2021: A Year Behind the Lens
Trying to work out how to describe 2021 is like trying to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling with chopsticks. So, ignoring the obvious and refusing to use the words “unprecedented”, “lockdown”, or “socially distanced”, I’ll attempt to look back at 2021 with fondness for, despite its glaring faults, I’ve found lots to be positive about.
Rewind
January simultaneously feels like yesterday and a decade ago. There was a wave of optimism that the coming year was going to far exceed the previous one and light was, perhaps, at the end of the tunnel.
I started the year where I finished 2021: Amboseli. Working again with dear friend Eric Ole Kalama, without a doubt one of Kenya’s finest guides, searching for Craig, an elephant as famous as any celebrity in that part of the world.
For four days we drove around the park, finding not just Craig but Vronsky as well, another physically impressive elephant, sparring with another male. The images from these two encounters have been fantastically received and I’ve been blown away by the response.
“Rumble in the Jungle”, one of my most popular images of 2021
“Craig”, as much as I hate to use the term, a true gentle giant
Leaving Amboseli I found myself on the eastern border of the Maasai Mara, working with the Pangolin Project, a relatively young organisation focussed on the protection, research and conservation of the world’s most illegally trafficked animal.
Founded by the inimitable Dr. Claire Okell, we spent the best part of a week documenting the work they do, from pangolin collaring and monitoring, community education and ranger training through the charities ‘pangolin ambassadors’.
Trips like this reinforce why I enjoy my job so much. Seeing first hand the work done on the ground by teams like the Pangolin Project, shows just what goes in to protecting the animals I make a career out of photographing; and highlights why I endeavour to put so much emphasis on using my work to raise awareness and funding for their conservation.
Joel Siololo, research assistant at The Pangolin Project, searching for a collared pangolin in the Maasai Mara
New Partnerships
With this idea in mind, I was delighted to announce two new conservation partnerships this year with David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) and Saving the Wild (STW).
David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation are steeped in art history and have garnered a world wide reputation for their conservation work in Africa and Asia. Founded in 1984 by the late wildlife artist David Shepherd, the organisation places great emphasis on their holistic approach, ensuring their work is as much about communities as it is about wildlife. A vital approach as Africa’s population is set to be the largest of any continent by 2050.
Saving the Wild was founded and still run by Jamie Joseph, a woman as brave as she is determined. Since 2014 she has used her platform to fight poachers, (corrupt) politicians and (crooked) law enforcement, throwing all her inexhaustible energy at the rhino poaching crisis. Our paths crossed in Kenya, where her work protecting the vital Kimana Wildlife Corridor plays a great role conserving the regions crucial wildlife populations.
Both charities have been crucial for species protection this year as a monumental drop in tourism numbers has provided alarming shortcomings in available funding for wildlife protection. It is with immense pleasure we are able to donate 10% of the revenue from our print sales to these two charities and have some exciting announcements in the pipeline for 2022.
Toe to toe with a silverback along side Jamie Joseph in Uganda
“Christmas”, named after the day he was born
Safaris
Since the start of 2019 I have spent the majority of my time living and working in Kenya for Governors’ Camp Collection, one of the regions leading safari operators. This was my doorway to the photography world, operating in the Maasai Mara - a wildlife photographers paradise - spending months there at a time immersing myself in my work.
This year, the time felt right to move on and together with Matthew Armstrong-Ford have started Armstrong Fortescue, a guided photographic safari company with an exciting future.
Taking life as seriously as ever on safari in Amboseli. For scale Matt, on the right, is 6’6, not a small partnership!
While starting a safari company during a global pandemic might be considered overly optimistic we’ve been inspired by the support everyone has shown. With our first group trips not until 2023 (for we felt it was the earliest we could offer a trip with confidence there would be no travel restrictions) we’re delighted to have sold out our Norway expedition and have phenomenal trips to India, Uganda, Kenya and Zambia on the horizon as well.
Anyone interested in joining us on one of our expeditions for snow leopard, tiger, polar bears, gorilla and many, many more, head over to our new website - We’d welcome the chance to guide you.
Prints
Perhaps the biggest development this year was signing with Red Eight gallery back in March. Our debut collection launched on March 25th and ever since we have been heartened by the response both here and in the States. Having spent the last couple of months in the U.K. it’s been a real treat to bump in to prints around London or have friends sending selfies with them. We’ve got some truly exciting plans in the works for 2022 and a new print collection launching in the new year - one I’m confident is some of my best work yet.
