“Wild London: The Nature of a Capital” by Iain Green (vegan), Part 1 of 2

Iain Green (vegan) is an internationally acclaimed wildlife photographer and author from England, UK. He is also the director of Animal Aid, a Shining World Compassion Award recipient dedicated to animal-people rights. “And I realized that most people weren’t thinking about the wildlife that they had on their doorstep. So, “Wild London” was the absolute, perhaps the opposite, to that. And so I set off on a three-year challenge to write about, and photograph, the wildlife on our doorstep.” “I’ve photographed seals in the Thames, swimming along the Thames underneath Tower Bridge. It’s just amazing to think this such special animal is living around our cities, making our city its home.”

Mr. Green has stated, “Everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy nature on their doorstep.” “My favorite moment ever was discovering this blue and orange ball just outside my back door. It was a kingfisher, asleep. And it was a reminder of the wildlife that’s happening all around us; none of us know the things that we might encounter tomorrow, that might be happening just outside our door, our window. So, it’s a really important thing to look at the wildlife we’ve got on our doorstep.” “There are many unique challenges in photographing urban wildlife. One of the challenges is things don’t happen when you expect them to. Be prepared to go back day after day, week after week, if that’s necessary.” “My advice to anybody wanting to start out life as a wildlife photographer would be to focus on the wildlife that they’ve got near where they live. And the beauty of photographing wildlife on your doorstep, that’s realistic, that’s achievable.”