How has your previous marketing career helped your photography work?
"It gave me the skills to be a freelance photographer. You're a director, a businessperson, and a photographer. You have to market yourself, be organised, multitask – there is so much to it, and my career helped me enormously. If your images speak for themselves, that's a lot of your marketing done – you just have to communicate that."
How important is it as a wildlife photographer to understand animal behaviour?
"You must have the passion and connection with your subject. You need to learn about the behaviour of that species. Often you go out and just observe the behaviour without taking any pictures. From doing this, you'll discover the moment when a bird will move its wings, and you'll know at what point to capture the image you want. You have to be incredibly patient, and accept that often you'll go out and not capture anything. It's so important not to impact animal behaviour in any way. Just keep going back. The more you do that, the more you build your portfolio and the more you learn."
How would you describe your photographic style?
"It depends on where I'm working, what I'm working on, the weather and lighting conditions. I'm known for my high-key and low-key photography, portraiture and simplicity of style. Image curation is key too. It's so important to get everything right in-camera, which means that my post-processing is kept to a minimum, because I prefer to be out taking images than processing on my computer. Don't rely on cropping as you lose pixels, always think about what you're hoping to capture by visualising the image. I'm frequently asked about settings, and I ask people what they want to achieve. Do they want to capture the decisive moment, do they want a portrait? I try to find out what people want to accomplish, and work from there."
What are some of the most extreme things you've put your kit through?
"I photograph in all weather conditions, many of which are incredibly challenging, such as Japan and Yellowstone in winter, Kenya in the heat and dust, and even blizzards in the Scottish Cairngorms. My kit needs to perform in extreme heat and cold, wind, blizzards, rain and dusty environments, and it never lets me down."
What are the biggest challenges with wildlife photography?
"Being in different time zones and travelling can be challenging. Sometimes the weather won't be with you, or you have an amazing sunset and your subjects aren't quite doing what you'd like. You can't control the weather or the wildlife, and when you put them together, they can be unpredictable. When everything comes together, the magic happens. The one thing you can control is your kit. You must make the best of every situation. It can put you outside your creative box, and you can learn from unexpected situations."
