2024

December - The first term of the diploma course I am doing is coming to an end this month, and I am pleasantly surprised at how well it is going. Returning to full-time education as a mature student has been an interesting experience, with somewhat of an ego death taking place by going right back to the starting line for a new direction in life. But I've found the science subjects fascinating and have been achieving high grades so far. I was even fortunate to dip my toe back into the TV industry for a day this month, assisting DOP Robin Cox with a series of interviews for an as yet unannounced BBC production coming out next year. 

September - With little work on the horizon, I have decided to step away from the television and film industry for now and return to college to study for a Science access to higher education diploma. Returning to full-time academia after being away from it for over twenty years is daunting. But with the continuing decline of projects at the moment, I am making moves to keep my options open for potentially alternate career paths in the future. 

August - This month, I was due to be away all month filming a sequence for a long-running natural history series, but this shoot was sadly cancelled 24 hours before we were due to depart. I've never had so many cancelled shoots in a year which is unfortunate and a worrying trend for many other people in the industry these past few years.  

July - Planning and preparation for an upcoming shoot abroad this month involved attending a scaffolding course to be qualified at erecting scaffolding towers for filming from. 

June - Still very quiet work wise, with many companies experiencing mass redundancies or closing down entirely. Reports of 75% of freelancers having not worked in over 6 months and many leaving the industry for other careers, it is a desperate time for many. Despite this, I have been having several meetings with companies discussing potential up and coming projects for the year ahead.  

May - Despite the disappointing lack of work across the industry worldwide, I took advantage of being able to spend more time at home with friends and family this month. It has been years since I have spent so much time in the UK.

April - Was gearing up and organising logistics to start work on a new wildlife series which would have involved multiple international shoots and a large team. It was an ambitious project but unfortunately the production became another victim of the current decline in television output of our industry and was cancelled at the last minute.  

March - The final shoot for Ancient Apocalypse Series 2 saw us travelling to Mexico and visiting an incredible location where we filmed ancient Mayan pyramids. This was a fantastic final shoot for the series in an amazing location where we were fortunate enough to have access to Mayan pyramids at night during the spring equinox. We lit up an entire pyramid at night for a beautiful sequence of Graham Hancock walking amongst these ancient structures under a full moon and creatively illuminated by DOP Will Fewkes and Paul Artons genius lighting skills. It was a great final shoot for the series and I privilege to have been involved on.

February - This month I travelled to the Red Sea and spent time building up hours and experience on my Rebreather. A silver lining to the lack of work in the industry right now is the opportunity to invest in myself and my skills. After 24 years of diving it is great to be progressing in a new underwater discipline that is rebreather diving. I had some beautiful bubble free dives to 45 meters exploring the aquatic topography of Dahab and growing more familiar with my rebreather and understanding the potential in this amazing technolgy 

January - Starting off the new year I took advantage of the opportunity to finally work on some long overdue jobs. Organising equipment, life admin and prepping for the year ahead was the main achievements of the first month of this new year. 

2023

December - After a busy year I journeyed to Australia after the Rapa Nui shoot and spent time visiting family and relaxing before returning to the UK for Christmas.

October to November - Another shoot for Ancient Apocalypse Series 2 and this trip was a special one. A bucket list destination for me, this shoot took us to the unique and incredible Rapa Nui, commonly known as Easter Island. The remotest inhabited island on the planet, it really did feel like a very special place, with Moai statues littering the landscape everywhere. It was a very memorable trip for us all and one I won't forget in a hurry.

September - Work continued on Ancient Apocalypse Series 2 and this month we travelled to Peru to explore the country and visit more ancient human settlements. We began once again in the depths of the Amazon Rainforest before travelling high up into the Andes mountains to 4000 meters altitude where we filmed in the beautiful city of Cusco and the ancient site of Sacsayhuman. It was tough on all of us operating in the thin air of 4000 meters and a new experience for me working at this altitude.

August - Started work on the second series of the successful Netflix historical documentary, Ancient Apocalypse. Presented by Graham Hancock, the first shoot of the series took us to Brazil. Working as an Assistant Cameraman for DOP Will Fewkes and Paul Arton, we travelled all across Brazil for what turned out to be a very physically demanding and exhausting shoot through parts of the Amazon rainforest and some fascinating ancient human sites.  

June to July - After a very short turn around from the last shoot, I was quickly back on a plane and returning to Saudi Arabia to start work on a new series for OR Media as 2nd camera/camera assistant with DOP Alastair McCormick and Producer Laurie Nicholls. All information is under an NDA so I can't reveal any more details for now. 

