My name’s Shelby, I’m a 15-year-old wildlife photographer, based in Hertfordshire, UK and my passion is wildlife and nature. I’m lucky enough to live in an area with lots of forests and open field land, perfect for capturing wildlife. On one random day, the 21st of August 2023, I got inspired by a tiktok I came across, one of Gamander Lopez’s videos. It made me remember my dad’s old camera was lying around somewhere in the house…

The moment I started using it on my fluffy cat Kaala, it was then I realised how fun photography was. I didn’t have any long lenses, so I was only restricted to photographing things in close range, like flowers and sheep but I still loved it. At the end of 2023, I realised that this was something I was really passionate about, and I invested some of the money I had saved up to buy some new gear. Later on that year, I saved up enough to buy my first prime lens, the Canon 300mm F2.8L IS USM to pair with my new Canon R7.

And now, a year and a half later, I spend my free time out in nature, aiming to capture something unique, or that special photo I have always wanted. I find when I am out in nature, camera in hand or not, I am at my happiest. I am still fairly new to wildlife and nature photography, same with birding, so there is still a lot for me to learn about birds and other wildlife, but I love learning new things every day. One thing I strongly believe in is that wildlife should always come first, before the photos. Wildlife photographers must always put the wellbeing of the animal before the shots.

I am very pleased with my progress so far, but I am even more excited for the years to come. My dream is to have a career in wildlife photography, but I just want to say thankyou for all of the support from everyone, my close friends, and my family. Thankyou.