LONG-LENS WILDLIFE
SHOWREEL - 2023
A selection of clips from this year, filmed in various locations in Thailand, Spain and Botswana.
Shot on Sony FX6 and FS5.
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SHOWREEL - 2021
Wildlife in Central Spain is shy and elusive, but over the years I've been lucky to witness these special moments.
Shot on Sony FS5 and Canon EOS-C200
SHOWREEL - drone and slider
A sample of landscape shots taken during the drought-struck spring 2023 in Central Spain.
RAVENALA, THE LYNX
There are such few Iberian lynxes left that scientists name every individual.
Every lynx is vital for the plight of their species - and even that of the forest itself.
But those pushing the boundaries of their range will be even more decisive.
Nebel, Intenso, Salmorejo, Ravenala... I've had the privilege of knowing some of those individuals on which the fate of their species relies, and this video is a heartfelt tribute to their beauty and bravery.
EYE OF THE HORNBILL
A portrait of the colourful birdlife of the Tenasserim mountains of South-East Asia.
The forest appears quiet, but deep inside, daily adventures take place under the attentive eye of the hornbill.
Today, a monsoon downpour soaks the jungle, and the radiant Black-naped monarch will have to be persistent if he wants to keep his plumage shiny and blue.
ODRINA THE LYNX (first version)
September in the steppes of central Spain means heat and drought - the sun forces birds to seek the few permanent pools - but they must be quick, beacuse as the heat abates, Odrina, the resident Iberian lynx, begins her patrol.
The only reason the magpies have spotted her is because today, she doesn’t walk alone...
BECOMING WEIGHTLESS
The steep Gorge is not an easy place to grow up in. The young kestrel siblings have a challenge ahead. Their parents still feed them, and they enjoy a happy life learning about the world around them... but to become true kestrels, they will have to master the art of hovering. Not to fight the wind... but to become one with it.
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MASTERS OF THE THERMALS - on assignment for WWS
As the sun breaks through after a freezing mid-winter night, everyone enjoys its warmth. Some await the thermal currents it will soon create...
One species sustains this whole ecosystem: the holm oak (Quercus ilex ballota). An evergreen oak, evolved to match this dry climate. Among its coarse foliage, incredible animals thrive, just as enduring as the oak.
This nurturing forest once covered the peninsula. Today, there are only remnants... but these small islands retain the spirit and memory of what used to be an endless paradise.
TETRAX - THE LITTLE BUSTARD'S DISPLAY - on assignment for WWS
April turns the steppes into a sea of green. It appears featureless, but then, an extraordinary pattern emerges from the tall grass: a black shape, crossed by two white stripes. A harsh call fills the air: the male Little bustard (Tetrax tetrax).
He has earned the right to his own display arena... but all other males want his place. So calling won't be enough...
he will have to leap.
IN THE WATERS OF THE DIPPER
A tribute to the mountain streams of central Spain. Even in the peak of summer, the river flows cold and fast - and it is here, in the upstream rapids, that the dipper lives. Its life is one of contrasts: the dark brown of its wings is the same colour as the shadows that the forest casts on the banks, and the shining white on its chest has the brightness of the foam that sparkles in the current. The dipper inhabits two worlds – no one else could look up to see the sheltering canopy, and then dive to fly through the icy water, flowing as one with the river.
MONFRAGÜE N.P. (3x01' compilation)
It was late July, the hottest days in the Spanish summer. I had just arrived from Bristol, but now I was driving west, away from the city of Madrid and into the last great holm oak forests of Europe.
Cinereous vultures... stone martens... spotless starlings... The highway was almost empty on that bright morning, and I was daydreaming about the beautiful animals that lived in the legendary National Park where I was heading: Monfragüe.
RAPTORS OF THE STEPPES - on assignment for WWS
After a long winter night, the plains of central Spain are covered with frost. And a strange pale bird, just as white, appears: a 2-year old leucistic Magpie. But it will have to give way, because as the sun rises in the cloudless sky, more and more raptors arrive. Not just kites and harriers... but the family of young Imperial eagles.
WINDSWEPT (2 days filming chamois)
Los Puertos de Áliva - a beautiful but unforgiving place.