April to June - I was fortunate enough to travel back to Costa Rica and work as the main cameraman for what was BBC Planet Earth's last shoot of the 3rd series. We returned to the Osa Peninsular to film more gliding tree frogs during their mating explosion event for the Freshwater episode of Planet Earth 3. This time I filmed the action from a jib using a Sony A7S3 and a combination of Sigma prime and macro lenses to get as close to the chaotic amalgamation of frogs as we could without distrurbing the behaviour. 

March - During March I continued filming in Saudi Arabia as 2nd camera/camera assistant, this time with DOP Alastiar McCormick and Producer Ali May. Again, unfortunately all information is under an NDA so I can't reveal any more details until Winter 2023.

February - This month I returned to Saudi Arabia to continue working as 2nd camera/camera assistant on a series for OR Media working with DOP Nick Ball and Producer Ludo Graham. All information is unfortunately under an NDA so I can't reveal any more details until Winter 2023.

January - I spent the first month of 2023 by taking some time off and visiting friends and family in Australia to explore a bit of the land down under. 

2022

December - Travelled to Saudi Arabia to work as 2nd Camera/Camera Assistant/Safety Diver with DOPs Robin Cox and Rich Stevenson on a series for OR Media about Saudi Arabia. All information is unfortunately under an NDA so I can't reveal any more details until Winter 2023.

​November - Travelled to Portugal and started the long journey into rebreather diving. Meeting up with one of my great friends and incredible technical diver and instructor, Manuel Leotte patiently instructed me through 10 hours of rebreather training in the cold but beautiful waters of the south west coast of Portugal. After 22 years of open circuit diving, using a rebreather has completely opened up a new world of diving possibilities I hadn't really appreciated before. This course has been a long time coming and I'm excited about the future adventures to be had on this amazing piece of kit. 

October - This month my short but sweet stint with the BBC on Planet Earth 3 came to an end. For a limited time only I returned to my friends and colleagues at Off The Fence for the month and temporarily adopted my previous role as Head of Operations. During this month I also worked as a lighting cameraman for a few short interview sequences for ongoing productions within Off The Fence. 

September - This month I was filming in India for BBC Planet Earth 3. Working as 2nd camera within a small team with Series Producer Matt Brandon and DOP Robin Cox we captured the behaviour of a Monocled Cobra hunting frogs and co-habiting alongside humans within an Indian village. Filmed primarily on Red Gemini, Red Helium and Sony A7S3 on a gimbal, this was by far one of the most exciting natural history sequences I have been a part of to date. 

August - After returning from a recent shoot in Canada at the beginning of this month, I took some time off and travelled to the Red Sea to reunite with family and old friends for a special dive trip in Sharm el Sheikh. Wanting to try something new I decided to experiment with underwater black and white photography during the trip using nothing but ambient light which yielded some interesting results. 

July - Working in Canada this month filming for BBC Planet Earth 3, Episode 1 'Coasts'. We travelled to British Colombia to film the unique behaviour of Garter snakes leaving the shoreline and hunting fish in the cold, shallow waters of the Canada. Working with DOP Simon de Glanville and Underwater Cameraman Sam Lewis, I worked as a drone pilot, underwater camera assistant and contributed to the long lens filming. 

June - Travelled to Costa Rica for my first shoot with the BBC NHU on Planet Earth 3. The sequence for this shoot was to capture a gliding tree frog mating explosion event. Directed by Abi Brown, I worked with DOP Jack Hynes and scientist Brandon Guell during a one month shoot deep in the Osa Peninsular rainforest. My primary roles were to creat aerial hyper-lapse of rainstorms gathering and shooting long lens of all the action when the behaviour occured.  

May - I was fortunate enough to be offered the camera bursary scheme which the BBC advertise each year for one of their landmark series. So this month, I began my new position as Junior Camera Operator with the BBC working on Planet Earth 3. Everything is under an NDA so I can't reveal much. But for the forceable future I will be somewhere, filming something, and trying to do it well!

April - After working at Off The Fence Productions for 10 years it finally became time for me to fly the nest and dive into other adventures elsewhere! This month was spent mostly handing over my various responsibilities at Off The Fence, saying goodbye to my good friends and colleagues I've worked with for the past decade and preparing for the next adventure.

February - Travelled to Scotland to work as a drone pilot on a historical series for an Off The Fence/Curiosity Stream production. Sequences involved GVs of the Scottish landscape and dramatic reconstructions of historical assassinations. 

January - Worked as main cameraman on a short natural history sequence for the BBC's One Show. We travelled to Peterborough to film a small flock of common cranes to document the slow repopulation of this species into British wildlife. Working with presenters Ollie Olanipekum and Nadeem Perera.

2021

December - Took some time off to celebrate Christmas and New Year with friends and family.

