Meditation
The story behind the image …I shot this picture a couple of years ago whilst on a 4 week trip through the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. Bhutan can be a complicated country in which to travel since, as a visitor you are required to take a guided tour as your means of travel through the […]
Honey Honey, How You Thrill Me
Central African Republic …When I was a child I spent quite a lot of time up a certain willow tree in our family’s back garden. There’s a particular kind of comforting solitude that can only be found up a tree. I think it has something to do with the fact that as you sit there, […]
Amongst the Forest Spirits
Central African Republic …Often, when people seek out jungle dwelling tribes to photograph, the reality of their experience in the field doesn’t quite live up to the expectation they may have initially brought with them en route to their destination. It’s 2009 after all, and the heyday of those kind of cultural expeditions has passed […]
Welcome to the Jungle
Central African Republic …Arriving in the 30 degree heat of Cameroon yesterday was a sensational change from the biting winds of Mongolia. In fact, if you’d have asked me last week to describe the complete antithesis of Gobi desert calm, then the heaving sweaty crowds of Douala airport baggage reclaim would have borne an uncanny […]
The Storm That Never Came
Mongolia …Good news for Mongolians today. A terrible snow storm that has been threatening to bring the whole country to a standstill never appeared as forecast by experts. Good news for me too. Now the sun is out, planes are flying and I am currently sprawled across three Aeroflot seats at 37 000 ft looking forward to […]
Life Between the Rushes
Mongolia …After spending a little time in rural Mongolia you will soon realise that the pace of life in this enchanting place is beautifully slow and serene. Offering up this aspect of the human condition to the viewing public is a very hard thing to do in both photography and film because our media has […]
What’s in a Camp?
Mongolia …Just in case you were wondering, here’s a little glimpse inside a base camp on a Human Planet shoot. As you can see we have 3 gers (a Mongolian tent) between our team of nine – Director, fixer, cameraman, sound, cook, guide, 2 drivers and me. Right to left we have the kitchen ger, […]
The Perils of Filming in the Desert
Mongolia …Filming in the Gobi Desert is an unpredictable science as our cameraman Terry discovered to his misfortune today. What for him began as a serene day of filming the scavenger wildlife attracted by a nearby camel carcass, ended up as race against the clock to reach poor Terry as both he and his camouflage […]
Absolutely Amazing!
Mongolia …Today was a great day. This morning I got up. Had breakfast. Brushed my teeth. Picked up my cameras, and then rode across a snowy Gobi Desert on a camel. Today just entered my top five best days of traveling. . . . Interested in more stories from Mongolia? Try HERE TASEARCHMONGOLIA
Practical Alchemy in the Arctic
Greenland …We’ve all heard our fair share of urban myths. Whether we ever get to test the authenticity of them is another thing, but I’m a firm believer that if you are presented with an opportunity to do so, you can enrich your life no end. Obviously I share this belief with the producers of […]
Pink Snow and Blue Icebergs
Greenland …Greenland. Oh my God! What an amazing and extreme place. This was the first time that I have ever been to the Arctic. I don’t know exactly what I was expecting. Cold? Yes of course, but I don’t think anything can quite prepare you for the astonishing panoramas that hide quietly around every frozen […]
Time Lapse Tutorial
Tips and techniques …Time lapse photography can be a lovely way to spend a quiet afternoon somewhere. Whilst others might go fishing, I prefer settling down with a flask of tea and my tripod, giving myself the time to really appreciate the environment I find myself in. Time lapse is an important part of my […]
A Short Film Shot With My New Camera
Niger …Last year I was lucky enough to receive one of the first new Canon 5D mark II cameras when they came out. Niger was to be the trial run for this new SLR which also shoots high definition film, something I am very excited about. With the help of BBC cameraman Toby Strong and […]
A New Camera But No Clothes
Niger … My time in Niger didn’t start as planned. After 4 days travelling from Ethiopia, via London to pick up a new camera, I arrived in the capital Niamey with some new bags under my eyes. Unfortunately, they were the only personal bags I’d be seeing for a few weeks since my luggage never […]
The Joys of Camping
Ethiopia …Traveling to remote places involves a certain degree of hardiness on the part of our film crews. Isolated communities rarely possess the means to support large groups of outsiders and consequently, on these journeys, all of us are spending quite a bit of time under canvas. The mountains of Northern Ethiopia were one such […]
Growing Up in the Mountains
Ethiopia …This, my second trip to Ethiopia for Human Planet was my most memorable experience thus far. The simple reason for this was the lovely people we met there. Our time was spent with a family in a very remote settlement, a long way from the nearest road, high in the mountains. For the most […]
A Beach Holiday With a Difference
Spain …After our time in Ethiopia, it was just a short trip down to Southern Europe to meet some Spanish coastal dwellers with a very unusual and highly dangerous job. Unfortunately I can’t tell you exactly what we were filming for fear of spoiling a surprise in the TV series. What I will tell you […]
My Scar Tattoo
Ethiopia …It was September last year when we spent time filming with the Suri Tribe in Southern Ethiopia. Half a year on, and I still have one memory from my time there permanently imprinted in my mind. Well, on my body actually… and semi-permanently I think . Whilst we were there I had my shoulder […]
Phantom Fighters
Ethiopia …In Southern Ethiopia, witnessing a Suri stick fight or ‘Donga’ was one of the most awe inspiring public displays of aggression I think I’ve ever seen. Stick fighting is a brutal sport there is no doubt, but when you see it in the flesh, you realize that it is a very fair and honest […]
Human Planet, Planeta Humano
The Journey Begins …Welcome to the beginning of a rather extraordinary journey. Over the next 20 months I will be accompanying BBC film crews on a groundbreaking voyage around Planet Earth to document the remarkable ways in which the human species has adapted to living within our world’s natural environments. During this time, we will […]
A Footprint in the Sand
Will Mother Earth miss us when we’re gone?
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Mar 17, 2009 | Categories:Comment, Travel, View the complete Archive | Tags: Asia, BBC, BBC Earth, BBC Human Planet, blogsherpa, dinosaurs, disappearing culture, Gobi desert, Human PLanet, Human Planet BBC, indigenous, Mongolia, nomads, Planeta Humano, sand dunes | 3 Comments »