WILDPHOTOS

On October 13th 2024 a world-class line-up of speakers came together for a unique programme of talks and panels at Bristol Aquarium Megascreen that explored the triumphs and challenges of capturing nature in photography, as well as the future of the genre.

Post-WildPhotos Online Passes

Catch up on what you missed at WildPhotos 2024 until January 31st 2025!

Our Online Pass gives you post-event access to our delegate app, allowing you to catch up and watch back live streams of this years sessions.

PLUS access Headliners, Masterclasses, Decision Maker Clinics and more from this years festival as well as our full film library of this year’s Official Selection and Panda Award Nominees for only £10 more! That’s over 60 natural history films and episodes at your fingertips!

Tickets start at just £15!

Programme

Take a look at our topics and takeaways from this event.

Welcome Talk

Kathy Moran began the day with a snapshot of what was to come as well as what had been. WildPhotos returns to celebrate and explore the mastery of capturing wildlife and nature photography. Wildscreen is proud to partner with Natural History Museum, London’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year to host this one day event.

WildPhotos Headline Sponsor, MPB.com, joined the welcome and CEO, Matt Barker, said a few words on the importance of visual storytelling in a way that’s good for the people and the planet.

Two Worlds

These days thanks to technology and client demands most photographers find themselves having to produce film as part of their deliverables. For many this is a frustrating necessity while others embrace it as an inspiring challenge and a critical component of their storytelling. How do you decide when the moment should be a still or film? Can you do it all or do you need a team? Is the future video or photography?

Photographers and videographers Evgenia Arbugaeva, Peter Ndung’u and Joris van Alphen shared how they work in both worlds.

MPB.com.

Under Our Feet

It is the little things that make the world go around. The things that buzz, slither or crawl. Or, looking at it through a different lens, the creatures that pollinate, recycle, control pests and aerate the soil. So many of the smaller unsung and often unloved species are the ones that provide ecosystem services critical to the health of wild places and wildlife, including us.

Photographers Ingo Arndt, Dhritiman Mukherjee and Chien Lee shared their appreciation for diverse environments and the species that keep them operating.

Thomas Peschak:
The Amazon, A Journey From the Andes to the Atlantic

National Geographic photographer and marine biologist Thomas Peschak has spent decades documenting ocean ecosystems. Looking for a new challenge he spent 396 days following the course of the Amazon River and its tributaries across South America, from snow-capped Andean volcanos to pristine lowland jungles, through coastal mangroves and across the Caribbean, where the river meets the sea. Instead of sharks, whales, and sea turtles he encountered piranhas, swimming sloths, pink dolphins and dedicated conservationists. Thomas’ narrative blends photojournalism, exploration, and art as he redefines the Amazon as more than forest, but rather the most biodiverse freshwater ecosystem on our planet.

Save Our Seas Foundation.

How to Pitch Stories and Fund Photography

In the increasingly competitive world of editorial photography what are the best ways to submit story proposals to publications, find funding for long-term projects and build new relationships. Our panel of experts shared tips on how to pitch ideas and secure funding with National Geographic Society Vice President for Storytelling Grants and Programs Rachael Strecher moderating a discussion around best practices.

Sabine Meyer, Photography Director, for Audubon, Richard Edwards, Head of Content, WWF-UK, Britta Jaschinski, freelance photographer, Alexa Keefe, Managing Editor, Photography, for National Geographic magazine and Robin Moore, Vice President, Communications and Marketing for re:wild shared their strategies for successful pitching.

The Conservation Narrative

Beautiful wildlife images make people care about the natural world – we need them – but the stories that must be told, the photographs that must be seen, are the ones that shine a light on our relationship with the natural world. Conservation storytelling creates a visual narrative, with photography as evidence, of what is happening to wildlife and wild places as well as highlighting solutions.

Photographers Jaime Rojo, Morgan Heim and Hannah Reyes Morales shared a diverse range of topics from butterfly migrations to coastal communities that explore this storytelling genre.

International League of Conservation Photographers.

Water World

There is more water than land on our planet yet for many our oceans, freshwater lakes and rivers and wetlands, that liminal space in between, are an enduring mystery. However, these ecosystems are critical to the overall health of the planet. Home to myriad species and a source of joy and sustenance for millions we need to understand the state of our waterways.

Photographers Justin Gilligan, Shane Gross and Tony Wu shared their experiences across multiple environments from coral reefs to vernal pools to open oceans. All creatures, tadpoles to whales, are connected under the surface.

Charlie Hamilton James:
End Times

“End Times” is the evolution of photographer Charlie Hamilton James’ work from photojournalism into an artistic exploration of global environmental collapse and how we consume information about the natural world. By reframing his visual narrative Hamilton James creates images that encourage audiences to engage and emphasize with challenging topics. The photographs are meant to work on an emotional level that portray humanity in a brutal and honest way. The work is dark, occasionally funny and always confrontational. His journey and the photographs that he has made make for powerful storytelling.