Hi, I'm Tom – the guy behind the lens.
Although wildlife photography has become a huge part of my life, my passion for wildlife began long before I ever owned a camera.
As a child, I spent almost every school holiday and countless weekends at our family caravan on a farm near Amulree in Perthshire. Set beside the River Braan, it was the perfect classroom for a young wildlife enthusiast.
From the age of five until my late teens, I spent hundreds of days exploring the river and surrounding woodland, watching kingfishers, dippers, herons, red squirrels, red deer and countless other species.
Those years taught me how to observe wildlife, patiently and respectfully - skills that still shape my photography today. Photography itself came much later. After starting a computer business in 1995, I used cameras only for work for the next 25 years.
It wasn't until I was recovering from a total knee replacement surgery in 2019 that I picked up a camera for pleasure. I initially photographed Edinburgh's architecture and streets before realising my real interest had always been wildlife.
In January 2021, I began walking 10,000 steps every day along the Water of Leith and other green spaces across Edinburgh. The goal was simple: improve my fitness, improve my photography and document the incredible wildlife living alongside us in the city. That project became Go Wild in Edinburgh, dedicated to Edinburgh's urban wildlife.
Since then, my photography has taken me far beyond the city. Over the past five years I've walked more than 6,000 miles with a camera, exploring Scotland's mainland coastline and islands in search of wildlife. This website is predominantly a collection my urban wildlife work here, in Edinburgh but also of some of my favourite images from my journeys around Scotland and beyond.
My photographs have appeared in local and national newspapers, magazines, television programmes including BBC Winterwatch, and have been used by organisations, in various marketing formats, including the Scottish Government, BBC Scotland, the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Nature Scot, Visit Scotland, the City of Edinburgh Council, the Water of Leith Conservation Trust, The Scots Magazine plus many more.
If you're visiting Edinburgh, or local to the city, please take a visit to my exhibition of 45 framed urban wildlife photographs at the Water of Leith Visitor Centre on Lanark Road. Entry is free, and the visitor centre and café are well worth a visit - every purchase helps support the excellent conservation work carried out by the Water of Leith Conservation Trust.
Thank you for taking the time to visit my website. I hope my photographs inspire you to look a little closer at the wildlife around you, whether you're exploring Scotland's wild landscapes or simply walking through your local park.
Miscellaneous.....
With all the wildlife we have in Edinburgh such as, foxes, otters, deer, birds and much more, it's the little Kingfisher that takes the crown as my favourite of the lot!
The Goldfinch is probably my top pick of the garden birds. It's all about the colours!
The Heron was the first bird that captured my wildlife passion at the age of 7-8. I guess it was the sheer size of its wingspan that hooked me!