Alan Mackenzie Photography

Obviously, 2020 will be remembered for all the wrong reasons and wherever you are in the world, I hope you stay safe. I was unlucky enough to suffer fever, body aches, a dry cough, loss of taste and smell and confusion back in March. An NHS laboratory test in November confirmed the presence of Covid-19 antibodies in my blood. If there's a silver lining, I still had antibodies (at the time of testing) some 8 months after recovery and they should confer at least some immunity. Since I am on the priority list due to my job in adult social care, I expect to receive my first injection in the new year. Sadly, not everyone was lucky enough to recover unharmed. I have met several older adults, who nearly died from Covid-19, along with younger people in my age group, who display symptoms of 'Long Covid'. 2020 was a year in which many of us attended more closely to our health. I dropped 17 kg using diet and exercise and this winter, I'm walking 8 miles, several times per we...

No-one could say I didn't take advantage of limited opportunities to photograph the beautiful autumn colours of 2020. With frequent wet weather and the use of public transport restricted, I was left with just three days of suitable outdoor conditions. If you want a respite from the terrible events happening around the world, you've come to the right place, because I've photographed some wonderful places in my home county of East Sussex. From the tiny village of Little Horsted and its surrounding ancient woodlands to the High Weald rocks on the Kent border, I've discovered landscapes challenging Dartmoor and the New Forest. I hope you enjoy my autumn photos as much as I enjoyed taking them!                          

Apologies to anyone expecting a late summer Roe deer project this year. I cycled 260 miles to produce the last one in June, followed by a butterfly project over July. This was my annual leave and I didn't want to spend the entire summer working. I find landscape photography very relaxing, especially compared to pedaling an eBike and payload weighing a combined 40kg over 50 miles in one day. Believe me, riding an eBike is not 'cheating' or 'easy'. It just makes the journey feasible! I am allowed to use public transport now, although the situation may change soon, due to surging Covid-19 infection rates. I may be returning to the saddle sooner than expected! The United Kingdom is warmer than it should be for its latitude, due to Atlantic ocean currents, although the British climate is known for being cool and rainy. The period 2015 - 2020 is about 1.2 °C warmer globally than pre-industrial levels. South-east England is noticeably warmer today, with mild and wet w...

Welcome to my summer butterfly project for 2020, which, like my Roe deer essay last month, was completed by travelling many miles on my bicycle from one end of Sussex to another. Locations include the Knepp Estate, Malling Down Nature Reserve, Castle Hill National Nature Reserve and Friston Forest. The summer butterfly season is always something I look forward to, despite the intensely farmed, vandalised UK only having 59 species, many of which are hard to find. I had booked leave for the Orange Tip and Pearl-bordered Fritillary this spring, but the UK was in lockdown and sadly I missed out. It was just as well I'd spent time on butterflies before my holiday. Although my first visit to Knepp took place in hot, sunny weather, conditions deteriorated a few days later, as gales swept across the country. The weather improved just as my time off ended, forcing me to use spare evenings and days off to complete the project. Big Butterfly Count. The Purple Emperor will be familiar ...