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Reading professional photographer Graham Seaholme’s first two articles ‘How Far would You Go Part I and Part II’ which appeared in Glow Magazine in 2013 had me on the edge of my seat. Here was a man who would go to any lengths to get a photograph of a little known and little seen owl just 6” tall.
The fact that the Sokoke Scops Owl can only be found in the Arabuko Sokoke Forest region of northern Kenya, and that none of the regular safari drivers would take him to an area so close to the Somali border didn’t ring any alarms bells with Graham. Determined to get his photograph of this little owl, he paid some very shady characters to take him north to Arabuko Sokoke Forest and very nearly paid with his life!
They say God looks after Innocents and little children and, after reading the above articles, I have to add that He must have a special eye on Graham Seaholme too. The pursuit of the Sokoke Scops Owl was only the beginning for Glow Magazine readers of Graham’s stories of his adventures with his camera.
I wanted to know more about this gifted and courageous man, and when Glow Magazine asked me to interview him so that readers had some background to his stories I was only too happy to oblige.
As usual I started at the beginning and asked “Graham where do you came from?”
I was born in Watford General Hospital in October of 1977 and I lived in St Albans till I was 7 years old before moving to Chorleywood in Hertfordshire in my late teens. Later on I lived in Amersham, Farnham Royal and most recently Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire. I am planning to re-locate to Marlow in 2014. I am a family of four with one elder sister, Becky, and have two nieces and a nephew.
Were you an adventurous child?
Yes! I was always exploring things and pushing myself to the limits then too. Climbing trees, making camps in woods, cycling as far as I could go etc.
What sort of things interested you as a child? 
I was interested in nature from a very young age. I recall being a toddler and seeing a bumblebee on the floor slowly dying. This distressed me. So I picked it up, placed it in my hand and tried to stroke it to make it feel better. It stung me and lessons were quickly learnt!
My late Aunt would take me out to collect snails in jam jars and, much to my mother’s horror, would bring them back so I could feed them and nurture them. Spiders, caterpillars, you name it, I loved searching for them and being part of their world.
When I was 7 and moved to Chorleywood, I met my best friend ‘Fabrice’ who lived a few houses away from me. Like me, he was adventurous and had a vivid imagination. The years that followed defined us and our relationship together – the naughty boys who were always up to something, but had good hearts and cared deeply for the wild.
Did you always want to see what was on the other side of the mountain?
Yes, just to know what is there I guess. If somebody says to me, “you can go through this door but not that one” and then leaves the room, curiosity consumes me to know why I can’t go through that door? What is behind that door? Is it something exciting, secret, dangerous, scary? All those things spark an interest in me.
What was your ambition, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a Vet or an RAF fighter pilot. The Vet ambition, as you will have already gathered, comes from my love of animals and caring for them. Sadly I was not the top of the class when it came to exams. I did well at school and got higher than average results, but being a vet requires a lot of skill and knowledge that I sadly did not have.
I then looked at being a fighter pilot, no doubt inspired in some shape or form by the Hollywood movie: Top Gun. I’d been interested in flight from an early age, when my father would buy me ‘Airfix’ model sets to make together. But my eyes let me down when I applied to the RAF. I’m short sighted and fighter pilots need 20:20 vision – or at least did back then, so my flying dream was laid to rest.
With a career as a vet or a pilot with the RAF no longer options, what did you do after you left school?
When I left school I went to Amersham College to study Information Technology as I had read that this was a prosperous career, and I simply couldn’t decide on what I wanted to do in life. I was fortunate that my sister was working for an IT company and they needed assistance on the night shift and I got a part time role there – eventually leading on to my IT career today.
In your first story “How Far Would You Go Part I” you told your abductors that you were a Martial Arts Instructor. Was that your main job at any time?
No, my main job is as a Technical Support manager for a software house in Leatherhead, Surrey, and I‘m fortunate to be in an industry that rewards well and this funds my trips abroad. I used to teach Martial Arts in the evenings after work and at weekends as well sometimes.
