The UK now homes an exploding population of deer. Complimenting our two natives, Red and Roe we now have Sitka, Muntjac, Fallow and Chinese Water Deer. Their ecological effects, particuarly in woodland are increasing. However as some of our largest land mammals they make brilliant photographic projects.  

Over the last 6 years I have visited Finland 3 times to spend time photographing brown bears. To be so close to such a large and charismatic animal is an amazing experience and one I never tire of!

I love working with badgers. They are a big commitment and the two times I have done this I had to devote virtually the whole spring and summer to each project. Working in this way really lets you into an animals world. By the end of each project I had followed the fortunes of two familes to the extent that I came to know the real characters of each player, rather like a soap opera!

Often overlooked the small mammals of Britain have a key role to play, though often its simply recycling vegetation into owl prey! They live with us and near us but are seldom seen because of their understandably secret ways, which is part of their attraction.

I have spent a lot of time over the years working with rescue hedgehogs. In some summers this has meant looking after a small number of individuals. These have allowed me to create some of the images in this portfolio. In some cases these images are trying to tell a story and show a little of the life and threats to one of our most popular, yet alarmingly dwindling mammals. 

Britain has only one native hare, the Mountain Hare. Brown Hares were introduced by the Romans. Both species are incredibly attractive and endearing. Living in Sheffield has many benefits, one being that I can be watching Mountain Hares on my local moors within a five minute drive from my house.  

Two of the UK's favourite mammals. I have spent many hours stalking wild otters on remote Scottish shores, possibly one of my favourite wildlife experiences. Photographing otters in England is difficult but there are now many opportunities to work with captive animals in natural settings. This form of photography is not for everyone but it does have a strong conservation ethic under-pinning it. The fox images on the beach and with the fish are from one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences. I was moving around a large number of islands in a Norwegian fiord when we spotted an otter and a fox playing on the beach. We didn't get many chances to take images but when we landed on the island the fox was amazingly confiding, we stayed for hours with this individual who had a real taste for fish, the ones we were going to feed the sea eagles with!

Any journey north fires my imagination. Trips to the Arctic are very special indeed. Polar bears and Walrus are immense, and not simply in size!

In days past time at Donna Nook was probably the highlight of my year. Unfortunately some things change, and not always for the better, still those days out on the Wash were special and magical.  

Many of us love the red but detest the grey yet perhaps the tide is turning, it's hard to know. I do though suspect that in city parks the grey squirrel is probably the most approachable British mammal and may be the driver to creating the next generation of naturalists. However, there is no denying that our reds are simple 'drop-dead-gorgeous'.