November - Travelled to Sharm el Sheikh in the Red Sea to spend a week testing out the new(ish) RED Komodo and GATES underwater housing combo whilst filming for stock footage. A great low profile 6K raw recording powerhouse of a camera for its size. It was great to be back in the familiar warm waters of the Red Sea with a camera able to capture everything in 6K raw glory! 

October - Worked as a cameraman on a short natural history sequence for The BBC's One Show. We travelled to RSPB Snettisham to film murmurations of knots and other bird life at the RSPB site. Worked with presenters Ollie Olanipekum and Nadeem Perera.

September - Returned back to the UK and continued working as Head of Operations at Off The Fence Productions in Bristol. The company is currently expanding into two office locations in Bristol so much of the remaining months this year (when I'm not filming) will be spent focusing on the logistics and practicalities of this huge company expansion whilst keeping productions and post productions running smoothly. 

August - Journeyed back to Africa to work as Director of Photography for the Morocco episode of the Off The Fence/ZDF specialist factual documentary focused on the African continent. We travelled throughout Morocco, capturing cultural, natural history and personality driven stories with an emphasis on aerial cinematography using drones. 

July - Continued my various operational duties as Head of Operations for Off The Fence in Bristol. I also started to make plans and prepare production equipment for filming on the next episode of the Off The Fence/ZDF specialist factual documentary focused on Africa.
 
June - After what was intended to be a 3 week trip to Cape Town in December turning into a 5 month stay, I finally returned to the UK close to 6 months later. During June I returned to my more sheltered existence as Head of Operations at Off The Fence in Bristol. Most of my time this month was spent managing operational logistics for the company and reconnecting with colleagues, friends and family I hadn't seen in a while. 

May - Continued filming for the Off The Fence/ZDF specialist factual documentary focused on Africa. This month I travelled to Ghana to join a local team of Cameramen, drone pilots and producers to help direct the shooting style and structure of this series. We filmed some truly eye opening sequences in Accra before travelling around the rest of the country. We also had the opportunity to work with the new Sony FX6 camera along with the familiar DJI Inspire 2. 

April - Filming resumed for the Off The Fence/ZDF specialist factual documentary focused on Africa. I travelled to Kenya and worked with a local team of producers, directors, cameramen and drone pilots to direct the aerial photography elements of this episode in Kenya. We travelled around the country documenting various human and natural history stories. 

March - Despite difficulties filming in Africa during a pandemic I remained in Cape Town, South Africa for another month. Work continued on the Off The Fence/ZDF specialist factual documentary focused on Africa. With filming delayed due to Covid-19 I spent the month developing story ideas for the remaining episodes along with kit testing and planning future shoots.

February - Still in Cape Town, South Africa. I have been fortunate to extend my stay in South Africa whilst filming continues on the Off The Fence/ZDF specialist factual documentary focused on Africa. We have been travelling around South Africa filming various aerial sequences for the series using the DJI Inspire 2 and Sony F55 and Sony A7S3 on a DJI Ronin RS2 for the ground filming.

January - Continued working as Director of Aerial Photography on an Off The Fence/ZDF specialist factual documentary focused on Africa. Filming continued in the new year throughout South Africa as we travelled the country documenting a diverse range of human and natural history stories for the series. 
 
2020
 
December - Just before the end of the year I was fortunate enough to be sent to South Africa to work as Director of Aerial Photography on an Off The Fence/ZDF specialist factual documentary focused on Africa. The series is being created with an aerial perspective as the main focus as we cover a wide range of human and natural history stories. 

October - Filming as second camera/drone pilot/camera assistant for the UK section of an Off The Fence/National Geographic specialist factual documentary focused on the finite supplies of water worldwide and methods to save this natural resource. 

September - After a solid 6 months with no international travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I was fortunate enough to travel to Poland on a short shoot for Off The Fence/National Geographic about the natural history of Poland. Specifically we were able to film European Bison, Wolves and Konik horses.

August - Filming interviews, drone and reconstructions for a UK based crime documentary about familicide for A&E Network.

April to July - COVID-19 Crisis. With the UK in lockdown and all scheduled film shoots cancelled I bunkered down and provided office support to the team at Off The Fence. With everyone working remotely except for myself, I managed and maintained the entire post production facilities for the company, provided technical support for the whole staff working remotely and adapted the office space to the new covid secure government guidelines in preparation for staff returning to the office.

March - Filming continues for an Off The Fence/National Geographic series based around the coming of winter. This shoot focused around the winter environments and natural world in an area of far east Russia called Primorsky Krai.
 
