How do you choose your best wildlife moments from 2025 when there are so many?.
What a year 2025 was. Anyone who has followed me for a while will know that I have been doing Wildlife Photography for over 20 years and have been on and off part and full time, over this time I have lived in Kenya and have built up an extensive list of contacts worldwide. On the 1st of January last year after being made redundant from my non photography related full time job. I started on the Full Time Photography Route again. 2024 was all about building a portfolio of workshops across Scotland and re-establishing myself within the industry.
Going into 2025 I had a good base to build on with some workshops booked and some tours booked, but as the year has progressed this has just grown and grown. In July after advice from my accountant I changed the status of my business Touch the wild from a sole trader to a limited company. A big but necessary step. In August I welcomed my 500th client on a workshop with me and I have still retained an 80% return rate for clients throughout the year, with people booking on more than one workshop or tour. As I look back on 2025 as a year, I have completed 145 days of workshops and 95 days of overseas tours. In only my second full year. It has been quite a year!!
This year I have visited Nepal, India, Finland, Kenya and for the first time Sri Lanka. I have photographed Red Pandas, Fishing Cats, Leopards, Sloth Bear, Asian Elephants, Brown Bears all of the iconic African Species and closer to home species such as Otters, Eagles, Ospreys, Gannets, Puffins, Red Kites and Red Squirrels It really was an incredible year.
This year has been crazy busy and almost every day I have been either out taking photographs myself, working on the business or holding workshops or tours and meeting so many amazing people.
Thank you to everyone for all of your support and standing by me to help me believe in myself and achieve my dream.
The Best Wildlife Moments from 2025
So without any further delay – The following are my Top 12 Photography Moments from 2025 in descending order.
Number 12 – Golden Eagle. Kirkcudbright
I have visited Scottish Photography Hides in Kirkcudbright many times in 2025 and to be honest it is such an amazing place I could have just put it in as a location as I have taken many good images there and held many successful workshops. But instead, I chose to feature the Golden Eagle hide. I was scheduled to do the hide in January but unfortunately the Eagle temporarily disappeared. I had scheduled a workshop for December and was hopeful that we may get to see the eagle as it had visited regularly on previous days. We were in the hide for 12:30pm and sat silently for hours. No Eagle. The light was fading and I had just said to my clients we will give it to 4:15pm and then finish. At 3:50pm silently the eagle appeared. The light was poor and I had to shoot at high ISO’s and slower shutter speeds. After making sure everyone in the hide were ok with their settings, I watched the eagle though my camera and captured a few images. The images will not win any awards but just being able to see this bird so close was incredible. I had only ever seen Golden Eagles from a distance and had not really been successful with any images, but this experience will stay with me for a long time. The sheer size and power of the Eagle was impressive, and it was a dream come true to photograph this incredible bird.
Number 11 – Ospreys. Aviemore and the Trossachs.
I have included the Ospreys this year because of some of the images that I managed to achieve. My favourite image was one that I took at Aviemore Ospreys and I shot the image at 1/50s and panned the bird as it left the water. The story of this image actually originated in Kenya. One of my clients on that trip is a regular at the Osprey hides in Aviemore and on a boat trip in Lake Naivasha where we were photographing African Fish Eagles I did some slow shutter speed panning images. I said to my client then that I planned to pan the Ospreys diving at Aviemore on a workshop later in the year and that is what I did. There is an element of luck in this image as the Ospreys head and eye are pin sharp meaning that it stayed still for the length of the shutter speed, but the technique was there and the intent was there and I was very happy with the result.
Number 10 – Mountain Hares. Glenshee
I just love Mountain Hares. They made it in at number 10 for 2024 too and in a way probably should be higher. I have now spent quite a lot of time up in the mountains photographing these amazing animals. Every time I do it I get such a thrill from seeing them and when a hare trusts you enough to share a few moments with it and capture some images then there is no better feeling. Physically it is probably the toughest workshop that I offer and add to that the challenge of finding and getting close to the hares it is one of the most rewarding workshops that I do, over 2025 I was able to build quite a portfolio of the hares in different weather conditions and settings and really enjoyed the moments that we had with them. I hope that next year I will continue to have some great encounters with these amazing animals.
