Wildlife / Animals nominee

This photo of a bull elephant called Equinox was taken in Amboseli. When I first reviewed the images of him, I was disappointed, because for all that I liked about it, the fact that he had no tusks meant that I felt there was something lacking.

However, Equinox's backstory is a fascinating one. He was born a twin 40 years ago & remarkably both he & his sister Eclipse survived to adulthood. To be born a twin is extremely rare, but for both to survive is rarer still. Then in early 2022 he broke both his tusks, possibly in a fight or as a result of falling on rocks. Either way as they were broken so high the nerve would have been exposed so this would have been extremely painful. Equinox has had to recover & learn how to feed without his tusks. On top of this he has had to deal with one of the worst droughts in recent memory in the Amboseli eco system.
He’s a very special & distinctive elephant who continues to survive the odds & to me he & this portrait is one of resilience.

After 30 years working in the television industry, I took a leap of faith & decided to follow my passion & become a full-time wildlife photographer.
I hope you will find in my work nuances of light, composition, and storytelling. I want my images to provoke an emotion or a spark of curiosity.
I particularly love the timeless beauty & elegance of black & white images & I am increasingly looking for those subjects & environments where I know black & white will enhance the final image.
More than ever, I seek an unmistakable sense of place in my photography. It is an evolving part of my style as a photographer. As I compose an image my eye is constantly seeking to capture & frame the raw beauty & majesty not only of the wildlife in front of my lens, but equally important to me is the environment around it.
My work has been recognized in competitions run by the WNPA, Mono Awards, Muse & Refocus Awards. My images also support the conservation work of Mara Elephant Project & 10% of prints sales go towards various conservation charities in Africa.
I will be exhibiting at Windsor Art Fair in November.