away from the busyness of your life. That phone thing currently stuck to your ear, physically or via Bluetooth, has a much more for fulfilling use as a camera. Look around, anything catch your eye? How about doing something creative? Breathe, relax have some time to yourself, take some pictures of what caught your eye.

Taking a walk in our local nature reserve at this time of year is an amazing visual and aural experience. The ground beneath the mixed woodland trees, is carpeted with swathes of wild flowers. This is my favourite time of year, the early spring flowers like Snowdrops have faded and are disappearing back into the ground whence they came. They've been replaced, dominantly by Primroses and Celandines, which are at their peak now.

Taking you on a photographic walk focusing on leaves

Monet, is reported to have been in the habit of standing and looking, for around forty five minutes, before starting

A walk with the dog. Learning to observe the natural world. Simple tips on how to photograph what you see.

As I sit here on a glorious, just warm enough, Spring day, writing this, wonderfully able to work outside nd top up some Vitamin D.

Free simple photography tips on photographing spring flowers with your phone camera or digital camera.