Were you content with your life at this stage?
Very much so. My day job engages with my love of interacting with people and troubleshooting. My time teaching Martial Arts engaged with my passion for self-defence and helping others grow both physically and mentally. There is nothing more rewarding for me than seeing someone who feels insecure or bullied achieve a sense of positivity through knowing they can look after themselves finally – both emotionally and physically.
What made you pick up a camera?
In the late 2000′s my long term relationship with my girlfriend started to break down and I was looking for solace during that time. I’ve always had an affinity with nature and decided that it would be nice to take up photography so that I could go out on walks or trips alone to re-connect with nature and myself.
I purchased a DSLR camera and tried to teach myself how to do photography. I felt a sense of relief to be outside with nature and then have time to enjoy it when I got back home, when I could see the fruits of my labours on my PC in greater perspective. Frozen moments and memories.
It was a steep learning curve and I certainly have not mastered it by any stretch of the imagination, but the pictures I took and still take are 100% representative of me, flaws and all. It is my stylistic approach and vision and I have been overwhelmed by the many people who seem to gravitate to them.
As my passion for photography started to take hold, I ventured further afield to seek out new subjects to shoot and be at one with. Trips like Skomer Island were the first big trips I engaged with on my own. It was so liberating to be on my own, away from my stresses at home and doing something that I really loved.
Are you a loner, comfortable with your own company? Or do you need people around you?
That’s interesting. I’m always trying to fill my time with other people in my life and am therefore always stretched thin on time, but equally I need my own space too, time to reflect and gather my thoughts. So I would say that I’m a sociable person who needs the company of others but also enjoys the freedom of being alone. Especially when it comes to nature. I love being in the wild on my own, it’s when I feel most connected to the planet.
Did you go on to study photography at school or college?
I am 100% self-taught and am still learning. I know very little about photography believe it or not. I just know a few of the basics and seem to have an eye for the wild.
Did having a camera change your perspective on life?
Yes and no. Not in terms of wildlife but it did in terms of landscapes and buildings. I would never have dreamt of walking around London for example and looking up at the tops of buildings, roof tops, chimneys etc. I do see things in a different light now and am usually thinking of how to compose a photo even when I don’t have a camera with me. I guess that applies to all photographers and film makers. There are always opportunities out there, usually when you least expect it!
Do you see life as a series of pictures?
When I take my photographs I’m initially thinking of a term called the ‘Rule of thirds’, I read about this on the internet when I posted a photo of a bird and someone said it was 100% centred – which I thought was correct. But he said that by composing the shot so the bird is in one of the corners instead it would make it more appealing. This is called the rule of thirds, where you split the frame into thirds and where the lines cross, is where in most cases the shot looks best. I now try and take most of my shots with this principal being applied.
However I also apply other techniques to try and help tell a story of what I’m seeing. For example if I shoot a bird flying from the left to the right of the screen I will compose it so the bird is on the far left of my shot and then the rest of the shot is blank…hopefully giving the viewer a sense of movement and where the bird is travelling to. Or predation, I will try and capture the two animals in question and slow the shutter speed down so that there is some motion blur to give a feeling of speed or intensity.
I don’t really see life as a series of shots. For me it’s taking a shot and freezing a moment in time. For you, the viewer of my work, you will see something that you hopefully can admire and relate to. You will imagine what it is like to see that shot, or be there, but for me it is multiplied, because I also have the emotion attached to it from being there. A mental memory of what took place and then a picture to solidify my memory.
You have a real rapport with your camera and your subjects. Where does this come from?
I guess it’s just about my love for nature, I love being in the wild and then trying to photograph it all to make it look interesting for me and you, the viewer. Trying to capture the emotion of a scene is very difficult and often impossible, but I try very hard to make a scene of my shots or show the wildlife in their natural beauty.
Animals react to you. You could be a long way away with a good telephoto lens and the appearance can be one of being very close. This looks good, but the reaction from the animal is different. If you are very close they will respond to you and your camera, and it’s these shots that can sometimes be the most powerful in my experience.
