Devon-based wildlife photographer and outdoor instructor Sam Hazell is passionate about being in nature. He reveals the profoundly positive effect it’s had on his mental health
WOFTEN hear about the negative impacts of using social media, but for photographers like Sam Hazell, platforms such as Instagram can foster a real sense of community. By exploring, shooting and sharing his images of the serene landscapes and wildlife of Devon, Sam has built a following of people who share his love of the natural world. He uses an EF-mount Canon telephoto lens on his mirrorless R6 camera to create artistic wildlife portraits, where the subjects are the centre of attraction and partly obscured by their surroundings. Over the years, photography has become Sam’s sanctuary, and now he’s keen to use his platform to help others with anxiety to develop their own skills. We caught up with him to talk about settings and subjects, as well as staying motivated during failure.
Hey, Sam. Tell us a bit about your photography journey…
I have been interested in photography and videography ever since a young age. It started out by photographing the adventures that my friends and I would have, whether that was skateboarding in the local car park, hiking on Dartmoor or exploring the local area. That then progressed into a job later in life taking photographs for outdoor companies. At university, I studied outdoor teaching, meaning I was a qualified climbing, kayaking and mountaineering instructor. This meant that I could take my camera to places