Many animals enjoy the summer here, and then descend to the sheltering valleys in winter.
But not the chamois. They stay, and endure whatever the mountain has in store for them. Snow makes walking harder, but it is the wind that makes it truly hostile. It blows unimpeded across the slopes, and it carries more than just thin rain. The rutting season ended weeks ago, but the big males still sense pheromones and messages of rivalry in the savage gusts that blow away any memory of warmth.
THE GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOO (Clamator glandarius)
The call of the Great spotted cuckoo is shrill for a reason. It has just arrived from its winter migration, and wants to be seen and heard. Not only by its conspecfics, but also by the magpies, whose nests it will parasitise by luring the parents away from their nests leaving them unattended.
The cuckoos look over the oak forest. Spring will arrive soon, bringing challenges and opportunities. But for now, the days are short, and when the vulture seeks its roost, all small birds know they must find shelter... because at this time of day, the high-pitched voice of the cuckoo is about to give way to the deep call of the Eagle-owl.
A TIME FILMING ANTS - on assignment for LAOWA
Learning about ants is easy - when, like me, you know nothing about them in the first place. I had never devoted much time to watching ants but a recent assignment from Laowa (testing their new 28-75mm T2.9 lens, and their 100mm F2.8 macro) was a great opportunity to spend a few days discovering the common ant genus we see every day but never notice: the tiny Lasius, the hardworking Messor, and the fearsome Camponotus.
RÍA, THE LYNX - on assignment for WWS
A powerful lynx patrols her territory. She moves with the swift determination of the experienced huntress. But there is something else about her walk. I'm beginning to wonder where she's come from when she turns her head, and now I can recognise a familiar marking underneath her left eye: the black stripe is interrupted, like a broken tear. This is Ría, the surviving daughter of Odrina. It has been three years since I saw her, but she hasn't lost her curiosity... and now, as she stalks the forests of her new territory, she has mastered stealth to perfection.
THE SPOONBILL THAT BEFRIENDED AN EGRET
A foraging strategy to stir up fish in the shallows? Or protection against predators? I like to think they also enjoy each other's company... Two unrelated species, so different in so many ways, yet so similar in their pure white plumage, their elegance... and their efficiency.
Only when editing I noticed the hollow wound at the base of the spoonbill's manidble. How shallow our attention to detail is!
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THE IBIS AND THE LECHWE
Eight million Sacred ibis were sacrificed in Ancient Egypt to worship Thoth, the god of wisdom and science: a cruel irony. But the true purpose of the ibis never lied in dark catacombs... but shining under the African sun, surrounded by hippos and splashing lechwe antelopes.
PEÑALAJO - on assignment for WWS (5x1' compilation )
Peñalajo-Aprisco estate in Ciudad Real (Spain) is a conservation and wildlife photography project run by WildwatchingSpain and WWF. The stars of the show are of course the endangered Iberian lynxes that have made a spectacular comeback to the estate - but there are many other animals living in this dry mediterranean shrubland.
SYNC / PROMO
BADGERS ON THE EASEL - for UWE Bristol MA
On the northwest boundary of the NewForest National Park lives Kim Thompson - a wildlife artist who has wildlife at her very doorstep. Her love for this place permeates into every stroke of her paintings, that become more than just portraits of wild animals... they become a statement from this pristine, vanishing wilderness.
9 SQ. METRES
March 2020, Bristol UK. Spring is coming, so I'll search for the best wildlife destinations and get ready for the trip of a lifetime...or maybe not!
I'm very happy that this video won the Short Film category of the IWPA 2020 with kind praise from Chris Packham.
CHEESE PROMO - for Peñalajo estate
A promo I made for Peñalajo estate about their traditional cheese.
Whilst editing, I may have eaten more than my share of this delicious cheese!
BATALLONES FOSSIL SITE (2021) -
for Madrid Natural Science Museum / Community of Madrid
An overview of 'Cerro de los Batallones' Miocene fossil site in Madrid, and summary of findings from the 2021season.
(the 30' video featuring the findings from 2020 and more interviews with scientists is available in the MNCN channel here)
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