Behind The Camera
A life behind the lens
Photography has been a part of my life for many years, driven by a fascination with wildlife, wild places and the experiences that come from spending time in them. What began simply as an interest in making photographs has taken me from the British countryside to some of the world’s most spectacular and remote environments.
Wildlife has become the strongest focus of my photography, particularly owls, although landscape photography remains an important part of what I do. Whether I’m photographing close to home or travelling somewhere much further afield, I’m drawn to the same things — natural behaviour, changing light, atmosphere and those moments that can never quite be repeated.
For me, photography is as much about the experience as the resulting image. I enjoy the time spent in the landscape — watching wildlife, waiting for conditions to change or exploring somewhere completely new. Places such as Svalbard have become particularly special to me, and I know I’ll continue returning to them.
Over time, my interest in wildlife has also developed into something beyond photography. My fascination with owls in particular has led to an increasing involvement in their conservation, monitoring and protection — a story that began much closer to home.
A fascination with owls
My interest in owls began unexpectedly in December 2015. Until then, most of my time behind the camera had been spent photographing landscapes, but while visiting family in Nidderdale, Yorkshire, a chance encounter completely changed the direction of my photography.
Returning from a walk one morning, I spotted a Barn Owl perched on a fence post beside the road. I pulled over, grabbed my camera and managed just two frames before the owl disappeared back across the moor. I had very little idea how to photograph owls at the time, but that brief encounter was enough to start a fascination that has continued ever since.
The photograph to the left is the first frame I took of that owl — a heavily cropped image of what I now know was a female Barn Owl, photographed through a gap in a dry stone wall. My photography, knowledge and equipment have developed enormously since that first encounter, but it remains one of the most important images in my collection because of everything that followed from it
That single encounter developed into a fascination with owls, particularly Barn Owls, and has since taken me around the world to see and photograph many different species. More importantly, over time that interest has grown beyond photography and into a much deeper involvement with owl conservation.
Conservation beyond the camera
What began as an interest in photographing owls has gradually developed into a much more active involvement in their conservation. Spending time observing these birds has made me increasingly interested in understanding and supporting the populations living around us, rather than simply photographing them.
As a licensed bird ringer, I take part in monitoring and ringing Barn Owls, Tawny Owls, Little Owls and Kestrels. This includes working with birds at protected sites under the appropriate Schedule 1 licence, recording breeding activity and ringing young birds so that the information collected can contribute to our understanding of their movements, breeding success and survival.
Much of this work takes place through the Salisbury Plain Training Area Raptor and Owl Group, helping to monitor and maintain an extensive network of owl and raptor nest boxes across Salisbury Plain and the surrounding area. Salisbury Plain itself covers more than 94,000 acres of military training and conservation land and supports an extraordinary variety of wildlife alongside its role as the UK’s largest military training area.
The work includes checking and maintaining nest boxes, recording their occupants and breeding success, replacing damaged boxes and ringing birds where appropriate. I also design and build owl boxes for use by the group on Salisbury Plain, including sponsored boxes and those needed to maintain our network. The same handcrafted boxes are available for private purchase, along with advice on suitable locations, positioning and habitat.
Being involved in this work has given me a very different perspective on the birds I photograph. Their welfare always comes before the photograph, and that principle underpins my approach to wildlife photography more broadly.
Interested in my photography?
If you’d like to enquire about image licensing, discuss a photography project or simply get in touch about my work, you can contact me using the Contact page in the menu above.