During the coronavirus pandemic, many of us have rediscovered the joy of getting outdoors and reconnecting with the nature on our doorstep. That has certainly been the case for internationally-renowned fine art equine photographer Mark Harvey, who lives in the Norfolk Broads.
Since the country went into its first lockdown in the spring, Mark has immersed himself in the landscape around his home with his camera. And the result has been a stunning collection of pictures of British birds in flight.
As Mark explains: “There’s no doubt that the pandemic has forced us to adopt a much slower pace of life. Having lived in Norfolk on and off for over 20 years now, I took the opportunity during the spring to spend more time immersed in the wild, whilst appreciating the nature that is on my doorstep. Being more closely connected with nature certainly brings a great sense of calm and the closer I looked, the more beauty I saw in these refined animals. We have a garden frequented by deer, owls, a great number of amphibians and the smaller garden birds. I’m sure all these animals will become part of future projects.”
The In Flight collection features studies of eight different species of some of Britain’s most common birds, which we all know, yet possibly rarely notice: magpies, blue tits, starlings, goldfinches, great tits, coal tits, long-tail tits, and green finches.
The birds were captured in mid-flight using slow medium format with a Hasselblad camera – the very camera that was first manufactured by devoted birdwatcher Victor Hasselblad in the 1960s, to optimise his bird photography endeavours. The technique meant that only one shot could be taken at each fleeting opportunity, but ensured the resulting images could be produced at a large scale, while revealing the intricate details of each subject.
Mark grew up with a passion for studying animals, and photography grew over time as his main creative method. After completing his degree in ecology at the University of East Anglia, he was set on pursuing photography as his chosen path. Primarily a self-taught photographer, his training was completed at Central St Martins, London.
Since then he has had work acquired by the National Portrait Gallery, has been profiled by National Geographic for his equine work, featured in numerous publications globally and worked with some of the most prestigious riders in the equestrian world.
He has also been commissioned by clients as diverse as Juddmonte Farms for the first ever photographic commission of Frankel, one of the world’s most famous racehorses. He’s documented the life of the Household Cavalry, and produced portraits of Olympic three-day eventers William Fox-Pitt and Mark King and Grand Prix showjumpers William Funnel and Ellen Whittaker, Dubai’s racehorse-owning ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond.
Mark Harvey’s In Flight collection of photographs is available to buy in a very limited edition series of prints. For information go to mark-harvey.com
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