Becoming a photo contributor to ARKive

As a wildlife photographer, one of my chief interests is finding stories that need telling and haven ‘t received as much attention as they deserve. Sometimes that can be taking a fresh look at the behaviour or circumstances of a very common animal and sometimes it can be finding and recording rare species.

It was this desire that led me to Cuba in November last year to photograph its bird and reptile species. It’s a country that many people have visited to sample its unique culture and history, but relatively little is out there about its equally fascinating ecosystems and wildlife. I enjoyed the trip immensely, you can find my favourite photographs recorded in my book “Cuba: Town & Country”.

Cuba is home to a large number of endemic species, some of which I captured, so I was especially keen that these images of rare species could be used for people’s education and awareness. I’d been aware for some time of a fascinating online project to collate a unique collection of photos and videos of the rarest wildlife on earth, ARKive and made a conscious decision that I should try and become a contributor in 2012.

I’m delighted to announce that I now have 6 images of 3 species  from Cuba published on the ARKive website, including 3 of the highly endangered Cuban Iguana (or Cayman Islands Iguana as it’s also known and ARKive term it). You can also find images of the Cuban Black Hawk and the Yellow-Throated Warbler on the site.

Please take a look around the incredible ARKive website and view the introductory video from Sir David Attenborough to understand why this is such an important project. I am delighted to be contributing to the project and hope I can continue to do so long into the future.