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DAVID M. COTTRIDGE
Born in 1946 in the fishing village of Looe in S. E. Cornwall and brought up in Torpoint on the Tamar Estuary at the Devon and Cornwall border. Love of natural history, especially birds, was fired at a very early age with the surrounding countryside providing the initial inspiration. Many hours were spent drawing birds and landscapes which was eventually to lead to a Diploma in Fine Art at Gloucestershire College of Art after an initial year at Falmouth School of Art. A passionate interest developed in still photography during a post graduate course at Manchester University and it was not long before this and love of birds and landscape combined to provide the perfect outlet for creative aspirations. For fifteen years taught photography in London but is now a free-lance bird photographer.
Has travelled widely in pursuit of photographic material to such places as Malaya, Thailand, Hong Kong, Turkey, Kenya, Israel, the Gulf States, The Yemen, the North American continent and most European countries as well as the length and breadth of the British Isles. In 1984/5 went on a photographic expedition to the Nepal to photograph the birds of the Himalayas and since then he has made many visits to the country and is involved in establishing nature reserves in the Kathmandu Valley and Kosi Tapu.
Has worked extensively in
Israel photographing the migration through Eilat at the head of the Red
Sea, and birds of the Negev Desert. Much of this work was used to
illustrate 'The Status and Distribution of the Birds of Israel' by Hadoram Shirihai, for which he was the Photograph Editor.
Other publications for which he has been the Photographer and Photographic
Editor include: A Photographic Guide to Waders of the World Rare Birds in Britain and Ireland. - a Photographic Record Attracting Birds to your Garden A Photographic Guide to Birds of Egypt A Photographic Guide to Birds of Israel The Identification of Sylvia Warblers The Identification of Wheatears Chris Packham's Back Garden Nature Reserve Bill Oddie’s Birdwatching Book Nick Baker’s Bug Book Nick Baker’s Wildlife The Garden Bird Handbook Collins Birds of Europe
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Throughout the 1980's specialised in photographing rare
birds in Britain during which time he photographed over 250 different
species that are classified as rare in the British Isles. With the recent
advances in camera and lens design, believes that photography has an
increasingly important role to play in the identification and ageing
of birds, the still image often able to reveal aspects of a bird that
can go undetected in real life. More importantly believes that bird
photography is foremost an art form and capable of standing alongside
painting and drawing. To this end has evolved techniques of working in
harmony with the birds and the environment in which they live as opposed
to the idea that bird photography is the thrill of the hunt using a
camera. In 1983 won the 'British Birds Bird Photograph of the Year' and in recent years has gained Highly Commended awards in the prestigious British Gas/BBC wildlife photographic exhibition.. His work is published widely both in Britain and abroad being a regular contributor to 'Birding World', 'British Birds' and 'Bird Watching' magazine for which he is the photographic editor. He has led specialist photographic tours both in Britain and abroad and is now a main bird tour leader for Limosa Holidays. His photographs of birds are widely exhibited around Great Britain and he also carries out workshops on bird photography. In 1994 formed the Lee Valley Nature Photographers who are based in the Lee Valley Country Park where the society is creating a photographic reserve. Has recently become involved in digital imaging and has written several articles in magazines on this new medium.
His work in recent years has
taken him back to his roots as a painter in which his photographs are
bringing abstract elements in nature to the fore.
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