About Me

​

Hi there, my name is Ben and I'm a British Film Maker, Photographer and Conservationist. I travel to some of the most remote places in the world and combine these passions to do my all to raise awareness of the plight of wildlife, and of the organisations that work tirelessly to protect them, as well as to raise as much money as I can to assist in the fight to protect wildlife. The principle of my work is as follows:
 

• 20% of proceeds from my photo prints and image licensing goes directly to conservation

•  I then create videos to show the customers the benefits of their purchase.

• Any customer who purchases a photo gets credited at the end of a video

• Those who buy limited edition or prints at a higher price get a thank you within the video

• Those who buy a one-off print get a personalised video showing the conservation work that they have helped to fund, and thanking them for their contribution. W where possible they will get updates of the animal(s) they have helped to protect. 

If you would like to read more about my story and how I got in to this mad life, then please continue to read below. 

I was born in Birmingham, England and grew up loving animals and wildlife. Growing up, I had just about every pet going, and my grandad, uncle and father taught me all about British wildlife. During the holidays my friends and I would go looking for frogs, insects, birds and deer, and catch minnows and sticklebacks in a river around a caravan site that we would visit during the summers. We would wait around at night looking for bats and badgers, and would relish being on 'spider duty' to take all the spiders out of the caravans and toilets before bed time. In our gardens we would dig nature pools for the frogs and dragonflies, plant flowers for the bees and butterflies. 

After travelling to South Africa as a young teen and experiencing my first game drive, I was inspired to pursue a career in conservation. I achieved a first class BSc (Hons) Wildlife Conservation at Nottingham Trent University. During my university placement, I returned to South Africa and took up the role of an ecologist and researcher at a game reserve in South Africa. My role involved tracking, research and analysis for large projects on big cats, game capture and rescue, as well working within the realms of anti-poaching. Whilst there I qualified as a ranger through the Field Guides Association of South Africa (FGASA) and was accredited as a level two tracker through CyberTracker. I spent my summers working for one of Africa‘s oldest and most prestigious mobile safari company: Penduka Safaris, in some of the wildest and inhospitable bush throughout Botswana and Namibia. Whilst there, a chance meeting with wildlife film maker Brad Bestelink, I was inspired to take up photography and film making. 

Once I finished my undergrad and my placements during my summers, I managed to obtain a place on a BBC partnered MA in documentary film making at the University of the West of England. Since then I have been between the UK and Africa trying to document the wildlife, and conservation work and assist how I could on the ground, raising awareness for different organisations. I am most known for working with wildlife veterinarian Dr William Fowlds as part of the team on the ground helping to protect and conserve rhinos in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. My work has also taken me to Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

I have always been obsessed with sports and adventure. Keeping fit and strong is an essential part of my lifestyle; I love running, climbing and snowboarding. I like to think this benefits my work in the bush where you need to remain fit, healthy and vigilant. I read all sorts of adventure biographies from early explorers through to modern day adventurers. Of course, I have had many exciting adventures and hair raising experiences of my own. I have been charged by elephants, thrown by rhino, and had stand offs with lions and hyenas. I have had honey badgers in my tent and many more close encounters with dangerous wildlife. I like to think I thrive in wild and dangerous places, stick me by a fire in the bush, or throw me into the middle of the jungle and the savannah and you will see a man in his element. 

———-

If you would like to keep up to date with my latest adventures, conservation work, or just stay updated with conservation news, then please follow me on social media @benswildlife (Facebook, Instagram) or subscribe to my blog / vlog.