An award-winning photographer from Swanage in Dorset is passing on his love of nature by planting a tree for every job he undertakes.
Local resident Andy Farrer, decided to embark on the scheme after witnessing dramatic deforestation during his travels around the world, which has increased his fears over habitat loss and climate change.
Andy Farrer has his studio at Sandy Hill Arts, ideally located to get those misty early morning shots of Corfe Castle
“Intrinsically aware of how important trees are”
A tree will now be planted for every order he receives for his evocative photographs, every workshop or personal tuition session he runs and every professional printing job he carries out at his studio at Sandy Hill Arts in Corfe Castle.
Andy, who specialises in landscape and wildlife photography, said:
“I got my love of nature as a kid, birdwatching and walking along our wonderful Jurassic Coast. And I’ve been lucky enough to continue an outdoor life as a career, showcasing not only Dorset but countries I have visited all over the globe.
“I’ve seen first hand the deforestation in places like Brazil and Madagascar and I’ve seen the opposite in the dense woodlands of Finland. It made me intrinsically aware of how important trees are and how important it is to maintain this fragile planet for future generations.”
Andy’s photo of a part of Madagascar that has lost 80 percent of its original forest cover
The dramatic award-winning photo of Bat’s Head in the Snow
Landscape Photographer of the Year 2015
Andy was named Landscape Photographer of the Year in 2015 in an international competition entered by thousands of his peers – and has been shortlisted on several more recent occasions.
His winning photo, Bat’s Head in the Snow is a wintry view of the headland west of Lulworth Cove.
For his tree planting, he uses the services of London-based company Treeapp. Payments he makes digitally are passed to teams in Britain and across the world who employ local people, including farmers, to run nurseries and plant saplings.
The firm has planting and carbon-offsetting links with far larger organisations than Andy’s, such as Virgin, Marriott and the NHS.
Andy’s love of trees shines through in the way he captures the beauty of this young sapling
Andy also runs workshops to help others photograph amazing autumn colour like this
“Make a positive difference”
Andy said:
“It’s a nice idea that aligns with my upbringing and my values.
“It seems to me that trees are being chopped down all over the place. So if I can at least stem some of that and make a positive difference in my own small way, then why not?”
Further information
- More about Andy Farrer and his photos
