About me

It was a classroom encounter with a Nuthatch at the age of 8 that sparked David's interest in birds and wildlife generally. By fourteen he had picked up a camera for the first time and soon had the photography bug. But this vied for attention with a passion for fishing then latterly bird ringing that he later gave up to concentrate on photography. His earliest published picture was in the mid 1980's in the Kent Bird Report followed soon after by publication in British Birds Magazine, both in black and white. Today David is one of the most widely published wildlife photographers in the world. His pictures have been used on hundreds of book and magazine covers, regularly on TV and in just about every other conceivable way from wine labels to being projected in New York's Time Square. Sir David Bellamy has described David's pictures as "windows of wonder"

David has enjoyed a long and close association with book publishing having been the author or commissioned photographer for more than 40 titles, working with Harper Collins, New Holland Publishers, Random House, Duncan Baird, Penguin, Dorling Kindersley and Mitchell Beazley to name a few. He has collaborated with some of the UK's leading nature writers including Jonathan Elphick and Mark Cocker. It is with Mark that he is currently working on Birds & People the world's largest survey of cultural attitudes to birds worldwide. This six year project in association with BirdLife and Random House Publishers will result in a large format book to be published worldwide. More information on the project can be found at www.birdsandpeople.org.

Recent TV appearances have included a short film on photographing Nightjars with Chris Packham which was featured on Springwatch, with further recent appearances on Anglia TV again featuring photographic subjects within Norfolk. In 2009 along with co presenter Chris Gomersall he once again appeared in front of the camera for the Wildlife Photography Masterclass DVD.

Shortly after an epic expedition camping on sea ice next to an Emperor Penguin colony in Antarctica, Marie Claire Magazine named David one of the ten most adventurous outdoor photographers in the world, an honor that brought lots of interesting fan mail from female readers!! This same work on Emperor Penguins resulted in the European Nature Photographer of the Year Documentary Award. Other awards have included multiple wins in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Nature's Best where most recently in 2009 David was awarded the Indigenous Cultures Award for his work on Mongolian Eagle Hunters. In 2008 he was named as one of the worlds top 50 wildlife photographers by Digital Photography Magazine.

David is a regular judge for photography competitions, notably British Birds Bird Photographer of the Year and the International Wild Bird Photographer of the Year. He is photographic consultant for British Birds Magazine and writes a regular monthly column for East Anglia's biggest selling paper the Eastern Daily Press in which he showcases local wildlife in pictures.

When not traveling, taking pictures or writing books David relaxes by managing his 4 acre wood in the Norfolk Broads, spending time with his family and playing the Didgeridoo.