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On the wild side of life
by Paul R Taylor21/ 7/2006
BREATHTAKING images of the diverse wildlife of the British Isles
go on display at Manchester Museum this week.
Wild Britain is the first major exhibition from Ben Hall, who is
rapidly developing a reputation as one of the UK's best young
wildlife photographers.
The 27-year old Stopfordian developed a fascination for the natural
world while exploring local woodlands with binoculars and
magnifying glass during his youth and fishing with friends at the
pools in Poynton and Bramhall.
A keen amateur photographer, he began to combine his interests at
the age of 15 and decided to make a career from his hobby after
being made redundant from the Cheadle Hulme branch of Norwich
Union.
"Losing my job gave me the opportunity to do it professionally," he
said. "It's probably the hardest genre of photography and it's hard
to make a living from it as well, because it's so competitive. Many
people are doing it as amateurs and give away their pictures.
"A lot of my pictures take a lot of preparation and planning. I'll
do the research, find the location and then build a hide. It can
take up to a month to take some of my pictures. I'm very patient
but it also helps that I love what I do."
Wild Britain will feature some of Ben's most striking images from
2005 with visitors taken on a journey through the four seasons of
the year.
Ben has travelled extensively through the British Isles on
assignment but the local area still holds a special draw for him.
Most of the images featured in the exhibition have been taken in
Manchester, Cheshire and Derbyshire.
His aim is to inspire and educate, driven by the need to protect
Britain's last fragile ecosystems.
He says: "If I can persuade others to see what I see and to feel
what I feel, I believe I will have made a positive difference to
their lives and the life of the natural world."
Wild Britain is at Manchester Museum from Saturday, July 22, to
Sunday, February 25.
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