These shots can come at a price though, as you will have already gathered in one of my previous article “Too Close For Comfort”!
That was a crazy encounter. You all but ended up photographing a lion’s tonsils and becoming dinner! Tell me Graham, what happened that made you do that quarter turn and change the direction of your life? To travel, to stretch yourself, reach out and spread your wings?
The breakdown of my 12 year relationship with my girlfriend really. It was a very tough time for me and I lost many friends in the process. At the time I remember thinking that life was over, but with the benefit of hindsight I can now see how important it was for me to experience it.
I went for counselling after we split and I was taught about insecurity and how it dominates our lives in some shape or form. I was phobic of flying, eating out alone, basically in fear of what others thought of me and what they expected of me. Through the counselling I discovered that the only person that you can ever truly rely on is yourself.
So with time I challenged my insecurities and decided to push myself into overcoming them. Hence my first trip to Kenya. Long haul flight on my own, meals on my own in public and effectively nobody to hold my hand and tell me it would be OK. It was the making of me and has made me more secure, stronger and happier ultimately.
With this new found freedom I really threw myself into my photography and took every opportunity to spend my time with nature. There is something unconditional about wildlife, they are accepting of us without any of the pre-conceptions that we as humans have. I found this very supportive.
For the first time in my life I was being true to myself and not trying to be someone for anyone else, and to my joy I am now richer in friends and relationships than I have ever been.
Was there a special moment that marked this change in you?
I recall seeing a heron fly over my head when I was leaving for work one day and simply gazing at its magnificent form. The next day another heron flew over me on the M25. This happened to me for over 2 months! Every day without fail, somewhere, at sometime. It was at this point that I decided that ‘coincidence’ was possibly not the only explanation.
I sought an answer to this strange phenomena and found that Native Indians believe the heron to be my ‘totem’ in life. It’s a sign of being strong when alone. The heron supports you at times of insecurity. After the two months I felt much happier alone and then the herons simply disappeared. I am sure there are logical and scientific reasons for why or how this came to be, but I will stay open-minded and think that they were somehow my guardians and helped me cope.
What is it that makes you go where angels fear to tread?
It’s a desire to see nature in its purest forms. I feel alive when I am with nature – it doesn’t ask for anything in return, there are no emotional ties.
I like to push the boundaries, my boundaries, and experience some of the wonders this planet has to offer as our time on this fragile planet is short at best. Sure, I could sit on a beach for two weeks and enjoy the simplicity of the waves lapping the shore, the change in climates etc. but for me, going on an adventure into some of the remotest and most hostile places on the planet challenges me not only physically, but emotionally too.
This, to me, is how you grow as an individual. These are the stories that I enjoy reading and, with that in mind, motivates me so that others can experience to some extent what I go through.
You were dealt a backhander in 2011 of cruel proportions, which challenged you once again. What happened?
In June 2011 I was at Henley Regatta with my friends enjoying the festivities when I was involved in a life-changing road traffic accident. I was walking across Henley Bridge near the Angel pub when I was run over from behind by a 2.2 tonne Audi 4×4.
The lady driving did not stop, but drove on to get away. I was very fortunate that the St John’s Ambulance and Police were literally feet away and witnessed everything. She was arrested and breathalysed at the roadside. She was twice over the limit and had 5 children in the car….4 of them were not even hers.
She crushed both my feet and sadly they will never fully recover according to all the surgeons I have seen.
I was rushed to the Royal Berkshire Hospital and was laid up there for a week until they transferred me to Stoke Mandeville Hospital which is very close to my home. I was in plaster casts from the feet to the knees for 2 months.
This period was not only physically debilitating but emotionally too. I couldn’t walk, load bare and weight bare, wash, get dressed, go to the toilet etc., without assistance. It was a truly humbling experience.
