“Only when the last tree is cut down, the last fish eaten and the last stream poisoned will we realise that we cannot eat money.”

This is how Stewart Finlayson introduced his recent fascinating talk ‘Through my Lens’ at the John Mackintosh Hall. Stewart is the Director of the Natural History Department at Gibraltar Museum and an avid wildlife photographer who has travelled to the world’s most extreme locations to capture rare glimpses of animals in their natural habitat.
“Its not about going outside with a camera and taking a photo, it requires a lot of planning” Stewart explained, “some animals are difficult to approach, so a knowledge of the animals behaviour is needed in order to predict its actions.”

Inspired by books on ornithology and their depictions of Iberia, which differ greatly to what the world looks like today, Stewart says that even in his life time he has seen drastic changes to the environment.
Through his photography, Stewart not only wants to show the beauty and uniqueness of each subject, but to show the observer the preciousness of the animal and the importance of wildlife conservation.

When Stewart embarks on a wildlife photography venture, every measure is taken not to disturb the wildlife in their habitat.
Northern Canada – The Frozen World of the White Ghost

“I always wanted to capture the ‘White Ghost’ snowy owl in Northern Canada. I spent 7 days there in temperatures of -30 degrees, the wind was hitting us hard, my eyes were freezing shut, and then suddenly this thing just appeared in front of me and sat there… the white ghost.”
“Snowy Owls are very inquisitive, they’re not worried about you because you are in their domain, and they’ll walk right up to you. You get to know them, the one with the angry looking face was known locally as ‘The Grinch’.”
