My photographer of the week this week is Martin Bailey, a British born wildlife and landscape photographer who is based in Tokyo, Japan. Martin first came onto my radar back in 2006 when I was searching iTunes for podcasts about photography to help me in my photographic education. Back then the choice of photography related podcasts was pretty slim as the genre was relatively new but it quickly became apparent to me that Martin had a lot to offer, both as a photographer and an educator.
Beautiful morning
While I came to Martin's work via his podcasts (and he's now up to show number 422 and counting) I was immediately inspired by his photos too. He specialises in wildlife, nature and landscape photography, in particular the wildlife of Japan, his adopted home. His photos of birds in flight are an absolute delight and I am also a particular fan of his 'flowerscapes' (a term coined by Martin himself) which are so beautifully dreamy.
Poppy heaven
For many years Martin combined his photography with a full time job but since 2010 he has been a full time photographer and this has allowed him to expand his educational work too. He still produces a podcast every week, offering advice and inspiration, product reviews and fascinating interviews with other photographers. I listen to lots of photography podcasts but Martin's is still one of my favourites and I'm proud to say I have listened to every single episode! One of the unique features of Martin's podcast is the fact that he includes his own photographs in the podcast feed so I you can actually see the images he's talking about as you listen.
Pensive power
As well as the podcasts, Martin regularly leads photo workshops and tours to countries across the globe. Recent tours have included visits to Hokkaido (Japan's most northerly island and a snowy, winter wonderland), Namibia and Iceland. When he returns Martin creates podcasts about the tours, including his photos from them and comments from the participants so those of us who haven't been able to attend feel we've almost been there too!
Snow monkey deep in thought
Another recent addition to Martin's portfolio of work has been his contribution to Craft and Vision, writing eBooks and articles for Photograph magazine. Martin's eBooks are invariably lovingly crafted, with wonderfully clear explanations and, of course, illustrated with Martin's beautiful photos.
Black Kite soaring
I'd like to say thank you to Martin for all his work and inspiration and for allowing me to share some of his wonderful images here. I have learned so much from Martin's podcasts and his photos are an daily inspiration to me, particularly when I'm shooting wildlife. I would encourage anyone to take a look at Martin's website which you can find here.