Who are we?

Images of Wild Nature is a unique collection of high quality wildlife and natural history images by UK wildlife photographer Andrew Parkinson. The collection primarily consists of British birds and mammals captured digitally over the last three years though more overseas galleries will be added shortly. These will feature a diverse array of subjects from destinations such as Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Nepal, India and Australia.

What is unique about Images of Wild Nature is that it is the only image collection in the UK that exclusively features animals and birds that are completely wild and free.

Why do we do this?

The worldwide market for commercial wildlife images is becoming increasingly flooded with images of captive animals and birds, photographed in such a way that it makes the subjects appear to be wild. These images are frequently and unethically misrepresented as depicting wild subjects, resulting in picture buyers all over the world being routinely misled about the way in which an image was made.

A recent surge in the demand for wildlife imagery has only served to fuel this thriving industry and has resulted in more and more species being brought into commercial captivity. From wolves to weasels, owls to otters and bears to badgers, these icons of our environment are often kept, for no genuine educational purpose, simply to meet the insatiable demands of a growing number of aspiring nature photographers. In some cases these animals are housed in the most wretched and squalid conditions, frequently reduced to the level of circus performer, for hire by the hour.

Such exploitation and mistreatment are fortunately still the exception, rather than the rule, but ethics and welfare issues remain a concern. It is therefore the policy of Images of Wild Nature to exclude any such captive subjects from our collection. Only then can we absolutely guarantee that no animal or bird has been taken into captivity, exploited or mistreated in any way, simply to satisfy market demands.

A note to picture buyers!

There has also been a worrying increase recently in the number of photographers who have taken to using live bait in a search for ever easier and more saleable images. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Arctic regions of Canada and Scandinavia where hundreds of small mammals are being thrown alive to habituated owls so that photographers can capture the action.

Images of Wild Nature feels compelled to expose and highlight this deplorable trade and to reassure all visitors to this site that Images of Wild Nature will never represent imagery that has been captured in this, or any similar way. This 'picture at all costs' mentality is irrevocably tarnishing the reputation of genuine wildlife photographers the world over, photographers who have a real passion and empathy for their subject and find the notion of throwing an animal to its death, simply for an image, utterly deplorable. We would therefore politely encourage all picture buyers and imaging professionals to question just how an image was made and to consider the integrity of any photographer who could sanction or condone such behaviour.