T-Tones Photography

14/06/2026

Starmer is announcing it tomorrow

Mandatory age verification using passport, driving licence or facial biometrics will be required for platforms including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Steam, Epic Games, PlayStation Store, and any site or app with user comments, messaging, or interaction features. This includes almost all news sites with comment sections, forums, and even many AI chatbots like ChatGPT.

This starts with under 16s but is the thin end of the wedge. It will eventually spread to affect all of the internet because anything with comments or user generated content will require ID checks.

This is not about protecting kids. This is massive digital surveillance. It forces every adult to hand over their ID and biometrics just to use the internet. Once that data leaks (and it will), hackers will use it to steal your identity, open credit cards and loans in your name, buy cars and houses under your name, and ruin your life. This is full on government control and the end of any privacy online.

14/06/2026

🚨 Open your eyes, Britain and everyone else watching. This is one of the most serious issues facing not just the UK, but countries around the world right now. It demands urgent attention.

The UK government under Keir Starmer is pushing ahead with a blanket social media ban for under 16s, despite MPs voting against it. Similar measures are happening or being considered in many other countries, including Australia (already implemented), Canada, France, Denmark, Indonesia, Malaysia, and more.

This has little to do with genuinely protecting children. Research by the Molly Rose Foundation (set up after the tragic death of Molly Russell) reviewed the evidence and concluded that a broad age ban is not the solution. Instead, the most effective protection comes from educating adults on how to properly set up their home routers and parental controls to block harmful content for their own families. The Foundation and Ian Russell are calling for targeted action against dangerous material such as self harm, su***de, and eating disorder content rather than a one size fits all ban.

What this is really about is government control and mass data collection on citizens. To enforce these bans, authorities will require widespread age verification and ID checks. That means you will soon need your ID just to access the internet or unlock your phone for certain services. The data collection companies the government plans to use have already been hacked multiple times, with hundreds of thousands of personal IDs stolen yet there is barely any public outrage.

Think about the hypocrisy: Schools teach our children never to give out their personal information or ID to strangers, but adults are expected to willingly hand theirs over to the government without question?

This is not protection. It is building surveillance infrastructure disguised as child safety. These bans have already proven easy to bypass in other countries while creating new privacy risks and doing little to solve the real problems.

We need to push back. Demand real solutions that hold platforms accountable for harmful content, strengthen parental tools, and protect everyone's privacy and freedoms not turn the internet into a digital ID state.

For my family and friends in the Philippines: Your government is also actively considering a social media ban for under 16s, with bills like Senate Bill 2066 being discussed in Congress. Stay alert there too.

Share this if you agree. Wake up before it is too late. What do you think? Comment below.

13/06/2026

Garden: Pure Chaos Edition 🐦‍⬛

Mum and Dad thought they were ready for parenthood... until these fluffy little dictators showed up demanding 24/7 room service! 😩

You can literally see the exhaustion in their eyes. One minute they're trying to catch a breath, next minute they've got a screaming chick hanging off them like a tiny feathered limpet. Non-stop begging, wing-flapping tantrums, and zero respect for personal space.

Parenting is parenting, whether you've got feathers or not. These poor adults look like they haven't slept since the eggs hatched 😂

Who else sees their own kids in these little gremlins?

Shot on the Nikon Z50 II 200-500mm

13/06/2026

Hi everyone, as fellow wildlife photographers we're lucky to spend time out in the countryside capturing beautiful Barn Owls in action. I've seen a lot of photos of Barn Owls recently that aren't ringed/tagged, and it's great to see so many people out photographing these beautiful birds. If you spot one that isn't ringed/tagged, please take a moment to report the sighting - it makes a real difference to conservation efforts!

The Barn Owl Trust runs a simple nationwide survey where you can log nests, roost sites, and live or dead sightings anywhere in the UK. Your photos and location details help them monitor populations, identify breeding areas, and support targeted conservation work.

Just head to: www.barnowlsurvey.org.uk
(It's quick, free, and you can create a login to track your own records.)

Every report counts - especially from those of us quietly observing them in the wild. Let's do our bit to help protect these amazing owls for the future! 🦉📸

Happy (and ethical) shooting everyone!

The Barn Owl Trust Survey UK: encouraging everyone to take part in recording these magnificent birds.

12/06/2026

This Barn Owl appeared out of the blue with a fresh catch, and I had a fraction of a second to react. I was sitting at 1/1600s, not necessarily what I would have "dialed in" if I’d had a minute to prepare, but in wildlife photography, you don't get a minute. You get a heartbeat.

I knew if I hesitated to check my exposure or adjust my speed, the owl would be past me and the shot would be gone. I just locked focus and fired.

It’s a reminder that sometimes the best shots aren't the ones you plan for hours, but the ones where you just trust your gear and your gut. I’m thrilled with how this one came out, "wrong" settings and all! 📷

06/05/2026

The quiet neighbor on the cliff edge.

While the gannets are busy with their loud reunions and constant motion the guillemots are the masters of the quiet life. I found this one standing perfectly still on a narrow ledge at Bempton Cliffs. There is a real intensity in their gaze when you get close enough to see it. By stripping away the color I wanted to focus on that sharp eye and the clean lines of its plumage. It is a different kind of beauty than the flashy gold of the gannets but just as compelling. These birds balance their eggs on bare rock ledges just inches wide so they have to be the ultimate masters of composure.

I shot this with the Nikon Z50ii and the Nikkor 200 to 500mm lens.
What do you think is going through its mind as it watches the North Sea?

06/05/2026

The two sides of life on the ledge.

This shot from Bempton Cliffs captures the bittersweet reality of the colony. In the foreground you have the happy reunion. These two gannets are lifelong partners who spend the entire year apart at sea and this fencing behavior is their way of saying hello after months of solitude. It is a beautiful moment to witness. But then you see the bird sitting right behind them. For every pair that finds each other again there are others still waiting or perhaps left alone for the season. It makes the joy of the reunion feel even more precious when you see the loneliness of the bird in the background. It is a stark reminder of the risks they take traveling thousands of miles just for a chance to find their mate again.

I took this with the Nikon Z50ii and the Nikkor 200 to 500mm lens.
Do you find yourself looking at the couple or the bird waiting in the background?

04/05/2026

The striking blue eye of a Bempton sentinel.

While the rest of the colony was in constant motion this bird sat perfectly still on the edge of the precipice. This portrait really shows off the incredible colors of the gannet from the soft yellow wash on the head to that piercing blue ring around the eye. It is a reminder that nature does not always need a filter to look spectacular.

Shot on the Nikon Z50ii using the Nikkor 200-500mm.

Do you think this bird is watching for food or for its mate?

03/05/2026

A six foot wingspan carved from the North Sea wind.

There is nothing quite like the sight of a gannet in full flight. These birds are built for power and speed and this frame captures the moment they lock their wings to catch the updraft from the cliffs below. I love how the sunlight catches the gold on their heads and the brilliant white of their feathers against that deep ocean blue.

Captured with the Nikon Z50ii and the Nikkor 200-500mm lens.
What is your favorite bird to watch in flight?