February - Another shoot for Off The Fence/National Geographic on a series based around the coming of winter. A superbly timed trip to the Cairngorm National Park in Scotland had us arriving a day before the biggest dump of snow the area has seen all year. This helped with our task to capture stunning winter scenics along with stormy, blizzard condition sequences for the series.
 
January - Starting the year off in the freezing cold, -40 degree environment of Alaska filming for Off The Fence/National Geographic on a series based around the coming of winter and the effects this has on the natural world. It was a small team with just the director and I tasked with filming bald eagles and trumpet swans along various rivers in the frozen landscape. -40 degrees celsius is a new record for the coldest environment I've ever had the good fortune to work in. I'll expect I'll still be defrosting in June!
 
2019

November - The final shoot for a series I have been working on which focuses on the natural world in Africa. This final trip was to the Sahara Desert to film Sand Vipers and the Atlas Mountains to film barbary macaques.

October - filming for Off The Fence/National Geographic in Ethiopia for a natural history production based on the wildlife of various countries in Africa. The 2nd trip to Ethiopia this year for two completely different series. During this trip we spent time in Awash National Park and managed to capture some great behaviour of Warthogs, Oryx and Hamadryas Baboons.
 
September - filming for Off The Fence/National Geographic in Washington State, USA for a specialist factual documentary based on the 1980 volcanic eruption of Mt St Helens. 

August - filming for Off The Fence/National Geographic in Rwanda for a natural history production based on the wildlife of the Akagera National Park; Zebras, Giraffe, weaver birds and more.

July - filming for Off The Fence/BBC One on a variety of short, UK shoots for The One Show. 

June - Mozambique and South Africa taking time off diving among the kelp forests of Cape Town and Manta Rays of Mozambique. During my time here I was fortunate/unfortunate enough to help film a dead juvenile humpback whale which had drowned after becoming entangled in octopus fishing traps. This led to the octopus fishery responsible to be closed down and octopus fishing to be banned in nationwide in South Africa. You can read about the story here.

May - continued filming for the Off The Fence/National Geographic series based on Re-wilding Europe, this time in Romania and Bulgaria. We filmed sequences of Pelicans in the Danube Delta and Taurus being released onto an island in Bulgaria as well as much more.
 
April - continued filming for the Off The Fence/National Geographic series based on Re-wilding Europe, this time in Greece and Italy. We filmed various re-wilding projects throughout both these countries.

March - continued filming for the Off The Fence/National Geographic series based on Re-wilding Europe, this time in Portugal. We spent our time filming the diverse landscape and wildlife of the Coa Vally.

February - worked as a drone pilot for Off The Fence/National Geographic on a short based on the Nespresso Coffee Farms in Ethiopia. You can watch the finished short here.

January - filming for Off The Fence/National Geographic for an ongoing series based on Re-wilding Europe. We filmed a sequence of a skulk of arctic fox being released into the wild. It was a challenging shoot to film white arctic foxes running around on white snow, with white sky in a white blizzard at -25 degrees but we managed to carve out a good sequence despite the challenges. 
 
2018

June - filming for Off The Fence/National Geographic in Finland for a series based on the wildlife of the Arctic. For this shoot we spent much of our time in hides filming brown bears, wolves and wolverines.

2017

November - filming for Off The Fence/National Geographic in far east Russia for a series based on the wildlife of Russia. I was the drone pilot for this shoot and managed to capture beautiful aerials of spotted seals, sika deer, wild boar, Lake Baikal and the Siberian Wilderness. 

September - lucky enough to visit Kamchatka in far east Russia for an Off The Fence/National Geographic production to film the wildlife of Kamchatka and specifically bears catching salmon during the Salmon run. I was the drone pilot for this shoot and captured some exciting aerials of sea lions, orca, brown bears hunting salmon in rivers and the volcanic Kamchatka environment.

August - part of a memorable trip to Svalbard to be the drone pilot of an Off The Fence/National Geographic production based on the Arctic Circle. We set sail aboard MV Havsal and sailed the arctic waters north of Svalbard for 7 exciting days. Although drone flying this far north can and did cause lots of technical issues with the drone I still managed to capture some stunning aerials of huge bird cliffs, walrus colonies, glaciers, ice packs, polar bears and the Arctic habitat.
 
January to July - filming for Off The Fence/The European Nature Trust/Auchan Romania on a feature film based on the natural history of Romania. I worked as a drone pilot for the production and was one of 2 pilots for the entire film. Throughout the production we travelled all over Romania, capturing scenics and wildlife from an aerial perspective using DJI Inspire 2 drones and DJI Phantom 4 Pro Plus. Other roles included filming timelapse's and main camera for a sequence covering a brown bear emerging from hibernation over winter.