Passing on the Photography Flame

A few months ago, a 15-year-old lad called Toby messaged me asking if I would follow him back on Instagram. I jokingly replied saying I would but only if he came out into the field one day and learned from me in real life instead of through a screen.

I didn’t expect him to actually take me up on it. But at 5am yesterday morning, he and his amazing mum turned up at Bempton Cliffs ready to spend the day doing exactly that.

A Day in the Field

We spent the day photographing puffins, razorbills, gannets, sedge warblers, and even managed to spot a barn owl hunting across the clifftop fields. The weather was decent, the light was good, and the birds were cooperative, exactly the kind of day you hope for when you’re showing someone the ropes.

But what struck me most wasn’t the photography. It was watching Toby’s face light up every time something new appeared. He laughed about how ridiculously heavy my camera setup is (he wasn’t wrong), and we spent hours just enjoying the wildlife together. No pressure, just people sharing a passion for capturing nature.

Why This Matters

In a world where young people can so easily lose themselves in negativity online, I honestly found it inspiring seeing a 15-year-old lad so passionate about wildlife and photography. He could have been anywhere else that morning, scrolling through social media or sleeping in. Instead, he chose to wake up before dawn and spend the day learning, observing, and engaging with the natural world.

That matters … more than I think we sometimes realise.

Coming Full Circle

Spending that day with Toby reminded me exactly why I fell in love with all this in the first place. It wasn’t about winning awards or building a following; it was about that first moment of wonder.  Seeing a bird you’ve never seen before, figuring out your camera settings, waiting patiently for the light to be just right, and then capturing something beautiful. It was about being out in nature and sharing those moments with others.

As I’ve grown my photography career, I’ve sometimes forgotten that feeling. The deadlines, the content creation, the pressure to produce, it can pull you away from why you started. But spending a day with someone who still has that raw excitement and passion brought it all back into focus.

Final Thoughts

If you’re passionate about wildlife photography, or anything really, don’t underestimate the power of passing that passion on to someone else. Mentoring Toby didn’t just inspire him, it reminded me why I do this. Sometimes the best moments aren’t the ones you capture with a camera. They’re the ones you share with other people, standing together in nature, marvelling at the world around you.