David moved to the Scottish Highlands from Derby-shire, as a newly qualified forester, in 1966. Since then he has worked for the Forestry Commission in various locations around the north. For the last twenty years he has lived by the shores of Loch Lochy, at the southern end of the Great Glen, close by Ben Nevis the UK’s highest peak.

David took up wildlife photography during a four year posting in North Sutherland’s Flow Country. He wanted to do more than simply watch the exciting birds of prey, shorebirds and divers (loons) he saw there. Though new to using a camera, much of the wildlife photographer’s art was not. That had been learnt from a very early age, assisting his father, a bird photographer of an older generation. He had worked in an era when the format was large, 1/4 plate for choice, and lenses were extremely short. This often meant getting a hide (blind) accepted by a wild bird a couple of metres distant. If nothing else it taught one a healthy respect for one’s subject.

Since then David’s horizons have widened considerably. Automated cameras with long fast lenses and macro and flash systems that do not require a calculator to work out the exposure are now the norm. These days he will turn his lens on almost any wildlife or environmental subject.