A self-taught wildlife photographer and aspiring wildlife camera operator. Since 2013 I have focused my attention on filming many of the species I had previously photographed in order to fulfill my wish to become a wildlife cameraman. I have concentrated my recent filming efforts on rare and difficult-to-film species in Andalucia, Spain, where I lived for 13 years until 2015. These species included the Iberian Lynx ( Lynx pardinus ) the world's rarest species of wild cat, birds of prey including mating and nesting footage of the Eurasian Griffon Vulture, Bonelli's Eagles and one of Europe's Rarest species the Spanish Imperial Eagle.
I left school at a ripe 16 years of age, due to an unmissable opportunity to travel to Peru, I have traveled extensively since then including being present in Iran during the revolution of 1979, shortly followed by an adventure through the deserts of Pakistan and into Afghanistan, just in time for the invasion by troops of the former Soviet Union.
In 1989 I signed up to take part in the 1992/3 British Steel Challenge, the world's first fully crewed round-the-world yacht race, sailing in an east-to-west direction against the prevailing winds and currents. I was a crew member on the yacht Group 4, but my race was cut short on my arrival in Cape Town, the last stopover before the race to the finish line in Southampton, on England's south coast. I had suffered a serious knee injury deep in the southern ocean halfway between Tasmania and Cape Town when working on the foredeck during a sail change in a big storm, I was hit by a large wave that tore my left knee ACL ligaments to shreds. I was to miss the last leg of the race but was very proud to have been part of an incredible crew who finished the overall race in 2nd place, only 2 hours behind the overall winner. We were also the only yacht to take line honors in 2 of the 4 legs.
I have held a lifelong passion for wildlife and the natural world in general, and in 1998 I decided to relocate to the awe-inspiring wilderness of the Torres del Paine National Park, deep in the southern latitudes of Patagonia, in Chile. It was here that I set about locating, observing, and photographing the region's apex predator, the elusive Patagonian Puma. To date I have spent a total of 4 years in this Patagonian Eden, soaking up as much as I could about the ecosystem and the Pumas. In all honesty, I was a late starter in my attempts to break into the world of wildlife filming, but I firmly believe my time invested here to date, has been well spent, including 4 long hard Patagonian winters.
I am used to working in extreme conditions, in any season, at sea, as well as in high mountain environments. I love working solo, but am gregarious, and fit into a team routine and schedule with ease. I maintain a very high level of fitness, through trekking, skiing, climbing, running, and road biking. I am interested in being behind the camera for the most part, but during my solo filming exploits of late, I have come to enjoy doing short pieces to the camera during my climbs to some of the more difficult Eagles and Vulture nesting locations I have filmed recently. There has been a growing trend of late for viewers to see how some of the material for wildlife documentaries was captured, filming the making of, offers an interesting and valuable insight into what the camera operators have to endure to capture the material that amazes so many tv audiences worldwide as. I will pursue this practice throughout my planned filming period in Patagonia with the Pumas, as spending several weeks isolated in the depths of winter, will no doubt provide the odd revealing insight into the psyche of someone pushed to his limits attempting to keep track of a wild female Mountain Lion and her cubs in over 800sq miles of wilderness in the depths of winter. I am currently based in Dorset where I have been filming Otters and breeding Kingfishers for a major Bristol-based production company, commissioned by the BBC to make a new 6-part Blue Chip Wildlife series.
I am currently working on my own documentary film project about Vultures in Europe, as well as shooting stock footage of UK wildlife for the Bristol-based Nature Picture Library.
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