The Philosopher
Price range: £250.00 through £1,150.002020
The eyes of this adult male leopard tell a story of a life well lived; they are filled with emotion and intelligence. There is no doubt that he has vast life experience, and has learnt a thing or two about life in the wild.
As soon as I saw him I knew I needed to get close – his face was filled with emotion, and shooting from a distance would compress that emotion. He eventually came closer, and stared into my lens as if he had seen everything before. It’s all about his eyes, and the stories they tell.
Self-Assured
Price range: £250.00 through £1,150.002022
This is one of the few works in my portfolio that I did not pre-conceive or plan in any way. It was purely a quick reaction on my behalf to his position and behaviour.
He was posing as if he was looking into the mirror full of self-assurance and self-love, and I knew that capturing that in a photograph would tell an important story — we should all love ourselves.
These Eyes Do Tell
Price range: £250.00 through £1,150.002022
I always enjoy photographing leopards, and I know that I am incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to do so several times in recent years — their numbers are falling.
My aim whenever I work with these intelligent cats is simply to do better than I did last time, and that aim kicks into action before I enter the field. I took a look at my previous leopard work, and came to the conclusion that I wanted the next photograph to feel much more intimate.
I now have the knowledge, experience, imagination and equipment to try and do better; my initial rough pencil sketches were promising, and Nikon’s Z9 has proven itself time and time again.
Of course, preparedness is only half of the game, and the second part is often the hardest. An animal will only do what it wants to do, especially when the animal in question is a leopard — they are fiercely intelligent.
I spent some considerable time in position on this February day in 2022 and I left knowing both him and myself much better.
I could not have wished for better light, the focus is fully on his right eye, and his gaze is intense and intimate.
Sabor
Price range: £250.00 through £1,150.002022
I recently spent some time working on a special collaboration with @oxleybob to raise important funds for @thebigcatsanctuaryuk and our subject was their resident white tiger. When we departed the Sanctuary, I knew I had to work with a white tiger again – they are so enchanting.
On the train home I began to dream of photographing a white tiger again, and decided that the aim should be to create a portrait — it should be all about their unique beauty (they lack pheomelanin; the pigment that turns fur orange) and their should be no distractions.
I finally got myself and my cameras in front of this beautiful creature a few months after initially setting eyes in a white tiger, and knew immediately that I had to be at eye level – he was laying in some tall grass, and that would provide a beautifully simple background upon which I could justice to this most beautiful creature.
Unbreakable Bond
Price range: £250.00 through £1,150.002022
A favourite moment from my assignment with Gelada Baboons earlier this year.
Photographing these incredible creatures was an experience I will never forget – they are so intelligent and simply fascinating.
I can’t wait to spend time with the troop again soon.
A Mother’s Pride
Price range: £250.00 through £1,150.002022
The gelada baboon has long featured on the list of species I want to photograph, and so I was very excited when I got to spend some time with an established troop recently.
They are fascinating creatures — I love their facial structures, crazy hair and the strong emotional bonds they share with family members. It is humbling to spend time with these intelligent primates.
As many will know, the focus is often on the emotional bonds between animals in my work, and so I was naturally drawn to mothers with babies.
I think this is one of new all time favourites – he has so much love for his mother, you can see it in his eyes.
The President
Price range: £250.00 through £1,150.002022
As I’ve said previously, when I began thinking about working with a troop of Gelada Baboons for the first time my mind was instantly drawn towards the females and their babies – parenthood is a bond that I love to capture through my camera, but when I met the troop I couldn’t ignore the power and beauty of the dominant male.
He oozed authority and I knew straight away that it would be criminal to leave without taking his portrait. It was relatively easy to find a simplistic backdrop, the difficult part would be waiting for him to pose appropriately. I wanted the resulting photograph to also ooze authority, it had to capture his standing in the troop.
When he eventually moved into position the portrait was captured quickly — he had no problem pulling a presidential pose.
Sealed With A Kiss
Price range: £250.00 through £1,150.002023
It was wonderful to start a new year of photography on the Norfolk coastline photographing Grey and Common seals during their pupping season.
Getting close means risking the mothers abandoning their new born pups, so the only option was to lay low in the sand and shoot from a distance. This approach also meant the seals behaved more naturally and continued with their mothering duties.
I spent much of my time focusing on this mother and her pup, their bond was so tight and I became obsessed with capturing it in a single frame.
They affectionately touched noses several times, but each time they were facing away from me. I knew I had to be patient, because if I managed to get the shot then it would be a very special start to the year.
A while later, after a short swimming lesson, they settled, touched noses and fell asleep. That was my moment, the first moment of 2023.
My Stretch Of Sand & Sea
Price range: £250.00 through £1,150.002023
When I began my seal project in January on the beeches of Norfolk I had two aims – to tell the stories of the beautiful pups born on these sandy stretches, and to share the majesty of the male seals.
Before pupping begins, the adult males fight for their own territories along the coastline, with the oldest, biggest and strongest bulls coming out in top. Females will then pick a favoured territory in which to give birth, and the male will patrol his territory whilst his pack of 8-20 females give birth and raise their pups.
This remarkable battle inspired me – I wanted to capture a male seal posing proudly on his stretch of coastline. What an incredible creature.