Matt Long
I work as a professional classical singer but have always had a fascination with the wildernesses of our planet and the wildlife that lives there. I am lucky that my career allows me to travel widely and over the last decade I’ve visited some extraordinary places, often with my camera by my side. In recent years my interest in the conservation of animals and in wildlife photography has grown and I now devote a significant amount of time to improving my skills and searching out wild places in which to practice!
Having amassed thousands of images, and fresh from four months of travels with my wife, Lucia, I wanted to create an online album for what I consider to be my best shots from the last 10 years or so. The majority of the photographs are shots of the natural world but I've included images of people and city-scapes which are there to help give a flavour of the various regions. I hope you enjoy browsing through the photographs.
To follow my singing and the 'conservation for chidren through music' work I do with Lucia, please see LINKS.
WILDLIFE
I passionately oppose the idea that it is a given that human beings are superior to other animals. Many creatures possess extraordinary and fascinating abilities which others do not and we are not exempt from this notion. Our greedy, ever ‘progressing’ society is quietly perpetuating the idea that we are somehow outside of nature’s processes, or that we can keep them at bay with our vast, evolved, brains. The humble respect for the natural world with which we evolved is crumbling with every step we take away from the wild places; with every barrier we build; and with every species that disappears.
I believe that nature deserves our conservation efforts for nature’s own sake.
Wild animals fascinate and inspire us and despite the seemingly ever more depressing tales of species lost; of the ivory trade; of illegal logging, I am a keen supporter of spreading positive conservation news. It is clear that in order to turn the corner in conserving our planet we must educate and inspire individuals of our own species!
When Barrack Obama met David Attenborough in 2015, he asked him “What is it that led to such a deep fascination with how the natural world works?”
The great man replied, ‘Well I never met a child who is not interested in natural history. Kids understand the natural world and are fascinated by it. So the question is, “how did you lose it?” ’