Donna Nook, Lincolnshire

Upon reflection, Donna Nook was the first place I took ‘real’ shots with a DSLR, which then began the rapid learning curve as to where I am today – not bad, but definitely room to grow. Donna Nook is a Grey Seal colony managed by Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust and can be home to around 3000 seals at a time, and often 1000 pups are born there, so it is a really great opportunity to see seals as they really do seem unfazed by their adoring public.

Kenya, Africa

Could Africa honestly be anything but amazing? It certainly was spectacular for me. This trip was one of the best I had experienced (though a little fantastically rough at spots – tents in the Mara, anyone?) and I was really treated to some fantastic sights, most of which I was able to capture! I pretty much used my 70-300mm lens the entire trip, the VR was the most useful part of it, and on the whole I was pleased with the shots I managed to get. I travelled a fair bit throughout Kenya, spending some time at Lake Nakuru, Kakamega Forest, Maasai Mara and Amboseli, it was brilliant seeing a wide range of terrain (from forests, to open plains to vast lakes) and managing to capture all the different wildlife that lives within them.

Białowieża Forest, Poland

As one the last and largest remaining ancient woodlands in Europe, the Białowieża Forest is certainly incredible. Not only is it teeming with wildlife but the habitat and trees themselves (as the forest is of course home to the oldest and largest Ash tree) come together to create a beautiful forest and brilliantly mysterious atmosphere. Wild wolves roam here and as a passionate wolf fan it was a fantastic feeling to walk around where you knew they had prowled and was great to stumble across a wolf print or scat! As one of my first abroad trips with my SLR (and coincidentally the first with my 70-300mm lens) it was a great opportunity to test it out and I’m pretty pleased with the results.