To mark the launch of our annual wildlife photography competition, Wild Snaps, our guest blog comes from competition judge and award-winning film maker and photographer, Tom Hanner. Tom shares his passion for wildlife, some top tips and why he believes anyone can be a wildlife photographer...

All too often people say to get far with wildlife photography, you have to come from a well-off background. It’s a common misconception and (frustratingly) it discourages anyone with a talent for storytelling from chasing after their dreams of being a natural history photographer. Or a scientist. Or a filmmaker. Or anything for that matter, based on not having access to the best equipment or being able to go to far-flung places around the globe to see exotic wildlife; I can tell you that’s not the case at all.

You don’t need fancy camera equipment; kit is important of course, but with a burning passion for wildlife and a drive to be curious about our planet, you can be a fantastic photographer. Phones are proving themselves to be incredible tools and is often my equipment of choice whenever I’m out on walks in the countryside. I’ve taken some of my favourite images to date with my phone, and with the availability of cheap macro lenses that you can clip onto phones, there really is no limit.

But my best advice is this: exude curiosity. Ooze excitement. Watch wildlife. Talk about it! Photograph it however you can! You don’t have to win awards, just demonstrate your love for the animals and plants we share this small planet with and no one can ever tell you you can’t be a wildlife photographer.

Nature is an infinite source of inspiration, waiting for anyone to tell its story. Go for it.

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Feeing inspired? Why not enter this year's Wild Snaps Photography Competition?

Wild Snaps is open to all ages and you can use a camera or a smartphone to capture the beauty and wonder of the region's wildlife. 

Find out more here.

Tom is an award-winning photographer, filmmaker and naturalist, recently nominated at numerous international film festivals including JACKSON WILD, the nature equivalent to the Oscars©. Though he specialises in shark & ray ecology as a marine biologist, he has been fortunate enough to work around the world including studying the wildlife of the Galapagos Islands and humpback whales off the coast of Mozambique. 

Having worked for National Geographic and the BBC Natural History Unit, Tom believes that a hopeful, more optimistic way of storytelling is the key to successful engagement with conservation. He is determined to use his camera to represent the underrepresented and show that there is a way to protect the planet.