After the casts came off I’d lost all the muscle in my legs and couldn’t walk or even stand up. It was at this point that I realised that I was disabled and may never recover fully. I’m a fighter, not just physically but in spirit too, I will rarely give up once I’ve set myself a goal to achieve. My goal was to walk again and that is what I set out to do.
What stays in your mind with regard to your recovery?
I was initially in a wheelchair which I think everyone should have to do for at least 2 weeks so that they can see just how hard life is when you are disabled – it opened my eyes, that’s for sure.
50% of people will be helpful and empathic – opening doors, helping you reach items you cannot get to etc. – The other 50% are awful. I was spat at, had doors slammed in my face and was treated like a villain. It was truly shocking!
Once I could walk again I had to go through extensive ‘Rehab.’ – and still have to, 3 times a week, and will most likely have to for the rest of my life.
How much has this injury changed your life as an adventurer and photographer?
Due to the injuries sustained, I find walking painful and driving a big issue too. I have therefore become sedentary most of the last 18 months – not by choice I must add.
I have been out a few times to do photography and have struggled physically but, as you know, my passion is Africa! It would take an army to stop me going there and continue my dreams.
I therefore pushed myself to the very limits and have now been out twice post-accident. For sure the trips are not as they were, I used to stand up in the vehicles for 90% of 12hrs a day, now I’m seated for 90% of 12 hrs. But I still get to see most things and still get such enjoyment from it all. Especially the people there, they are so kind.
I never want this injury to define me as a person. I will always fight for my future and for my happiness.
What is it that drives you – out of a wheelchair and into adventures with your camera, enduring tough experiences and encounters that a fit person might balk at?
I’ll never give up. It is the Martial Arts spirit. I simply won’t be beaten. I’m disabled now and the pain is constant in varying degrees. I’m learning slowly that even though my mind may push it to the extremes my body can only do so much, but I’ll always try my hardest not to let this disability define who I am.
Of course it does, but I do believe that a positive mind promotes a healthy body. I’ve never been so scared as when I tried to walk for the first time after the wheelchair. I fell over and had no strength or balance. I broke down in tears and felt my life was over. 10 minutes later I forced myself to understand what my body was doing wrong and challenged it. The rest is history as they say.
You have been to Africa a number of times and Kenya in particular. What draws you to this country?
The people and the wildlife. I used to think it was just the wildlife, but it’s also the people that draw me back each time. They are the kindest, most humble people I have ever come across. They would give you the world if they had it and are not as influenced by material things and media as we are in the west. It makes me take a step back and analyse my life each time, and try to be a better person.
Kenya is one of the last truly great places to see wildlife. It will not be there for long with all the poaching and corruption and climate change too, I guess. I hope that I can return as often as possible and maybe inspire some of you to take that leap of faith and visit there too. It is with education and understanding that councils, governments etc. will listen.
We need to protect this fragile planet and its wildlife – for me the thought of rhinos and lions being extinct in years to come is heart breaking. Some of my crazier shots go a little way to solidify my own personal thoughts too: that these animals are indeed dangerous but not as they are portrayed at times. They are not senseless killers – if they were I’m sure by now I would be buried somewhere.
And you’re not buried somewhere Graham, or eaten, because you’re here with us! What does going on safari mean to you?
Safari is something that is as intense as it gets for me personally. It’s constant, non-stop physically gruelling work. I love it but it’s fatiguing as I push the boundaries each and every time. 3 weeks of getting up at 5am and not returning until 7pm takes its toll. 12-14 hours in the relentless heat in search of the wildlife is very draining, but it is so rewarding too.
It gets easier in the sense that I’m now getting familiar with not only the country, but the regions, the wildlife and the people too, so my trips are better planned now, and I know the best places to go to see specific species etc. But like all things, it’s nature at the end of the day and there are never any guarantees. That’s what makes it exciting though for me.
Where else in the world has your camera taken you?