Number 9 – Dippers. Lanarkshire
I am fortunate enough to travel to some amazing destinations and have the opportunity to photograph many exotic species in my job, but I get as much pleasure out of photographing local species as I do those further afield. The Dippers on my local river have provided me with some amazing moments in 2025 and this year I was able to finish telling the story that I started last year and in June I was finally able to get images of the parents feeding the newly fledged chicks. The best thing as well is this happened on 2 workshops so I got to share it with people which is always nice. Over the year I spent as much time as I could at the local river and absolutely loved capturing images of these amazing little birds.
Number 8 – Otters. Isle of Mull
Over the past few years, I have built up a real love of photographing otters. This year I ran 5 successful workshops to photograph them and averaged 20 otter sightings on each workshop with 50% of these in a position to photograph. Otters are challenging subjects to photograph with them hard to find, hard to get in a position to photograph and then hard in regards to exposure and photographic conditions. Over the year I have had repeat experiences with the same otter families and have been incredibly fortunate to have so many great encounters with them. The highlight was in November when we had an amazing experience with a mother and her young cub, she was very trusting and often came within 5 metres of us and continually brought fish in for the young one to eat. Being this close to a wild otter and to have that trust is an amazing experience.
Number 7 – Wolverine. Finland
I have been fortunate enough to visit Finland many times but had never photographed wolverine. I had previously had quick glimpses of them but no success in capturing any images. We had 2 Wolverine sightings on this tour in Finland; both were at Boreal. The first sighting was at the Forst hide and it occurred just after midnight. My clients and I were all in the same hide and when it reached 11pm we decided to operate in shifts with one person watching whilst the other 2 slept for a while. One of my clients woke us up and said he had seen a wolverine running around in the distance. So, we all sat hoping that it would come closer to us. Eventually our patience was rewarded, and it appeared right in front of us. It doesn’t get dark in Finland, although the light does start to drop from around 11pm, so the images that we took were at high ISO’s, but they were useable images. I was so happy as it was my first Wolverine Image. The next night we had an even better sighting at the swamp hide. We had just had 2 bears come and feed close to the hide and again this was late in the evening. After the bears left I decided I was going to get some sleep, this night I was in a hide by myself. As I lay there, I heard the sound of something eating, I looked out and couldn’t see anything but then saw some movement. Another Wolverine. Wow. This one stayed for quite some time and climbed the trees and foraged for food in front of the hides. Again, the images were at high ISO’s, but the images were again usable. A brilliant result with 2 Wolverine Sightings in 2 days. Another new species for me in 2025.
Number 6 – Gannets. Troup Head
I had visited Troup Head quite often in the past and had always loved seeing the gannets and the experience of watching them no more than a few metres away. I had scheduled workshops here in July and the idea was to photograph them in the afternoon, in the evening light and in the morning light. It proved to be quite 2 days of workshops. Firstly the opportunities on this workshop to capture some very different images is incredible, over the times we were up there the different light and behaviours that we witnessed were incredible. The focus of the workshop was to come home with a complete portfolio of this species using a variety of different techniques and sources of light. The portfolios that everyone achieved were incredible. I used the opportunity to again try some panning shots and managed to get images of the gannets diving off of the cliffs with shutter speeds as low as 1/30s. I also took my most technically challenging image ever where I panned a gannet and in the same exposure did a zoom burst as it flew over the rocks. It took several attempts to get the technique and the exposure right but I was so happy with the results.
