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For a long time the defining passion of my life, I spent several years as a part-professional wildlife photographer. I've recently started up again, which is why this page has just been updated!

Basically I restrict my photography to wildife, although I have included some personal shots on this site and once shot a friend's wedding. This reflects my personal fascination with natural history and environmental matters. I intend to start adding more scenic and "touristy" shots of the places I have lived and worked as this site continues to grow.

I use Nikon equipment and a few Tamron Adaptall lenses, a Benbo Mk. 2 tripod and Benbo Trecker and Vivitar flash units. My primary camera body is a Nikon FM-2. This is completely manual with a through-the-lens lightmeter but mechanical dials to adjust shutter speed and aperture. The shutter release is also mechanical, and the Nikon titanium blade shutters are noteworhty in the speed of their operation - the shutter synchronises with flash at 1/250 sec rather than the more usual 1/60, enabling extended use of fill-in flash under bright condition.

The Benbo tripods are as far as I am concerned the best tripods available for outdoor work bar none. The name is a contraction of "Bent Bolt", which is basically the core of the design. A single bent bolt connects the legs and camera column, all of which are loosened and tightened with a single lever. Swinging free, the legs can then be spread out to any position down to and beyond the horizontal. The camera column, rather than sliding vertically up and down, runs through a bush which is also attached to the bent bolt. This column can thus be tilted through almost 180°, from vertical upwards through horizontal to vertically downwards. It's actually possible to set up the tripod across a trench and suspend the camera two feet below the tripod's base!

A ball-and-socket head and quick-release attachment complete this flexible setup. The legs are designed with the lower portion outside the upper section, and sealed closed at the bottom. Thus, the tripod can be stood in nearly a metre of water without being penetrated and fouled. The sheer size of the Mk. 2 model is impressive - it can be extended to nearly 3m height. The trekker version is much smaller and only weighs a few pounds, making it ideal for long trips on foot.

It cannot be overemphasised just how crucial a good tripod is to photographic quality. In combination with a shutter release to avoid transmitting vibrations from the hand to the camera, it is quite possible to take pin-sharp shots of fungi in the depths of woodland, using 20 second exposures and slow slide film for publication-quality images.

Intelligent use of flash is also crucial. The standard hot-shoe for a synchronised flash is positioned smack on top of the camera - a recipe for harsh, unnatural-looking light. When doing studio photography, as in the shot of the field mouse shown here, a great deal more flexibility is possible. Rather than lighting the subject from directly in front, using a naked flash, it is possible to "model" the light, with attention to direction and using reflectors and diffusers to soften and distribute the light. This can lead to more natural effects, more even and reliable exposure and charming catchlights in the subject's eyes.

When shooting a subject in a terrarium, such as the mouse, reflections from the glass can be all but eliminated by lighting from the top and sides, and masking the camera's reflection with a large sheet of black card. The lens can be pushed through a hole in the card to hide the camera and support completely.

For very small and active subjects, I use a homemade flash bracket. This suspends the flash directly above the front element of the lens. This has the advantages of freezing movement and camera shake due to the high flash discharge speed, providing very intense light for greater depth of field - a crucial issure with closeup shots, and providing a stable exposure value. This is because the increase in flash intensity brought about by moving closer to the subject is exactly balanced by the attenuation of available light brought about by greater magnification.

As a final bonus, a flash bulb close to a very small object appears to be a very large light source, so the light is softer than normally expected with flash, and is positioned in the perfect "keep the sun behind and above you" portrait position.