Changes to Limited Edition Print Pricing
In the last six months, I have been doing a lot of reflection.
After what was a very difficult period for me at the end of 2018, I came to the realisation that I feel the need to do more to help the environment. The climate crisis is more serious than I think any of us truly understand; watching David Attenborough's Netflix series Our Planet was an eye-opener.
The harrowing scenes of the Walrus, the Orangutans and the baby Pelicans were so sad. We have done so much damage to our home, and it's the wildlife which is at the forefront, experiencing the consequences of our actions.
Until the turn of the year, I had been splitting my time between my budding photography business and the consulting work I had been doing since 2017. The reality is that I had not been enjoying the consulting work, and had become disenfranchised with the direction the tech industry was taking - and I believe it was part of the reason why my mental health took a turn for the worse.
However, during an early morning walk on Cannock Chase in April, I decided that I wanted to give up some of my working week to the Woodland Trust. I had recently become aware of the dire situation our forests are in - we are the third least-wooded country in Europe, and only four per cent of our land is covered by native broadleaf woodland. These forests are essential for supporting our native wildlife habitats.
First Light, Cannock Chase, Staffordshire - April 2019
I now give my weekends to working with the Woodland Trust in its fundraising team, to make people aware of the problems the UK's forests and wildlife face, to evangelise the work that the Trust is doing to change this, and to raise funds to support the Trust's work.
As the majority of my outdoor photography is done in British woodland, it makes sense to make additional donations to the Trust on the back of sales of my limited edition prints, on-location woodland photography workshops and post-processing tutorials.
Falling Through The Arch, Heartwood Forest, Hertfordshire
To give you an idea where your donations will go, 81 pence of every pound goes directly into supporting the cause (protecting, restoring and planting trees). For every £2.50 donated, the Trust can plant one tree on your behalf.
If you choose to purchase one of my limited edition prints, you must share my passion for woodland, so it seems like an opportunity to support a great cause that I'm already donating much of my time to outside of my photography business.
If, however, you decide that you would not like to make a donation, I understand. At the end of the day, it's a voluntary donation, but I do hope that you take the time to read a bit about the work that the Woodland Trust does, though, because it's now more important than ever.
