Wildlife / Animals nominee

During my time in Namibia's Etosha National Park I spent much of my time watching and enjoying the touching interactions of a number of elephants at the various waterholes. They had coated themselves with a layer of pale mud, which made them appear as if they had been sculpted out of marble. I capitalised on this by capturing 'tight' images that reflected their bulk, shapes and skin textures.

Richard is an award winning wildlife and landscape photographer and author of books on photography. His work does encompass other genres of photography but his primary focus remains rooted in the natural world. His up-bringing in Uganda and the Sudan no doubt helped generate his passion and fascination for wildlife and for the wild animals of that continent in particular. He is now based in Greece, but regularly returns to Africa leading photographic safaris. Like many nature photographers he is deeply concerned about our impact on the environment. He hopes his work will communicate to others the complexity, beauty and design inherent in this part of our existence and encourage immersion in and interaction with its wonders. He also hopes it will in some way help nurture a respectful relationship rather than one based on exploitation and control.