Aspen Turner Photography

Aspen Turner Photography Disabled English Wildlife and Zoo Photographer

Looking below and looking up One of the many things I quickly learnt during my trip to Bempton Cliffs is that birds are ...
09/09/2026

Looking below and looking up

One of the many things I quickly learnt during my trip to Bempton Cliffs is that birds are absolutely everywhere 😂 High or low, in the sky or on the cliffs, hundreds and thousands of seabirds in every direction, making it quite overstimulating and difficult to find the perfect subject amongst all the chaos.

During my first trip out, my attention was grabbed by all the flying birds soaring across the ocean, which made for some alright shots but nothing overly special. So when I returned a little later in the season, I focused on the cliff tops, scanning around for isolated subjects, and bending in all sorts of ways 😂 This certainly worked a treat as I walked away with a great selection of portraits, and some absolute stunners at that!

For this little fella, I spotted it perching waaaaaaay down below the fence line, with the grassy top of the cliff almost obscuring the view. But with a little bending and repositioning, I managed to get a straight-down, clear view just in time for a quick preening session! So while the skies may be hustling and bustling, the quiet cliffs also offer some golden opportunities 🩵

🦌 Species: Razorbill
📍 Location: RSPB Bempton Cliffs
📅 Date: 15/06/25
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📷 Settings: 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO-4000

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A photo of a razorbill perched on a rock along a cliff edge, against a soft, muted grey background. The razorbill beats its wings to shake any loose feathers from its previous preening session. Its head is tilted upwards towards the sky, offering a clear view of its entire body. A small green hue covers the foreground, caused by shooting through foliage to reach the bird perched below.

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Another celebration day with National Iguana Awareness Day!Wingham's reptile house was an absolute spectacle, full of su...
08/09/2026

Another celebration day with National Iguana Awareness Day!

Wingham's reptile house was an absolute spectacle, full of such wonderful and amazing species, including a group of green iguanas! Tucked away between a ginormous python and a snappy alligator turtle, these iguanas were absolutely chilling, aside from one fella. Displaying its crest and bobbing its head up and down, this iggy was certainly putting on a show. Though in typical fashion, I missed the action as soon as the camera came out 😂 Instead, I settled for a simple head-on portrait, which looks absolutely wonderful against the dark, smooth background. I've certainly got the love back for black backgrounds 😂

🦌 Species: Common Green Iguana
📍 Location: Wingham Wildlife Park
📅 Date: 16/12/24
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📷 Settings: 1/250, f/6.3, ISO-10000

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A portrait photo of a green iguana facing straight-on to the camera against a dark, muted backdrop. The iguana sits on a wooden platform, with its head slightly raised above. Despite the name, the iguana's body and arms are covered with bright orange scales, with small patches of grey and green scales covering its face and neck.

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Happy International Manatee Day!Never thought I'd get to celebrate this awareness day, but ZooTampa absolutely delivered...
07/09/2026

Happy International Manatee Day!

Never thought I'd get to celebrate this awareness day, but ZooTampa absolutely delivered! This zoo completely knocked my expectations out of the ballpark, with such amazing encounters with almost all of their wonderful animals, especially the manatees. The entire Florida Waters area was the best enclosure I've ever seen in my life! Both the underwater and platform viewing areas were gorgeous and brilliant for photo opportunities. From above, snouts would briefly poke above the water surface for a breather or to collect the yummy lettuce scattered above. From below, a whole new underwater world of floating potatoes swimming and enjoying their food. I have so many photos I've yet to edit from just this enclosure; it's unreal 😭 I could've truly spent the whole day peacefully watching these beautiful animals float around. In fact, I made several trips back to this enclosure throughout the day; I couldn't get enough of them! I'm so grateful for the opportunity to visit ZooTampa and witness the wonderful wildlife that calls Florida its home, and who knows, maybe one day I might even spot a manatee gliding through the glades 🩵

🦌 Species: American Manatee
📍 Location: ZooTampa at Lowry Park
📅 Date: 24/04/26
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📷 Settings: 1/3200, f/7.1, ISO-3200

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A photo of a manatee surfacing the water, taking a breath of air while the smooth green water ripples around its head. The manatee's snout is largely visible, whiskers poking in every direction and bright highlights twinkling from the harsh sunlight. The manatee's upper torso is partially visible, some above and some below the water surface while it propels itself up from the water depths.

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Just one cub or two?Photographing the lion cubs at Howletts was the biggest reward of the trip; watching them scamper ab...
06/09/2026

Just one cub or two?

