In case you hadn’t realised, Photo Habitat is just me. I’m Jon, and I live in Essex. I studied geography at university, which led to an early interest in conservation and the natural world — including a student placement in forestry research that gave me my first real taste of working outdoors with wildlife and habitats. That connection with the natural world never really left me, even when life got in the way.
I bought my first Canon SLR in 1999, but photography took a back seat for many years as work and family commitments took over. It’s a familiar story, I suspect. I finally picked the camera up again in 2024, and I haven’t put it down since.
The Journey Back to the Lens
The catalyst was joining Baddow Camera Club in September 2024. I went along not really knowing what to expect, and came away inspired. The members there opened my eyes to wildlife photography in particular — one recommendation that stuck was to visit Phyllis Currie Nature Reserve in Essex, which has become something of a second home to me.
I restarted with a Canon 700D and a Canon EF 70-300mm IS II USM lens, which did me proud for a while, but in September 2025 upgraded to a Canon R7 with the RF 100-400mm — a combination I find excellent for wildlife and pseudo-macro work without having to get uncomfortably close to the subject.
Finding Inspiration in Essex
My main interests are woodland photography, nature, wildlife, coastal and landscape — though I also dabble in monochrome and urban street photography when the mood takes me. I’ve since become Treasurer and Webmaster of Baddow Camera Club, which says something about how thoroughly it took over my life!
Photo Habitat launched in May 2026 as a place to share my photography and write honestly about the experiences behind it — the enjoyments, the challenges, the near misses, and the occasional triumph. I’m not an expert — in photography or in natural history — but I’m enthusiastic, and I hope that comes through.
If you spot an error in an identification or have a better suggestion, please do leave a comment. I learn something new every time I go out with a camera, and from every person who takes the time to engage with what I share here.
Thanks for visiting.
Jon, Photo Habitat
Follow more of my photography on Instagram: jons.snaps
Publications, research, photographic successes etc.
A Study Of Vegetation Composition And Soil Chemistry On Five Year Non-rotational Set-aside Under Four Management Regimes, Essex, UK. 1997. Coventry Univeristy.
Winner of Image of the Night, Baddow Camera Club:
- Spoonbill on the Shore – a spoonbill foraging at Abberton Reservoir, Essex
- An Ancient Embrace – Monochrome woodland photograph taking in Epping Forest
Top marks 20/20, Baddow Camera Club:
- A Field of Dreams – Wheat field at dusk in Little Baddow
- The Light Before the Storm – Landscape photograph from Danbury Country Park
I’ve just featured these photos in a new post, My Best Photos So Far, According to the Judges.