I grew up in a hot, dry town. There were beautiful puffy cumulus clouds in a deep blue sky and vividly painted skies at sunset. Occasional thunderstorms in summer charged the air and when it rained a fresh smell from the earth filled the air. There were still large patches of bush near our house. We had a garden with a large variety of different tree and plants.

I loved to climb the fig tree, water the little grove of citrus trees and admire the plants. In the early morning and late afternoon the quality of the light was superb and everything took on a golden glow. Years later as a photographer I would look for this kind of special light to take my nature pictures.

I became a photographer at 22 and worked full time for the next 12 years. I started shooting mainly music and fashion pictures and events, an exciting time. In my mid 20s I travelled around the world, in Asia mostly, then America and Europe, photographing, meeting picture agencies and magazine editors, taking on assignments and selling existing work.

On my return I used the special light of Namibia to good effect in my first great nature pictures in the desert in 1984, combining the rich colour it gave with graphic shapes and textures. I would camp in the desert under a Camelthorn tree for a week or two, the night ablaze with stars, feeling the desert’s calming spiritual energy and hunting for great pictures when the light was good. The best of these were boundary breaking pictures for their time.

Then I lived in Paris and London for seven years, also travelling a lot for work.For several years my picture stories and photos were published in the leading European magazines of the day often as picture spreads over several pages. I also did some commercial work and photographs for corporate annual reports. After this time I moved on to other pursuits, but nature photography has remained a central thread in my life.

My next endeavour was to capture the trees and plants of Southern Africa, a very challenging project because of the immense variety of flora. It wasn’t always easy finding beautiful trees, capturing their serene presence or the peak of their seasonal displays. Some of the best trips were in Zimbabwe, along the Zambezi river in Zambia, the Knysna forest in South Africa and the desert plants of Namaqualand. I worked hard at it, until a painful sciatica condition, often the bane of photographers, overcame me and curtailed the work. So instead, I brought the trees to me.

I bought a house in Cape Town and planted an experimental indigenous garden with as much diversity as possible. I now have over 50 different indigenous species of trees. A handful of the largest ones had to be brought in by crane but most of them were of small or medium size when I planted them and have flourished remarkably. I divided the garden into different areas each representing a different habitat of Southern Africa. I have a small forest area, woodland trees, coastal, riverine and other water loving trees and Cape fynbos plants. Amongst the trees I’ve planted many different indigenous plants.

This enormous variety of trees and plants all flowering and fruiting at different times has made my garden an urban haven for birds, bees and insects. Birds are are always flying about or drinking from the fountains, and I am woken at first light by birdsong. Bees are ever present on one or other flowering plant or tree. I also enjoy growing and harvesting a variety of organic vegetables and herbs for the kitchen.

Gardens can bring a little bit of nature into an urban environment. They can be very healing. Looking after trees and plants and watching them grow and change with the seasons, having one’s hands in the soil, is calming, grounding and very rewarding.

Hugging a tree, holding its trunk with one’s palms or sitting under a tree with your back to the trunk are also all grounding. Each tree is unique, but different tree species in general have particular energetic characteristics. I find sitting under a Sweethorn tree Vachellia Karoo for example, calming and relaxing.

In the last 10 years lightweight mirrorless digital cameras with superb quality have allowed me to take professional quality pictures again and I have adapted my style and found new themes to continue photographing trees, plants and the sea and seashore I love. Most of the sea pictures are taken in the last few years using digital Sony cameras whereas the tree pictures are older and mostly shot on film using Nikon cameras.

I still look for great colour and good light now, but I have also an added fascination for detail and pattern, wonder in small things and as always, looking for the art in nature.

I’ve spent time and many trips in the Indian Ocean Islands and some along the East and South East African coast, taking pictures on many trips, often a working holiday, trying to find great places and beautiful scenes and capture them in a creative and original way. These places are lush with trees and plants, the sea is warm, the beaches often magnificent and there are many truly beautiful locations.

In my pictures of the sea I try to capture the movement and moods of a dynamic ever changing ocean. I love watching the rolling waves and the changing moods of the sea. I also look for interesting details on the beach and what’s washed up on it. And I love walking among the sea-loving trees growing nearby.

My photographs were published all over the world for several decades. I’ve had a few solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions in South Africa, Namibia, Paris and Helsinki. This site showcases nature pictures from the last 25 years or so which have not previously been published. I hope it contributes in some way to increasing a love of nature and encouraging us to act as good custodians of Earth.