In Short…. I am a conservation photographer, field ecologist, conservationist, wildlife photography workshops leader and film-maker. Dedicated to compelling ecology and conservation stories through visual media formats. My aim is to provide factual photographic stories backed by ecological research and stunning images, not just your average portfolio and blog website.
My work is published regularly in world image magazines and newspapers, and images have been awarded in many competitions including winner of The British Photography Awards 2019, as well as regularly giving talks about wildlife and conservation as well as photography.
In Long…. I always had a passion for creativity and helping people achieve goals, leading me to start a career in Digital Marketing and Web Design after leaving school. The office based role allowed my creative juices to flow, but I was missing something from the wilderness.
I grew up close to rural Cannock Chase, and was fortunate enough to spend the majority of my school holidays as a child on a country estate, running through the forests, watching birds, collecting bugs, generally being with wildlife and connecting back with nature.
My Grandad always had a passion for photography and it wasn’t long before I was joining him with a Sony bridge camera out snapping away at different species, reconnecting. After he passed away I inherited some of his DSLR equipment and this is where my photography got more serious.
I wanted to constantly improve and learn. After a trip to Malaysia in 2014 with my camera I decided to join Lichfield Camera Club, and with the support of their members I was able to achieve some great goals in picking up my first awards and international ribbons.
As well as wildlife photography, in the early days of the club I would utilise my graphic design skills and inspired by people such as KT Allen & Matthew Jones, I’d used photo manipulation techniques to develop creative images, whilst constantly trying to improve my wildlife photography skills. At the time I was the only member of the club to create this type of style and the members asked my if I would do a presentation about the use of photoshop and how I put these images together. This elevated my guest speaking and I started visiting other clubs talking about my work, something I still love doing to this day.
Back to wildlife, and as working 9-5 Monday to Friday it meant the majority of my time was spent on the weekend over Cannock Chase, whereby in all honestly the crowdedness of people was just not giving me the escape from it all I craved.
This is when I approached a farmer friend of mine who kindly offered to let me put a hide up on his land. I soon found out that the area was abundant with loads of wildlife species from birdlife to badgers and I developed a passion and personal connection back to the wilderness.
After a few months I was made redundant from my job, after some thought and a push in the right direction, I opened the hide up to the public and started as a full time wildlife & nature photographer service provider…. Wild Exposures (now Wildlife Photography Experiences) was born.
The company expanded quickly allowing me to use the passion to help people to achieve goals by introducing wildlife photography workshops and holidays to the services provided, and offering a platform for the up and coming wildlife photographer to break into the market by advertising their own workshops under our guidance, some of which are now market leaders and some of the best guides the UK has to offer.
This also allowed me to concentrate on a project close to my heart, saving with world’s remaining wild mountain gorillas and in 2016, I made the journey to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda to spend time with the these magnificent creatures. The focus of the trip was to document one family and their daily struggles to survive in the hardest conditions. I came home with a heavy heart and knew that I couldn’t let this trip just be about sharing the experience via uploading the images to social media, I needed people to see more about the Gorillas lives than just seeing a few snaps, I wanted them to understand the importance of one of our closest relatives, so I sat down for months and wrote the charity book Rushegura.
In 2017 I felt as though, although we made donations to conservation charities as a company, we just wasn’t doing enough hands on work to make physical differences to the state of nature in the future, from saving native species to educating our younger generations. This is where my true passion laid, and as much as I adore and love the photography, in conserving and educating people is where the true love was. That love for all things living. I thought hard about our business modal and decided it was time to give more back to nature and Founded Explore Nature CIC.
Explore Nature is a purpose-driven not for profit community interest company committed to see a greener planet earth where living landscapes are protected, enhanced, and valued by and for everyone. The foundation now runs serveral conservation projects including Wild Staffordshire and 98% HUMAN.
I still offer the wildlife photography workshops through Wildlife Photography Experiences, however my business commitments to Explore Nature CIC are flourishing and truly making a difference, From major species and landscape projects to ecological research, education work and campaigning for nature, we are protecting nature for the future as well as connecting people of all ages back to the natural world.
Contact me
To contact me about using images, commissioning projects, talk opportunities, workshops & tours, buying stock or prints or general enquiries then please fill out the contact form…