Ewan Crosbie

“Immerse yourself in the experience. Great photographs are what happen when observation, patience and opportunity come together.”

I’m Ewan Crosbie, a wildlife photographer based in Costa Rica.

I’ve been photographing wildlife for many years, originally in the UK. It started out with wanting to get great images, before I realised it was also about everything around the image.

I never particularly cared whether I was photographing in the most popular or productive locations. Of course you need an animal.

But it was about finding it. Watching it. Understanding its behaviour. Spending time in the right place. Waiting for something to happen. Who you’re with. The memories you make. And importantly, having an awesome time while you’re doing it.

I cared about having a great experience and coming away with a photograph that meant something to me.

In fact, some of my favourite photographs and favourite memories came from hours, days or even months of photographing in less productive locations, but places that gave me the best experience.

Then life got in the way.

I became a dad. Photography gradually slipped down the list, and eventually I stopped photographing altogether.

A few years later, my family and I moved to Costa Rica. And, slowly, I picked up the camera again. It reminded me why I loved this in the first place.

I’m now building my photography around the same things that have always mattered to me: wildlife, creativity, curiosity, fun and the experience that comes with it. Something I call ‘experience first photography’.

Immerse yourself in the experience. Great photographs are what happen when observation, patience and opportunity come together.

I take the photography seriously.

I just don’t think we always need to take ourselves quite so seriously.

These days, alongside making my own photographs, I’m creating small-group wildlife photography experiences and sharing my stories, photographs and adventures through Field Notes.

If you’d like to hear more about what I’m up to, that’s probably the best place to start.