People often assume these are simply collections of nature photographs. They’re not. They’re the result of a decision I very nearly didn’t make.
In November 2021, a friend asked if I would take on a daily nature photo challenge for 365 days. My first reaction was, “No. Not a chance.” Every single day felt unrealistic.
But after finishing #30DaysWild with The Wildlife Trusts in June 2022, something shifted. I decided to carry on. Not as a grand plan. Not as a business idea. Just as a way of paying closer attention.
The challenge began on 1st July 2022.
Since that day, every single photograph has been taken on the date it appears.
No back catalogue.
No “just in case” folder.
No batching ahead when I know I’ll be busy.
Whatever turns up that day becomes that day’s image. Sometimes I know it straight away. Sometimes it appears right at the end of a walk when I thought I’d already chosen.
Most of the photographs are taken in the middle of ordinary working days – between jobs, on a quick walk, or simply because something catches my eye. Nothing is staged. Nothing is carefully set up. The season decides. The weather decides. Occasionally, luck decides.
They’re taken on a mobile phone. There may be minimal adjustments, but no heavy editing and no dramatic filters. What you see is what was there. The square format felt like the most honest way to present them – simple and consistent.
The words always come after the image.
The photograph leads.
The reflection follows.
The layout of the books mirrors that same simplicity.
A clean page, with two photographs and the wording below each one.
No clutter. No complicated design. Just the images and the thoughts from that day, left to breathe.
They’re not a polished “best of”. Some days are muddy boots and grey skies – and that’s exactly the point. They are a record of what showed up on that particular day.
Day after day.
If you pick up one of the books, you’re not just looking at nature photographs. You’re stepping into a real date. A real moment. Something that happened exactly when it says it did. Page after page, you start to see the seasons turn, small details repeat, light change, colour return.
That’s all these books are meant to be – an invitation to slow down and notice.
In a world that moves quickly, the simple act of looking for something worth photographing each day has become something steady for me. Quiet. Grounding.
That is what these books hold.
Not just images of nature, but a daily act of attention.