To all those that have kindly purchased prints this year, thank you. Your support means the world and keeps me on the road creating new work.
Standing in front of “Michael”, preparing our big release for 2022
On Location
Attempting to navigate red lists and work out what was possible this year was tricky. With only one trip cancelled outright and another abandoned half way through I suspect I’ve been luckier than most, for which I am extremely grateful.
Uganda was a real highlight, spending three days in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest searching for mountain gorilla. While perhaps the most enjoyable animal to work with, for you feel you really earn your time with them after a trekking through thick rainforest vegetation, they are also among the toughest to photograph. There is rarely much light to work with, unless you get lucky, and the gorillas dark coat provides numerous challenges. However, if these are the difficulties your work poses, it’s a happy place to be.
Upon leaving the forest we headed to Kibale, home to a well habituated group of chimpanzees. As our closest living ancestral relatives, this was a fascinating trip, culminating in one of the troop throwing fruit at me from the forest canopy - always a warm welcome.
The final moments of our final trek and the ideal moment appeared
As ever, most of my plans revolved around Kenya. With trips to Ol Pejeta and Borana to work on new rhino images providing a great insight in to conservation work in central Kenya and a collection of pictures I was delighted with. One of them, ‘Kalite’, will feature in next year’s print release.
It was also the first time I had attempted to properly photograph black rhino, a much harder challenge than their white rhino relatives. Their more cautious nature makes them shy at best and aggressive at worst. Always unpredictable it was with immense help from good friend and guide Tom Hartley we were able to get in to position for the below image, without his help I’d have had no chance at all.
Ol Pejeta was the first time I had attempted to work with black rhino, infinitely tougher than working with white rhino
As it did in 2020 though, Amboseli stole the spotlight. With 16 days spent rolling around in the dust following elephant herds and super tuskers it was as remarkable as ever. My visit in late September, again with Eric and eventually with Matt, provided some of the most exciting sightings I’ve witnessed.
We met Michael for the first time, an elephant that will no doubt one day rival Craig in terms of size and celebrity status. As well as Ulysses, Winkstrom and Craig again.
“Ulysses”, one of my favourite encounters of 2021. After this we never found him again that trip
No matter how many days I spend out with Eric, he seems to surprise me every time. His guiding is unrivalled and there is no one else I would trust to get me as close to these elephants as he does, even if we do seem to have developed a tendency to drink more whisky than we should after a good day in the field…which inevitably leads to a slower one the following day.
Over enthusiastic celebrations
The result of over enthusiastic celebrations
Fundraising
As ever, this is how we choose to benchmark the year, always aiming to raise more than the year before. Happily, through a combination or revenue generated through print sales, and a few pieces performing well at charity auctions, we’ve raised just over £18,000 for a variety of organisations. While a bulk of that has gone to DSWF and STW, it was great to see pieces raise money at the Lord Mayor’s Ball and Ol Pejeta’s Global Gala. For any enquiries on pieces for auctions, I’d love to hear from you so please do contact me here and we can make a plan.
Of course there was also the wildly successful Prints for Wildlife this year, raising a staggering $1.3m in a month, highlighting the power of social media when used right. It was great to be a small cog in a giant wheel and join with 170 photographers around the world raising money for African Parks.
Our target for 2022 is yet to be set, but confidence is high we can surpass that raised this year.
Looking Ahead
Having spent this year trying to work out which countries are viable options to visit given the U.K’s strict border rules on other countries, I fear 2022 could be spent trying to work out who will accept travellers from the U.K. as cases rise, gulp. As I write I listen to England getting thrashed by the Australians in the Ashes and wish they had never let our cricketers enter in the first place.
That said, still plenty to be cheery about, with exciting plans formulating with David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation and Red Eight, more on that next year.
New prints will be released in the new year and we’re aiming have a book out as well, a long term dream I hope to realise. There will be news on exhibitions with Red Eight I’ll share as and when and it would be great to see as many of you there as can make it. Work from our current collection is currently on display at No. 3, Royal Exchange.
As ever, a huge thank to everyone for your support this year and roll on 2022.
Happy Christmas,
