About 95 per cent of my photographs are made close to home, wherever home happens to be. For some years that was England; now it is the Czech Republic.

That is a deliberate choice. First, photographing in the same places year after year has taught me a lot about the wildlife around me and given me a much closer view of the problems it faces than I would get from travelling between the world’s last wild places. Those places matter, but they can leave a false impression of how the planet is really doing. That truth can be found anywhere wildlife and people share the same ground. Second, photographing locally is also a matter of sustainability. For me, ethical wildlife photography and a low ecological footprint go hand in hand, which means staying local and travelling by public transport wherever I can.

That closeness also allows me to connect with the people working to protect these places. They count, monitor, negotiate, restrict and restore, often as volunteers, often on small budgets, and rarely with anyone documenting what they do. I feel a responsibility to show that work.

This is where I share those stories, and where I want to keep building them. Some are about conservation success, others about the challenges it faces, including friction between humans and wildlife. I see my photography as a visual voice for both: the nature that needs protection and the people who protect it. This section is young. It starts with a few stories, and it will grow.

Image: A mahout touches his elephant, which instantly loops its trunk in response to the gentle contact, a peaceful gesture signalling trust and respect. This moment serves as a powerful reminder that coexistence is possible when we approach nature with empathy and dignity.