Photographing the lion cubs at Howletts was the biggest reward of the trip; watching them scamper about and play with one another was heart-melting. For the most part, they hung around the back of the enclosure, a bit apprehensive of coming close to the fence line, especially this little fella that quite favoured the protection of the bushes. Eventually, a friend came over to join them, gently coaxing them out a little further, though not by much 😂

🦌 Species: African Lion
📍 Location: Howletts Wild Animal Park
📅 Date: 08/12/24
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📷 Settings: 1/1250, f/6.3, ISO-5000

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A carousel of two similar images of the same scenario: a wide-angle scene of a young lion cub standing underneath a bush, surrounded by twigs, leaves and branches while looking off into the distance. Both images are warm and vibrant, autumnal colours dominating the scenes from the surrounding fallen winter foliage.

Slide 1: The young cub is positioned on the right side of the frame, with bright green leaves poking above its head. Its mouth is partially open, revealing a small pink tongue and tiny sharp teeth in an almost grin.

Slide 2: The cub is joined by its sibling, who stands on the left side of the frame. Both cubs exhibit serious, concentrated expressions as they observe their surroundings.

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Happy International Vulture Awareness Day!I didn't expect spotting wild vultures to be on the cards during my Florida tr...
05/09/2026

Happy International Vulture Awareness Day!

I didn't expect spotting wild vultures to be on the cards during my Florida trip, especially near our hotel! Most mornings we’d leave the hotel from the back entrance, and a large flock of vultures would be perched on a pylon on the side of the road, waiting to dive into the nearby fields for food. I made many attempts to photograph them, bringing my camera along in the car on the off-chance of capturing a quick snap, but was sadly unsuccessful. It was a typical photographer’s nightmare of spotting wildlife in the most inconvenient of places 😤😂 With either missing the shot while shooting in a moving vehicle or traffic stopping at the worst of times, it's safe to say the odds were stacked against me.

The photography gods heard my annoyance, as during my trip to Gatorland, I was blessed with a whole gathering of wild vultures! Hanging around the gator islands, chilling above the capybaras, and swooping above the pools, they certainly caught my attention! My best encounter was with this individual scurrying along the ground, and with a slow, quiet sneak, I managed to capture this lovely portrait as it looked over at me before carrying on its way. I loved how the blades of grass have almost made a spikey crown around its head; such a great moment and happy coincidence (a perfect summary of the whole trip) 😂

🦌 Species: Black Vulture
📍 Location: Gatorland
📅 Date: 28/04/26
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📷 Settings: 1/500, f/8, ISO-8000

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A photo of a black vulture sitting in thick foliage, its back towards the camera while looking over its shoulder to make eye contact. The background is blurred but visibly filled with blades of grass, pieces of dirt, twigs and leaves.

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Locking eyes with Mishka 🐯My trip to Banham was a big cat bonanza, filled with memorable moments and epic shots, includi...
04/09/2026

Locking eyes with Mishka 🐯

My trip to Banham was a big cat bonanza, filled with memorable moments and epic shots, including the ever-loved strutting Mishka pic. The glass panels were quite a hindrance at first, obscuring details and adding a hazy blur over my images when shooting from an odd angle. But off to the side was a small-ish gap that became the perfect place to capture head-on shots of Mishka walking along her trail. Dodging leaves and twigs blowing in the wind, and in front of my camera, it took me a good while to capture a handful of in-focus and unobstructed shots, but the patience and effort were totally worth it! Haha, glass, you couldn't defeat me this time 😂

🦌 Species: Amur Tiger
📍 Location: Banham Zoo
📅 Date: 16/05/26
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📷 Settings: 1/2500, f/8, ISO-4000

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A photo of an Amur tiger walking along a game trail, eyes locking onto the camera while advancing forward. The tiger's left paw slightly hovers above the ground, moving closer and closer. Green patches of grass surround and define the dirt path that runs from the background through to the foreground.

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Hiking the climb with Luis 🦎The reptile house at the Hastings aquarium was a delightful surprise during my wintry visit....
03/09/2026

Hiking the climb with Luis 🦎

The reptile house at the Hastings aquarium was a delightful surprise during my wintry visit. I certainly didn't expect to be photographing beardies, a tegu, and the adventurous Luis, who went on an expedition around his enclosure, scaling the branches all over the place, and at a pace I could finally match 😂 Quite impressed with the detail quality in this shop, I was using my smallest and cheapest lens, which doesn't always pull out the sharpest of shots, but worked a great treat here!

