Ben began photography at an early age but it was during his time studying
zoology at Edinburgh University that he really developed a
major interest in the subject. Having gained an Honours degree, Ben studied red deer on
the Isle of Rhum, a stunning island in the Inner Hebrides, and the Morvern Peninsula, a
beautiful area of hills on the west coast of Scotland. This lead to a further degree (an
M. Phil) and contracts for a variety of scientific research groups based in Cambridge.
It was here that he met researchers working for the British Anatrctic Survey, and in 1982
was offered an eighteen-month post studying albatrosses on the island of South Georgia.
During this period he spent roughly equal amounts of time working, photographing and
drinking. Returning to the UK in 1984 he decided to quit his scientific “career”
and concentrate full-time on landscape and wildlife photography.
The time on South Georgia produced an extensive portfolio of images and a
scientific insight into the wildlife that survives on this sub-Antarctic outpost.
Everything was in place for a series of magazine articles, which Ben wrote in the months
following his return home. These articles were distributed worldwide through Oxford Scientific Films. The international exposure lead to
approaches from a variety of magazines and the next few years were spent shooting pictures
and travelling extensively.
During
this time, Ben visited the Antarctic on two occasions. In 1985/6 he spent nine months on
board the yacht Damien II with Jerome and Sally Poncet and
their three children. In 1988/9 he returned to the Antarctic Peninsula with Jerome and his
brother Fabian, shooting pictures for National Geographic magazine.
This was a very big break for a professional photographer and it added significantly to
Ben’s library of Antarctic images.
With his extensive Antarctic experience, and through a chance meeting on
a holy mountain in China, Ben became involved with the Life in the Freezer project in 1991. This was a major BBC series about
the wildlife of Antarctica and Ben accompanied two of the main filming expeditions,
providing production stills and field support. Shooting production stills involved an
enjoyable mix of wildlife and landscape photography as well as the more documentary style
photography that was required to record where and how the camera crews were working.
Ben also shot stills of the presenter, Sir David Attenborough,
which were used in the Radio Times and BBC Wildlife magazine. The extensive media coverage
helped develop record audiences for the series.
Since then,
Ben has regularly shot stills for TV production companies, most recently for the BBC
series Blue Planet, an eight-part spectacular
about the world’s oceans.
As well as working abroad, Ben does much of his photography in the UK,
especially near his home in Shropshire (one of the more beautiful rural counties of
England). He works for the...
Shropshire Wildlife Trust,
Shropshire Tourism,
English Nature,
The National Trust
...and many other local clients.
He also supplies UK magazines, newspapers and photo libraries with images
ranging from outdoor sports to environmental issues. His favourite work, however, is
wildlife and landscape photography.
In contrast to this rather solitary outdoor work, Ben also presents audio-visual shows. Following the huge success of the
BBC’s Life in the Freezer series, Ben produced a show which incorporated his wide
range of Antarctic images and experiences. The show is a mix of slides, commentary and
audio-visual sequences. With over 400 performances and tens of thousands of people
enjoying the show, this has been one of Ben’s major successes since turning
professional.
Following the popularity of the Life
in the Freezer AV show, Ben decided to produce another touring show. “Common Source” was launched in February
2000. This show blends photography with music, poetry and sound effects to create an
atmospheric journey down the River Severn (Britain’s longest river) and up the River
Wye (one of Britain’s most scenic rivers). It is already a success with over fifty
performances and lots of very positive feedback.
So what next? More UK work, possibly another show, touring with
“Freezer” and “Common Source” and, as always, editing the contents of
masses of little green boxes in the office.
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