Leigh984, The creative portfolio of Leigh Spencer

Touring various locations across the country The Underwater Photographer of the Year interactive exhibition came to the Fosse Park Shopping Park, bringing multiple amazing images to visitors and shoppers alike. Regardless of whether visitors had made a trip to see the exhibition or had come across it whilst shopping they where treated to photography that captured the underwater world in all it`s colourful, vibrant & delicate beauty. The exhibition also had an Augmented Reality (AR) element for those using the Artivive app offering related videos & more for some of the photographs. My film takes a quick look at the exhibition which (at time of writing) is in place till October 6th and is free to see. All photos etc copyright of their various owners.

The August Bank Holiday Weekend can mean only one thing in the Leicestershire village of Desford, It`s Scarecrow Festival time !. This years theme was "Desford Goes Wild" which got residents and businesses looking to the natural world and beyond to interpret the theme in their own unique way, cue Lions, Tigers, Monkeys and a trip to the Wild Amazon alongside an underwater scene, complete with big a orange octopus, a swing by Tarzan's tree house (or should that be Overhanging Building ?), there is even a trip to the old wild west where there`s talk of Gold to be panned for !. My film shows just a few of the wide selection of amazing creations around the village, visitors could also enjoy a wide range of entertainment, food and more at the church of St.Martins.

The Blue (heart) rewilding project/campaign was founded in 2014 by wildlife filmmaker Fergus Beeley, The project was founded in response to dramatic biodiversity and biomass declines in the UK. The only requirement is to allow a patch of land to grow and see what plants and animals return. My film looks at the projects implementation in the Leicestershire village of Desford where village residents have enhanced the projects visibility by running bunting featuring the projects symbol (a Blue Heart) along a roadside verge. Desford Parish Council and Leicestershire County Council have agreed not to mow this verge during spring and summer 2021 in the support of the projects aims to see wild flower plants and animals return to the area.

I visited Thornton Reservoir in the National Forest in Leicestershire in hope of sighting a rare Mandarin Duck which had been seen in the area. The Mandarin Duck is held in high regard in Chinese culture as they, unlike other ducks, are believed to be lifelong couples, as a result they are regularly featured in Chinese art. Mandarin ducks are also known as "Wedding Ducks" in Korean culture and Lovebirds/Happily Married Couples in Japanese culture. At the reservoir a veritable menagerie of waterfowl could be observed with Swans, Mallards and a very noisy Chinese Goose making himself known to most of Leicestershire with his loud honking, but as yet no sign of the star of the show. Walking around the reservoir and keeping our eyes peeled for the elusive duck, we were told by some passing binocular yielding walkers that they had witnessed our colorful friend standing on a log in a wooded area just off the shoreline path, turning a corner the unmistakable brightly patterned duck ...

I visited a small area of woodland sandwiched between several busy roads and a motorway junction near to fosse park in Leicester. The area is not visible from the road and requires passing under a graffiti lined subway giving an interesting contrast between the urban and the natural. Approaching the area your hit by the fragrant scent of the flowers before a carpet of blue stretches out beneath the trees, dappled sunlight shines through the leaves illuminating patches of the blue flowers giving the area a magical glow and the look of a living painting. on my visit a small spec of red caught my eye, a small ladybird (ladybug) was making his way across the stem of one of the flowers I quickly switched lenses and he happily posed for me with his black and red spotted shell contrasting perfectly with the blue of the bluebell.

A look at the wildlife and scenery in and around the Leicestershire village of Wistow, look out for the beautiful Grade 2 listed St Luke's church in Newton Harcourt surrounded by snowdrops and a pair of acrobatic squirrels perched precariously on the end of a branch. You`ll also ask yourself just what is that phone box doing in the middle of the woods ?. More images follow

Between Huncote and Croft, alongside the quarry is a nature trail full of wildlife and fantastic views over the surrounding countryside and villages. My short film features a couple of swans as they hunt for food in the small lake in the middle of the trail bathed in the orange glow of the low winter morning sunshine. Images Follow

The Pieris Brassicae Butterfly is a large white Butterfly with white wings and black tips on the forewings. Females also have two black spots and a black streak on each wing. This Butterfly is very common in UK gardens and in my short film they can be seen fluttering around Buddleia plants drinking nectar from it's purple flowers Adult Pieris Brassicae can be seen from April to October.

A Greater Spotted Woodpecker visits our bird feeder one snowy Sunday. The Great Spotted Woodpecker (or Greater Spotted Woodpecker) despite being quite a common bird in number rarely visits garden bird feeders in the UK.

Swithland Reservoir is a reservoir in Leicestershire. It is near to the village of Swithland from which it takes its name. A dam at the north end is crossed by Kinchley Lane and the reservoir was completed in about 1896. My short film features views from a number of locations and a selection of the varied wildlife that call this beauty spot home.

Snow has covered most of the UK over the last few days, my video features the beautiful scenes on and around disused railway Whistle Way in Narborough Leicestershire and also features a number of birds hunting for berries in full song amongst the snow covered branches.Snow has covered most of the UK over the last few days, my video features the beautiful scenes on and around disused railway Whistle Way in Narborough Leicestershire and also features a number of birds hunting for berries in full song amongst the snow covered branches

This short film was shot by me during the early morning sunrise at Bradgate Park in Leicestershire. The film features Bradgate park which was the birthplace and early home of Lady Jane Grey - 9 days Queen of England. The park is well known for its herds of red and fallow deer who roam freely amongst the spectacular scenery of this unspoilt part of Leicestershire.

I woke up at 6:30am and set off to Bradgate Park in Leicestershire, a former Medieval Deer Park, first enclosed as a hunting park over 750 years ago and home to a large herd of wild deer that I planned to capture on film. As the sun rose over the parkland the deep sounds of the male deer calling out could be heard though the crisp morning air, the cool palette of blues and whites gave way to deep oranges as the majestic animals made their presence known. An army of photographers marched through the ferns like an episode of Dads Army, their large lenses draped in various forms of camouflage. I decided to go the opposite way and came across a lone stag hunting for his breakfast in amongst the plant life backlit by the rising sun. The video above shows the deer calling out to each other across the parkland bathed in the early morning sunlight. Some images of the deer can be seen after the break