Daryl Balfour

An interest in conservation has blossomed into a way of life centred around wildlife photography, as Niall Hampton discovers

- Niall Hampton

Daryl Balfour

Wildlife photographer

Conservationist and photographer Daryl and his wife Sharna have produced more than a dozen coffee table wildlife books, based on their travels around Africa. The couple tend to spend more time in Kenya than any other country on the continent, due to the sheer diversity of species and landscapes, and the warmth of its population.

Following a career in local newspaper journalism, in which one of his beats as a reporter was conservation, Daryl turned his focus more towards photography while managing a safari lodge in Botswana in 1986. Daryl also offers specialist photo safaris – see his website for more information.

One of only 13 photographers to have had their images published in all six of the Remembering Wildlife books, Daryl is also contributing to Remembering Bears, which is due to be published later this year. Founded by Margot Raggett in 2016, Remembering Wildlife has raised more than £848,000/ $1,100,000 for 55 local conservation efforts across 24 African countries.

www.wildphotos safaris.com

While the pandemic hit the African continent very hard, there is cautious optimism that things will continue to open up after the two-year hiatus due to Covid-19. And this can’t come soon enough for the South Africa-based wildlife photographer and photo safari host Daryl Balfour. Having appeared in all six of the Remembering Wildlife books, Daryl’s work will also feature in the seventh, Remembering Bears. While the book is being prepared, Digital Camera discovers more about Daryl’s participation in this conservation initiative.

Why did you get involved in Remembering Wildlife?