The Galapagos Islands is the second greatest place I have visited with my camera. It’s a rich environment where the animals still rule. Some of the most unusual forms of wildlife live there and I had one of the best trips of my short life in the Galapagos a few years ago prior to my accident. From swimming with sharks and turtles, to sitting on beaches with seals and the wide array of birdlife. It’s what inspired Charles Darwin to write his thesis on evolution when he landed there. A magical place indeed.
Those are the only places abroad that I have visited with my camera. Although Kenya draws me back every time, I think I am going to venture elsewhere in the future. My plans are to go to India in search of the tigers, Rwanda to see the mountain gorillas, South Africa to see the Great White sharks and many other places too.
How do you see your future?
I see it as a challenge in many ways – my disability will get worse I’m told and that fills me with a sense of fear and sadness. But you never know how science will excel and with luck maybe one day they will be able to fix me completely.
I am now with someone again and am the happiest I have been, so I’m looking forward to the future more than ever. I want to show her the wonders I have already seen and enjoy some new ones too. I am hoping that one day in some shape or form I can return to my Martial Arts too as I miss it terribly.
On behalf of photographers reading this I must ask you what type of camera do you use and what lens. What made you pick the equipment that you use?
I use a Sony Alpha SLT-A77. I use my SAL-70-400G for most of my work and a Carl Zeiss 16-70 for the closer work. I also have a Minolta 70-200 F2.8 for the fast shots or when light is a premium. Most photographers are happy using Canon or Nikon but I chose Sony as they took over the Minolta brand and Minolta made some of the very best lenses in the world at the time.
The cost of professional photography can be very prohibitive so the second hand market for lenses appealed to me. Unlike other second hand markets, lenses have to be in prime condition or else they simply don’t work as well. It’s a great way of saving cash. I love my equipment and people always seem amazed that I’m not in the Canon or Nikon camp when shooting. It’s nice to be a little more unique I suppose too.
You have received a lot of praise and congratulations on your photography over the years. What is the most memorable comment made about your work?
I received an accolade from Sir David Attenborough for three of my shot’s. He is my hero, a gentle soul with a passion like no other, so to get praise from the great man himself was a life-long dream.
If your camera was taken away from you what would you do?
I would feel bare when I’m with nature. I would still love the experience of being with them but my heart would be heavy not being able to capture ‘that shot’ that I’m always in search of. Seeing people’s reaction to my work is very humbling at times and I would miss that for sure. If I had to give up photography completely I guess I would fill my time with my other passions.
What are your other passions?
My other passions are home cinema and music. I have from the age of around 12 been completely obsessed with all things movie and music.
I’ve built up over the years a fine array of high-end equipment which I use to watch my films – like being at the local cinema. My passion for films stretches across all genres, it is not unusual to find me one night watching a Hollywood blockbuster, the next day a children’s animation and the following day a foreign film. I love them all. In fact it is really only horror movies that no longer appeal to me. I guess I get to live a horror most of the time with my photography!
Do you hold exhibitions of your photographs?
I’ve had exhibitions at the Royal College of Art for ‘Art For Youth’, a charity which helps children in the UK and abroad, with a proportion of the fees going to charity.
Do you post your work anywhere on the web where people can see it, and do you sell your work?
I have recently set up a business with a gallery owner locally to promote my work as people seem to gravitate to my pictures. The company is called ‘Life Frozen’. Our website is www.lifefrozen.com and we are now accepting orders online for my work in many different formats: Canvas, Acrylic, Mugs, Coasters, Greeting Cards etc.
Do you have an exhibition on at the moment?
You can see my work at Chalfont Art and Framing, 7 Nightingales Corner, Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire, until the end of January.
Thank you so much Graham for sharing some of your experiences with us, it’s been a very interesting journey. I know you have written more articles for Glow Magazine illustrated with your outstanding photographs, and we look forward to going on more adventures with you and your camera. In the meantime we wish you every success in your life, both personal and professional.
See more of Graham Seaholme’s work @ www.lifefrozen.com
and on Facebook here: Graham-Seaholme-Photography
Read articles by Graham Seaholme in Glow Magazine @ graham-seaholme/