Martin Griffett has been taking photos in Richmond Park since 2008 - the same year he bought his first digital camera.

Originally from North Wales, Martin started off as a landscape photographer four decades ago, using an old SLR film camera to capture the stunning mountain views surrounding his hometown.

Martin has since gained a new passion in wildlife photography, finding perfect subjects in the deer of Richmond Park - from a safe distance that is.

He runs 47 Photography, offering one-to-one tutoring sessions in woodland, deer, macro, urban and abstract photography. He also delivers workshops and sells his prints online.

In an interview with Richmond Nub News Martin describes the day he discovered deer photography: "One morning I was taking photographs in the park and I was trying to catch a misty dawn scene.

"It never appeared, but I could see mist in some faraway trees, so I moved location and there just happened to be deer standing in the woods.

"The lighting was so fantastic and with just one photo I was hooked."

Martin likes to get up before sunrise, as dawn light is known by photographers to be gentler and the colours tend to pop more.

You might think the early morning chill would be enough to keep most people away, but Martin describes the hordes of photographers present in Autumn in time for the annual deer rut.

"There are far too many photographers sometimes – at the weekends especially," he says.

"Lockdown definitely hasn't helped. I like to get myself away to a more quiet area and hopefully see some deer. If I don't, I just come back another time."

Martin urges his fellow photographers to have respect for the wildlife and stay 50m away from the deer as the Royal Parks charity urges.

"When you are in the park with deer, you should follow the distancing guidelines. You must always remember that the subject is far more important than the photograph."

He also advises anyone thinking of taking up deer photography to use the right equipment, such as a camera with a long zoom lens that allows you to capture the image from further away.

"You don't want to stress the deer out by getting too close, especially in Autumn when the rut is on. Stags can be quite dangerous."

Perks of the four seasons

Martin's favourite seasons are Autumn and Winter, because this is when the deer are most active and there's a good amount of atmospheric mist. He still likes to visit in Spring and Summer, as May-July time is when he might be lucky enough to spot a newborn deer.

"They can be quite hard to find as they're normally out of sight in the long grass, but I did manage to take a photo of a mother and fawn with their noses touching one summer."

Now in his early 60s, Martin hasn't always worked as a photographer. When he was much younger, he served in the military, and then spent another 30 years in the IT sector.

47 Photography

Since then, Martin has developed 47 Photography into a multi-faceted business, offering one-to-one workshops for aspiring photographers and selling prints of his best work online.

Martin is drawn to images that provide context, often choosing to place the subject in its natural environment, and this is reflected in his prints.

"I'm more interested in finding an atmospheric scene. If I just find a deer standing out in the open, I'm unlikely to take a photo, but if I walk through some woodland and find some mist and some sunlight coming through the branches onto the deer, then that's a much nicer setting."

When asked what makes the final deciding factor for choosing his prints, Martin says: "I think it's the ones that evoke some feeling in me.

"I hope that the person viewing it will get a similar feeling and that they can find enjoyment in my work."