A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words.

Last month I upgraded my camera. Prompted by a growing desire to get better underwater shots whilst snorkelling I committed to buying a new camera that could be sealed in a water housing. Ever since my housing arrived, wind and waves have stirred the sea in to a cloudy soup but I have taken it swimming any way. It has compelled me to pull on my wetsuit and swim fins and paddle out on late afternoons bathed in soft light. And yesterday at sunset, I pushed out through big, mushy waves flooded with awe and euphoria at my surroundings. How grateful I felt to my camera for getting me out there in that moment amongst the foam and fizzing water in the lee of breaking waves. Tom paddled out to catch a few waves on his board but mostly I was alone, bobbing and breathing it all in. Comfortable with my own abilities to be out there, I felt the calm and exhilaration that comes from being in a state of flow. Where all other cares fall away a deep sense of all being well in the world fills floods your being.

…with awe and euphoria at my surroundings.

I’ve also been drawn from my bed on misty mornings, dew hanging heavy like jewels on every leaf, twig and spider web. Lit up by the rising sun, these scenes are gone in minutes as light changes and water evaporates; brief moments of magic that are a privilege to behold and compel me to compose and capture as images to share with others. That is the joy of photography and why I believe it is one of the most powerful tools for nature conservation. Right now it’s what motivates me to get in amongst it whatever the weather and create images as an ambassador for the Earth.

So this month I present a picture from a recent foray in place of words…