The Royal Military Canal, which stretches 28 miles from West Hythe in Kent to Cliff End in Sussex, is a gorgeous local treasure that is a unique military monument built between 1804 and 1809 as the third line of defence against Napoleon.
Today the canal offers the Royal Military Canal path for people to enjoy and one of those people is resident Bob Bruce, who shares his photography on his Facebook page and brand-new website ‘Hythe Canal and Wildlife.’
Bob Bruce lives on the doorstep of the canal and has enjoyed making the most of the views and wildlife, by taking regular 3-mile circular walks around the canal and capturing beautiful shots of the wildlife he sees along the way.
Having previously lived in Rainham, Essex in a built-up area, moving to the canal gave Bob the chance to take up photography as a retirement hobby. Living by the canal during the lockdown has been a godsend as they have simply been able to step out of the house onto the canal.
Whilst not a professional photographer, Bob enjoys photography and capturing wildlife in its natural environment. In 2019, he started his Facebook page ‘Hythe Canal and Wildlife’ where he shows his photos and he has just released his new website: hythecanalwildlife.uk
He decided to build a website as a lockdown project and a way of putting together the photos so that they were easy for people to see and navigate. With a background in IT, Bob also enjoys the technology side of the hobby, from using Lightroom to perfect his photos to building a website that is simple to navigate. It includes an index with all of the different animals/plants he has photos of and a ‘more info’ option with each animal which takes you to the RSPB website giving you more information on that animal.
CommunityAd asked Bob if he had any tips for any aspiring amateur photographers spotting and photographing wildlife, he said, “always take your camera with you; the occasions when I haven’t, I’ve always spotted something – and always look around you, rather than looking down at the floor or on your phone.”