The Pro Interview

Canon pro shooter Guy Edwardes talks about the perks of the photography industry

Guy Edwardes talks to David Clark about running a photography business, his favourite locations and the gadget he couldn’t do without

Serene landscapes, dramatic wildlife action, delicate plant studies and mind-blowing photographs of the Aurora Borealis: in a career spanning 20 years, Guy Edwardes has photographed an extraordinary wealth of subjects that mother nature has to offer.

Combining technical precision with natural history knowledge, he is continually looking for fresh angles, new perspectives and innovative ways to create eye-catching images. Speaking over the phone from his Dorset home, Guy reflects on how digital technology has changed his business, the kit he uses, the importance of calibrating your lenses and the one type of photography he’d like to avoid at all costs…

Did your interest in the natural world begin in childhood?

It definetely did, yes. That’s really what got me into photography. After school I studied nature conservation for about three or four years. I was planning on doing it as a career, but as I came to the end of the course it was obvious that there were no real career prospects. But I was still interested in working within that specific area.

Were you already into photography at that point?

I took up photography at around the age of 14 and bought my first SLR, a Canon EOS 650, soon afterwards. I was almost exclusively photographing birds to begin with, but I gradually developed more variety and interest in my selection of natural history shots. Landscapes didn’t come along until later.