MEET VICTOR
I was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and from an early age, I loved nature and the great outdoors. As a young boy, while walking to school, I would search for spiders and scorpions under rocks, and marvelled at the array of birds that chirped and sang to me as I walked along. I started to memorize their calls and began to learn their names from people around me.
In 1998 I met, fell in love with and ultimately married my lovely wife Vanessa. We have always shared our passion for nature and wildlife, having been volunteers for a number of wildlife organizations. It was also around this time that my love for photography blossomed. I had bought a camera some time back but didn't think it was for me. However, a chance meeting with a professional photographer really triggered the excitement and the passion for photography. His work and his advice served as an inspiration and a guiding light and I became deeply passionate about photography. I would spend almost every spare moment behind the camera. I tried various things including studio, portrait and product photography but ultimately my passion lay in the outdoors, in the wildlife and in capturing their beauty. I am therefore, a so called, "self-taught" photographer - but that would be disrespecting the knowledge that I have gained from so many outstanding photographers that I have had the pleasure of shooting with and who have passed on so much of their knowledge and experience. I have close to 20 years of experience in the field and have always photographed wildlife and always with Canon equipment.
In South Africa, the Kruger Park has always had a special place in my heart and in 2010 we moved to Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, where we lived literally on the doorstep of the park and we could visit to our hearts content - and we did. It was here that I honed and perfected my photography and I am fortunate enough to say that I have spent hundreds of hours in the park, photographed in just about every situation in the park and got to know almost every camp intimately. I adore the far northern region around Punda-Maria and Pafuri where the pace slows down substantially, the elephants are bigger, the bird-life abundant and the heat sizzling. Just writing about it makes me long for it.
In 2016, we decided to move to the UK, initially living in Sheffield, then London and now we have bought our first home in Surrey. In a way, I was apprehensive about this move because it would take me away from my beloved African wildlife. But the move has opened my senses to a whole new world - Europe is home to some incredible species - badgers, wolves, bears and deer were all animals that I had only read about as a child in fairy tales. Moving to the U.K. has given me a greater appreciation for all wildlife and I look forward to exploring new locations and experience magnificent wildlife. It has also given me the experience of photographing in some really foul weather! Surprisingly, I am actually grateful for that as it has taught me to think outside the box and to be able to capture some great images that I would otherwise have shied away from, so there is even a silver lining to the famous British weather.
In short ...
I love wildlife
I love photography
I love exploring
I hope that as you read this you feel that you have got to know me a little better and I invite you to join me in exploring and showcasing this magnificent and wild world we live in.
Keep safe and keep well
Vic
