Alistair Campbell meets the photographer who has built his twin passions into an award-winning, globe-trotting career

Alistair Campbell

Travel photographer

Stuart was born in 1977 in Newcastle. He studied at the Northern Media School, where he gained a Masters in Screen Arts. During his time there, Stuart embarked on his first filming expedition with fellow student Pandula Godawatta. On a shoestring budget, they travelled to the Tamil Tiger-controlled regions of Sri Lanka, in an attempt to tell the story of the civil war that had raged for over 20 years.

Since then Stuart has become a multi award-winning photographer and filmmaker. His assignments have taken him across the globe, photographing a wide range of topics, from critically endangered animals, to remote tribes.

He regularly works for the BBC Natural History Unit, National Geographic and Discovery Channel, filming internationally acclaimed documentaries that are screened to audiences around the world.

www.stuartdunnphotography.com

Stuart Dunn

Musallim Old Red. Canon EOS 5D Mk III with Zeiss ZE 50mm lens; 1/650 sec at f/1.4, ISO 100.

In the foreword to his new book, the filmmaker and photographer Stuart Dunn argues that humankind’s hopes, fears, flaws and desires are common to all. For him, ‘Us’ and ‘Them’ doesn’t exist - there is ‘Only Us’, and those last two words form the title of the book. Chronicling Dunn’s years spent travelling the world, this is an epic photographic portrait of humanity featuring a diverse cast of characters.

How did you get into photography?

Shortly after I left art college, an opportunity arose to travel South Africa with a friend. I took what little money I had and jumped at the chance. While I was there, I took photos - none of which were any good - of the people and the animals I encountered.