I am fortunate to live between the mountains and the sea and so I have plenty of opportunities to photograph a variety of wildlife. For coastal birds and mammals, this means paying attention to the daily tide table as sightings are often greater at certain points on the rise and fall of a tide. Quite a large number of my bird images are of species that are of high conservation concern and it has been important to document their presence and learn about their behaviour and the habitat they need in order to thrive.
Fieldcraft has been important in the majority of these images: choosing the time of day, the habitat, the season, and in some cases eg the hare, trying to be ‘down wind’ of a species so they are unable to smell you and remain present.
The wild ponies roam across a huge acreage of wild, upland habitat. It is never a given that they will turn up when I want to photograph! So it has been important to get to know them, to sit and observe from a respectful distance, before ever attempting to focus on their interactions or behaviour to create an image. They are remarkably unafraid of human beings and it is a delight to see them enjoying each other, and protecting their young together.
