From a young age, I’ve been fascinated by wildlife. I joined the Young Ornithologists Club and spent hours copying bird illustrations from books - a drawing skill long forgotten, but a love of nature that never left me. My late father was rarely without a camera around his neck, and I proudly display that same camera today. He shared my interest in wildlife, and as a young child, spent many Sunday evenings curled up beside him watching David Attenborough documentaries.

At 16, I trained as a lifeguard and later moved into leisure centre management for the local authority before transitioning into Higher Education. I spent two years managing swimming pools and sports facilities before taking a 12‑month secondment with the Health and Safety Team. I never returned to the leisure industry; instead, I built a career in health and safety that has now spanned more than 25 years, culminating in becoming a Fellow of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.

My interest wildlife and photography came alive in 2001 during a trip to South Africa. A good friend lent me his Canon equipment, and I came home with over a thousand images - I had no idea what I was doing, but a few turned out surprisingly well. My first camera of my own was a Canon bridge model, mostly used to photograph garden birds and local wildlife, but I soon outgrew its limitations. In 2021, I bought my first DSLR, the Canon 90D paired with the 100–400mm f4.5–5.6L II lens. In 2025, I moved to mirrorless with the Canon R5 and the 100–500mm f4.5–7.1L IS USM RF lens, occasionally paired with a 1.4x teleconverter - an incredible setup for wildlife.

I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to six of the seven continents - Antarctica is still on the list - and have witnessed some unforgettable sights. But it’s really in the last five years that my passion for photography, and for the natural world, has truly deepened.