🦌 Species: Panther Chameleon
📍 Location: Hastings Aquarium
📅 Date: 19/12/24
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📷 Settings: 1/250, f/6.3, ISO- 10000

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A photo of a brightly-coloured panther chameleon slowly descending on a dark grey tree branch, moving from the top to the bottom of the frame. The chameleon's right arm hovers mid-air, gradually moving forward.

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Heroes in a half-shell, turtle power (what better time to use that theme 😂)!Photographing a wild turtle was a surreal an...
02/09/2026

Heroes in a half-shell, turtle power (what better time to use that theme 😂)!

Photographing a wild turtle was a surreal and exciting moment during my trip to Lake Apopka (and certainly a bragging moment for my turtle-obsessed partner 😂). While on the drive, I spotted a few basking on lily pads, a little too far away for a nice, clean shot. Later, when parked at the rest area, I noticed a few bubbles along the water surface of the large fenced-off lake. At first, I thought they were from an underwater gator, but a little slider quickly popped up, taking a breather! I didn't have my camera prepped for the first breath, so I waited and waited till eventually it popped up again, and snap! With a split second, I was able to get a lovely clean shot of it surfacing before it plopped off again. A species that is probably so common and boring for the locals, but one that left me in absolute delight!

🦌 Species: Yellow Bellied Slider
📍 Location: Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, Orange County
📅 Date: 18/04/26
📷 Settings: 1/3200, f/6.3, ISO-3200

Access:
A photo of a yellow-bellied slider emerging its head slightly out of the surrounding dark, murky water to take a quick breath before diving back into the depths. The slider's body is visible below the water's surface but appears slightly muted and hazy. The water surface is calm, with tiny ripples only surrounding the slider's snout.

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Happy International Primate Day!Celebrating with a classic portrait series featuring our beloved primate friends of all ...
01/09/2026

Happy International Primate Day!

Celebrating with a classic portrait series featuring our beloved primate friends of all shapes and sizes. From the tiniest monkey to the largest primate and everything in between, we love them all 🐵

I have a particular fondness for lemurs (totally not because of their fluff and catchy theme song 😂), especially the gorgeous red ruffed lemur. They're such colourful, bouncy and fluffy critters! I didn't have a ruffed portrait for this series, so settled for a cheeky ring-tailed shot. Though I'm not sure it counts as a portrait when half the fellah's face is leafy-fied 😂

Ring Tailed Lemur, Hamerton Zoo Park
Gelada Baboon, Howletts Wild Animal Park
Patas Monkey, Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo
Chimpanzee, Chester Zoo
Lar Gibbon, Dudley Zoo and Castle
Colombian Black Spider Monkey, Lincoln Zoo
Barbary Macaque, Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo
Dusky Langur, Howletts Wild Animal Park
Pygmy Marmoset, Twycross Zoo
Western Lowland Gorilla, San Diego Zoo

Access:
A 10-image carousel featuring different primate species portraits.

Slide 1: Ring-tailed lemur with a leaf covering half its face.
Slide 2: Gelada sitting upright and staring at the camera.
Slide 3: Patas monkey sitting on the grass with its legs tucked up.
Slide 4: Chimpanzee sitting with a cheeky expression and tongue peeking out.
Slide 5: Lar gibbon perched in a bush while eating a leafy snack.
Slide 6: Black spider monkey curled up on a tree trunk.
Slide 7: Barbary macaque looking over its shoulder towards the camera.
Slide 8: Dusky langur sitting with its arms folded over its legs.
Slide 9: Pygmy marmoset perched on a branch looking towards the camera.
Slide 10: Gorilla sitting against a rocky backdrop with blurred grass in the foreground.

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Chilling with Nadirah 🐯Photographing the West Mids tiger cubs last year was a particular treat, though a challenging fea...
31/08/2026

Chilling with Nadirah 🐯

Photographing the West Mids tiger cubs last year was a particular treat, though a challenging feat with trying to keep up with their playful antics 😂 Luckily, the cubs would paws now and then for a quick breather, perfect for some peaceful (and definitely in focus 😂) pics 🩵

🦌 Species: Sumatran Tiger
📍 Location: West Midlands Safari Park
📅 Date: 22/03/25
🏷️ Follow:
📷 Settings: 1/2000, f/7.1, ISO-8000

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A photo of a young tiger cub sitting on a grassy, straw-covered enclosure floor. The tiger is positioned with its backside facing towards the camera, as it looks beyond the frame over its shoulder.

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