Tony North

Less than 10 years ago, Tony North only took out his camera on holidays. Now the Manchester-based macro photographer is winning international awards and writing a book. Keith Wilson hears how he has spread his wings from photography's chrysalis...

- Keith Wilson

It’s the third week of March and the wet winter is ensuring a soggy start to spring, but that isn’t dampening Tony North’s spirits – or his initiative. “I was out early this morning doing some photography because it was cloudy and not windy, which is good for macro,” he tells me from his home near Manchester. I’m already wondering what he could have been shooting because it’s too early for many insects and flowers, but then he reveals the unexpected: “There’s not many insects about yet, but I’ve got one that I brought back from Florida – a chrysalis of a zebra swallowtail – and just recently it emerged, so I was photographing that this morning.”

As any macro photographer knows, cool weather and early morning are the best times to photograph insects in the field as they will remain still until they have warmed up enough to move. And so it was for Tony’s new arrival from Florida. “I was out at 6.30 because it was less windy. This butterfly I was photographing is native to the southern United States, so it was probably pretty cold for it.” Not half – it certainly wasn’t March in Miami!

Tony says he’s only been taking photography seriously since 2016, and macro since 2017, but in just seven years he is already a winner of some major international awards for his startling images…

You only got into photography recently, but has your love of nature been lifelong?