A Life Shaped by the Wild

Most mornings begin the same way.

Coffee before the day properly starts, birds already awake, monkeys moving through the trees while the light changes quietly around us. Mark and I sit on the veranda, overlooking the bush, talking about the day ahead — sometimes a day in the field, sometimes travel, sometimes editing, sometimes nothing more than being still for a little longer.

This is the rhythm my life has settled into - a life shaped by the wild.

I work as a wildlife photographer and safari guide in East Africa, and over time the wild has shaped not just what I do, but how I live. When your days are spent in places where animals set the pace, you learn quickly that attention matters more than urgency. That watching is often more valuable than acting. That understanding comes from time, not proximity.

Running our own safari company has given me the privilege of spending an extraordinary amount of time in the field. Not passing through, but returning again and again to the same landscapes, the same prides, the same elephants, the same rhythms. With that familiarity comes a deeper understanding — of behavior, of patterns, of the small signals that tell you when to stay and when to move on.

Photography, for me, has grown out of that understanding. I’m less interested in dramatic moments than in honest ones. I’m drawn to what happens before and after the obvious — the stillness, the pauses, the moments when animals are simply being. Over time, I’ve come to understand that photography carries responsibility. Access brings obligation, and the way we observe and document wildlife matters just as much as what we capture.

Guiding has reinforced this even more. Sitting with clients in the field, engine off, waiting as the day unfolds, I’m constantly reminded that the most meaningful experiences often come from patience. From allowing moments to develop naturally. From resisting the urge to rush or interfere. When animals are comfortable, everything else falls into place.

My life moves between different worlds — long days in the bush, quieter stretches editing images, time on the coast, travel across East Africa. Some days are intense, others slow. But all of them are shaped by the same principles: respect, attention, and an awareness that the wild does not exist for our convenience.

This journal is a place to document that life as it is lived — not just the sightings or the photographs, but the way time in wild places changes how you see, how you wait, and how you move through the world. It’s a record of a life shaped by proximity, familiarity, and a deep appreciation for the animals and landscapes that make it possible.