Eddie the Penguin (2016) Photography by Nick Dale

I wanted to be a photographer when I was 15, but my mother said I could always take it up later – so that was that for 30 years!

I ended up reading English at Oxford and working as a strategy consultant for a few years before 'retiring' at the age of 29! I then travelled round the world for seven years, doing four ski seasons and working on an internet start-up in San Francisco, before finally returning to London in 2005. At that point, consulting work felt too stressful, so I decided to go 'quality of life', and I'm now a private tutor and wildlife photographer.

I became a tutor in 2009 when I happened to read an article in the paper called 'Ten Ways to Beat the Recession', and I started taking pictures again in 2013 when I received a random email inviting me to go on safari and climb Mount Kenya. I've been a wildlife photographer ever since, taking pictures in 25 countries on all seven continents and winning various awards including the Sunday Times/Audley Travel Big Shot.

• Nationality: UNITED KINGDOM
• Date of birth : 1968
• Artistic domains: Works by professional artists,
• Groups: Professional Artist Contemporary British Artists