Number 5 – Swans. Glasgow
In 2024 this was my number 1 wildlife moment. It was largely due to the fact that my Beginners Workshop which I regularly hold there has become the foundation of my business. Hogganfield Loch is where I have learnt so much about myself and my photography and it is also where I have met so many amazing people that have gone on to become regular clients and in a lot of cases friends. In 2025 I spent many happy moments at the loch and I always love the challenge of using the light to capture Swan Images in a different way. I used to think “it is just a swan” I now appreciate these amazing birds for their grace and character and they have given me some great moments in 2025. One of my favourite images in 2025 is using the reflection of the swan to highlight a Goldeneye Duck and also I tried photographing the swans before the sun came up using the streetlights and reflections in the water. An interesting project which I will go back to in 2026.
Number 4 – Red Pandas. Nepal
I had photographed Red Pandas a few times in previous years but finally got back there in 2025. What an experience it is. Wildlife Tourism worldwide is tending to get busier, but in Nepal the Red Panda experience is still relatively untouched and authentic. Honestly on this trip we had 2 days where the clouds were so low you couldn’t see anything. But we had 3 Red Panda encounters on the other 3 days and the best one by some distance was when we found a Red Panda in the top of the trees, It came down the tree to have a closer look at us and sat no more than a few metres away. It really was an amazing experience and I cannot describe the feeling you have gazing in to the eyes of a wild Red Panda. It really is quite possibly the cutest animal on earth. I am really looking forward to getting back there in 2026 and hopefully sharing the experience with some new clients.
Number 3 – Fishing Cats. India
When I was given the opportunity by an Indian friend to go and see a new project that he was working on with Fishing Cats in India I was keen to see it and hopefully see and photograph one of the most elusive cats. But nothing really prepared me for the experience. During the day where we stayed was paradise with more birds and insects than I have seen anywhere. It was so amazing to see and experience and the days when I was supposed to be resting were spent camera in hand photographing everything I could. But in the evenings we went out in an electric Tuk Tuk through the narrow streets of the towns and villages searching for the elusive cats. It was a surreal experience and one that I enjoyed so much. We were using spotlights to locate the cats and in 4 nights had 20 sightings. It was a brilliant experience and in 2026 I am offering it as a tour as an extension of the Red Pandas or as a pre-trip for the Tigers. I cannot wait to get back there and hopefully will have the chance to add to my Fishing Cat Portfolio.
Number 2 – Samburu. Kenya
As some of you will know I used to live in Kenya and Samburu has always been my favourite location. I ran a private trip and a group trip there in April and May and it didn’t disappoint. The light and the wildlife opportunities were incredible. During the Green Season when I like to visit the landscape takes on so many different shades of green with pops of colour dotting the landscape. The elephants roll around in the rivers and appear a bright red colour, the big cats thrive and the birdlife is breath-taking with so many beautiful bright coloured birds. The other amazing thing is that the location gets few visitors and on a lot of days we had the whole reserve to ourselves. What a location and what an incredible place to spend time.
Number 1 – Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka was a new location for me and maybe that was why it made it into number 1. It had never been on my radar as a destination, but I was given the chance to run a trip there through a connection with a local photographer and his company. From the moment we landed and checked in to the hotel I knew I would not be disappointed. The first hotel had amazing grounds with lots of different birds. The locations we visited were stunning and all so different, the wildlife was incredible with so many leopard sightings, good Sloth Bear sightings and herds and herds of elephants. The light and landscapes were breath-taking and I probably took some of my best and most creative images there. If this was not enough then add in some of the friendliest people and some of the best food I have ever tasted it was a stand out destination for me and is undoubtedly one of the best trips I have ever done. With my 2026 trip full I cannot wait to get back there again and spend more time in this fantastic country.
2026 is set up to be a very busy and different year. With tours to Kenya twice, Finland twice, Nepal, India, Uganda, Namibia, Sri Lanka and my first trip to South America where I will visit Brazil, Argentina and Chile there is plenty there to keep me busy. I also have plenty of Scottish Wildlife and workshops in the calendar throughout the year, and all of my highlights of 2025 will feature as workshops and tours in 2026.
So if you feel like sharing some of my best moments with me on a workshop or feel like creating some new moments with me on a tour then get in touch.
Thank you again to everyone for your support in 2025 and If you are discovering me as a photographer or my website for the first time then get in touch.