How Did I Get Here?

If you’d told me back in May 2022 that, just over four years later, I’d be celebrating 1,500 consecutive days of taking and sharing a nature photograph every single day, I’d probably have laughed in your face.

Back then it simply wasn’t the plan.

The challenge started as something to keep me looking, noticing and getting outdoors a little more. It was never meant to become such a huge part of my life.

I still remember one of my lovely Twitter friends, Susie, joking after I’d completed my first year, “Well, now you can aim for 1,000!”

I don’t think either of us imagined that one day I’d be writing this after reaching 1,500. I think it’s fair to say she’s had to eat those words ever since!

Where do I get my inspiration from?

Finding beauty in the everyday. One of the things this challenge has taught me is that you don’t have to travel far or find something rare. Nature’s stories are often right in front of us.

The honest answer is… absolutely anywhere.

Some days a kingfisher, dragonfly or deer almost seems to pose for me. Other days it’s a single feather lying in the grass, an unusual leaf, a toadstool, tree bark or an interesting shadow. Inspiration doesn’t have to be rare or spectacular. Sometimes it’s the smallest things that make me stop and smile.

People often ask whether I travel hundreds of miles looking for photographs.

The truth is quite the opposite.

Almost every photograph in this challenge has been taken within about 20 miles of our home.

The countryside around us has provided more than enough inspiration. My wife and I have spent years exploring together and we’ve almost trained ourselves to notice the same little details. One of us will suddenly stop and point at something and, more often than not, the other immediately knows exactly what we’ve spotted. Sometimes it’s obvious, sometimes it’s wonderfully abstract, but it’s something we’ve grown to love doing together.

Was this challenge really four years in the making?

Not really.

In many ways it has been a lifetime in the making.

I’ve always enjoyed being outdoors. I’ve always noticed wildlife. I’ve always found peace in nature. The daily photographs simply gave all of those things a home.

The challenge officially began in 2022, but I think I’d been building towards it for years without even realising.

Who am I doing it for?

Day 1. The very first photograph of the challenge. A simple honeysuckle that marked the beginning of a journey I never imagined would reach 1,500 days.

Everyone, really.

Of course it’s lovely when lifelong wildlife enthusiasts enjoy the photographs, but the people I hope to inspire most are those who don’t think nature is “their thing.”

So many people look at incredible wildlife photographers and think, “I could never do that.”

My answer is always the same.

Start small.

Look at flowers. Trees. Leaves. Fungi. Watch the bees in your garden. Listen to the birds in your local park. Those subjects don’t fly away the moment you point your camera at them, and before long you’ll begin noticing more and more.

Don’t worry whether your photographs are award-winning. Mine certainly aren’t about perfection.

They’re about encouraging people to slow down, look a little closer and enjoy the world around them.

If even one person has started noticing nature because of these daily photographs, then I’d say the challenge has been worthwhile.

Where did the book idea come from?

That answer comes down to one date I’ll never forget: 27 May 2023.

On that day my cousin, Wendy, left a comment on one of my photographs saying, “That photo would look great on a canvas.”

I thought, “That’s a lovely idea.” So I had the photograph turned into a canvas and sent it to her as a surprise.

You started all this, Wendy!

Somewhere between ordering that canvas and it arriving, a little switch flicked in my head.

“I can’t just stop and do nothing with all these photographs. Why don’t I put them into a book?”

There was just one small problem.

I hadn’t got the faintest idea how to make a book.

I knew nothing about layouts, page design, printing, sizes, formats or publishing. I didn’t spend weeks researching what everyone else was doing either. I simply had an idea in my head and decided I was going to work out how to make it happen.

So that’s exactly what I did.

It was very much a case of learning as I went along, making mistakes, trying things, changing them and gradually creating something that felt right.

The photograph Wendy commented on didn’t just become a canvas either. After readers voted in a cover poll, it went on to become the cover of Book 1.

Looking back now, it’s hard to believe that one comment led to three books, thousands of photographs being preserved and, hopefully, plenty of money being raised for two wonderful charities.

Not bad for a simple suggestion on a spring afternoon.

The photograph that started the books. A comment from my cousin Wendy led to this becoming a canvas, before readers voted it as the cover of My Years in Photos – Book 1.

Why don’t I make any money from the books?

From the very beginning I decided this challenge should be about giving something back.

If these photographs can brighten someone’s day, encourage them to spend time outdoors or simply make them smile for a few moments, then they’ve already achieved something worthwhile.

Any money raised is split equally between two charities that mean a great deal to me: Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and Bassetlaw Hospice.

Supporting nature and supporting people.

Those have always felt like the perfect partners for this journey.

Day 1497. Nearly four years after Day 1, I’m still looking, still discovering and still finding something new to share every single day.

Looking back…

When I pressed “post” on that very first photograph back in 2022, I had absolutely no idea where it would lead.

Four years later, here we are.

1,500 consecutive days.

Thousands of photographs, including the ones that never became the photo of the day.

Three books.

Money raised for two wonderful charities.

Countless walks.

Countless discoveries.

Countless memories.

And the nicest part of all?

I’m still just someone who enjoys wandering around the countryside with his wife, noticing the little things that so many people walk straight past.

Long may that continue.