Achievements Page 2
During the summer of 2022 I was asked by researchers for the BBC's The One Show to help them find and film Yellow-Tailed Scorpions at Sheerness, in Kent, and to agree to be featured on the film myself. I met with Lizzy Daly Wild, and the film crew at Sheerness, on 25th August 2022. It was a mild dry night and it didn't take me long to find both adult and juvenile scorpions to feature on the film.
The final film was aired on BBC 1, on 12th October 2022, at 7pm, on The One Show. The film can be watched here: "Scorpions at Sheerness" on The One Show
Nick Cope, singer, song writer and performer, hosts "Nick Cope's Popcast" on the BBC's CBeebies. Nick's short stories are aimed at young children and are often wildlife themed. Nick also performs live shows around the UK. I'm delighted that Nick will be using a series of my Toad images to accompany his shows during 2023.
Nick Cope's Popcast can be watched on BBC iPlayer here:
See Nick's website for details of his live shows:
After a few year break over the COVID period the Kent Wildlife Trust's "Wildlife photographer of the Year" returned in 2022, with new categories that divided the previously all-inclusive "fauna" category.
I'm delighted to be awarded the 1st place win in the "Insect Category" with my image of a Puss Moth caterpillar, photographed last year at Swanscombe Marshes in Kent.
The KWT wrote: "Winner of the Insects category in our 2022 Photography Comp is Jason Steel with this sharp image of a puss moth larva. With pink accents, spots and stripes, this tiny creature is a fascinating capture." LINK
In September 2020 the fully revised 2nd Edition of the Wild Guide "Britain's Spiders, A Field Guide" was released. This groundbreaking book is the most comprehensive and accurate guide to British spiders ever published and I'm proud to feature my three of my images in this latest publication. Flower Crab Spider on page 70, Cave Spider on page 95 and Mediteranean False Widow Spider on page 444. This new edition is an absolute must for anyone with an interest in wildlife, especially arachnology. Of the 125 contributing photographers mentioned in the credits I'm delighted to be the only photographer to also have my website listed.
The book can be purchased here: Britain's Spiders, A Field Guide
In April 2020 I was contacted by Hat-Trick Design and as a result the 2020 Royal Mail Yearbook will feature an in-depth article on the life-cycle of the Elephant Hawk Moth which will now be accompanied by my image of an Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillar and my Elephant Hawk Moth pupa image.
Every year Royal Mail produce a Yearbook to showcase the release of their special postage stamps for that year. The yearbooks are of a very high quality and the limited edition 2020 leather-bound books sell for £236, with the regular editions selling for £186. The design and production of these Yearbooks for Royal Mail is tasked to the design company Hat-Trick Design Consultants, who are also responsible for the design of many of Royal Mail's postage stamps.
The Yearbooks can be purchased here: Royal Mail Shop
In February and March 2020 I was contacted by several international writers / reporters asking for permission to use my Glow Worm image to accompany articles on Fireflies / Glow Worms and how these amazing insects are suffering due to light pollution, loss of habitat and use of pesticide across the world. The initial story was reported by Tufts University, Massachusetts and this and subsequent articles and stories were picked up by dozens of news publishers around the world which all used my image. Here are just a few:
SciTechDaily article BostonGlobe.com International Business Times The New Indian Express South China Morning Post
Independent Turkish.com Free Malaysia Today Yahoo News Pakistan Daily Times The Guardian Letaba Herald South Africa
Video produced by Tufts University, Massachusetts associated with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Kent Online article on the Scorpions at Sheerness, 5th July 2021
On 5th July 2021 the KM News Group ran a story on the Yellow-Tailed Scorpions at Sheerness Docks. The story mentioned my photography of these scorpions and my website, and was accompanied by several of my photos. Kent Online published the article 5/07/21 and the Sheerness Times Guardian printed the story in their newspaper 7/07/21.
There are others, like Kent postman Jason Steel who has won awards for his nature photography. The pictures of Sheppey scorpions on his website www.jason-steel.co.uk are stunning. But he uses macro lenses and stuff. I tried using a flash on one of mine but I think that just frazzled the poor thing. For those thinking of trying to 'pap' a scorpion, Jason offered these tips: "To get sharp images you are going to need your camera mounted on a tripod and you'll have to wait for the scorpion to stand still for a few seconds, which is something they don't often do when they out in the open and exposed to predators. "Wildlife photography takes a great deal of patience and dedication. You can use an off-camera flash to take more natural-looking images but you are still going to need a torch focussed on the scorpion so the camera can focus properly in such dark conditions. "Having a friend to hold the flash and torch for you while you concentrate on taking the photos makes things much easier."
Sheerness Times Guardian newspaper, 7th July 2021
On 30th April 2022 the BBC's "Discover Wildlife" used my scorpion images to accompany an article entitled "Wildlife Surprises on the Islands of England and Wales".
In September 2021 the 'Office for Forests and Natural Hazards' published a booklet to raise awareness of the importance of beetles in Switzerland. My image of a Black-Headed Cardinal Beetle featured on page 2.
In Spring of 2021 the British Arachnological Society's Spider Recording Scheme Newsletter featured a couple of my spider images of unusual species that I had found in my SE London garden. - LINK
On the 9th April 2018 Kent Life Magazine wrote an article on the conservation work at Polhill Bank, in Kent. The article was accompanied by one of my Grass Snake images. - LINK