Reptile Travels

Hannah discovers wildlife photographer Tom Haley and his passion for photography as well as the species he’s encountering on his travels, especially reptiles in particular. 

Tom Haley, Fan Footed Gecko.

Tom Haley enjoys travelling and his passion for animals drives him to travel to these incredible destinations just for that perfect shot and explains that he went to that part of Israel specifically to find the Fan Footed Gecko, which is his favourite reptile, especially as he has kept other Gecko’s as pets. “I love reptiles, they’re always doing something unexpected and they’ve found such unique ways to conquer challenges in their environment.” However, when travelling to these places to photograph, it doesn’t always go to plan. There is a lot of waiting around, trying to find the right locations and sometimes not getting what you want. It’s always best to keep an open mind and keep taking photos because you may find some hidden gems that you weren’t expecting along the way.

The Fan Footed Gecko specifically are hard to find because their camouflage suits their environment perfectly, originating from the desert areas of Africa. They get their name from their fan like toes which are ideal for their climbing skills and travelling over rock surfaces.

However, there are many other amazing reptiles that Tom has captured on his travels.

Tom Haley, Yucatan Gecko.

Tom Haley, Old Man/Helmeted Lizard.

Tom Haley, Ionian Wall Lizard.

A lot of the Lizards and Geckos that Tom enjoys photographing are nocturnal, which results in late nights in remote places with not a lot of great lighting. This is difficult when you only have torches to highlight the shot but also when trying to make sure you don’t disturb the surrounding wildlife and get too close. Lizards and Gecko’s are so well adapted to their habitat, either sticking to your hotel room or on the ground in the undergrowth, but we need to be more observant and make sure we don’t disrupt their homes as they are part of a complex ecosystem that helps sustain the larger animals. Each species is beautiful in their own way, however, many are disregarded and Tom wants to show reptiles in a different light as they have this ability to link a picture to a story. He wants to show a story of the people involved with reptiles and the struggles the reptiles themselves are going through and explaining that within photography it’s why he wants to produce something that tries to show how amazing the smaller overlooked animals are as well as the more ‘classically’ iconic reptiles. Tom explains that, “It’s one of the real powers with photography how you can use it to invoke memories of stories, experiences or childhood fascinations and how everyone will read into a picture differently and attach a different emotion to it”.

Tom Haley, Green Crested Lizard.

“This photo was taken in Java, Indonesia while out with a small local reptile conservation group that was trying to generate money and awareness for reptile conservation. For me, people like this are the heart and soul of any conservation, the grassroots people doing it from a passion and love for wildlife. I think the positive impact they have and the education they bring to local people is amazing and can often be overshadowed by the achievements of larger conservation organisations. This is what sparked the idea and fuelled my desire to try and use my own hobbies to create something positive and try to show the world what impacts we’re having on reptiles and what these groups of amazing people are doing to prevent it.”

Even though Tom loves reptiles, he also has captured some other incredible wildlife shots on his travels…

Tom Haley, Lion.

Tom Haley, Fox.

Tom Haley, Lesser Horseshoe Bat.

Tom Haley, Otter.

Tom Haley, Redshank.

Tom is passionate about conservation and trying to capture those animals in conservation is his goal when searching for wildlife on his travels, however a trip to a sanctuary to get the shots you are after can always be part of ‘Plan B’. We have multiple wildlife species in our back gardens, like foxes and birds and Tom describes, “I find wildlife photography often focuses on the big or rare animals and sometimes a common bird locally found can make for a nice shot as well. I also find a lot of native species get overlooked by more exotic species so it’s nice to try show of the wildlife we have here in the UK”.

Tom still enjoys taking photos of other wildlife but focuses on being more selective, mainly the ones that are more ‘iconic’ or look ‘cool’, whereas with reptiles, he can photograph no matter what species or type. He says that he loves it all, he loves everything about nature and he thinks there isn’t anything he doesn’t like photographing because, “out of nowhere, something unexpected and amazing happens”.

Check out more of his amazing wildlife imagery on his Instagram and Website.