Paul Harcourt Davies is a professional photographer/author and conservationist with an international reputation gained through his images, his numerous books (19 to date), articles and lectures.
He has led botanical, natural history and photographic trips for three decades and has lectured in the UK, USA, Cyprus (where he lived from 1978-81) and Italy on various aspects of photography and natural history, taught hundreds of workshops and is a prolific writer.
Paul is known for his images of plants in landscapes and has become regarded by many as the ‘macromaestro’ for the close-up techniques he has developed for insects and plants and then made available to other photographers… he is on a mission to demystify elements of photography which his background, a combination of science (physics) and the arts makes possible.
He is regarded as an authority on the Mediterranean flora and fauna (orchids in particular) and has been involved in numerous conservation projects. He was a founder member of the Hardy Orchid society, served as its chairman and is now an honorary Vice President: he was also chairman of Butterfly Conservation, S Wales. Paul has lived in Italy since 2003, where he is involved with numerous projects locally and nationally.
Paul was the winner of the portfolio award for the International Garden Photographer of the Year 2013 plus a Royal Photographic Society Gold Medal, has been a three times speaker at WildPhotos (2008, 2012 and 2014). He was also a judge for the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year (2015) competition and for numerous other international contests.
Lois Ferguson has managed specialist tours for over twenty five years for clients who demand the best – she makes sure everything works and runs smoothly and, by common consent, produces picnics to die for. Lois also manages tours for a specialist archaeological travel company and is an inspector for the Alastair Sawday’s Special Places to Stay guides in Italy. Her years spent in Italy have given her an encyclopaedic knowledge of the country, its people, history and the food and wine. Although by training Lois is a professional musician (violinist), she also had her own business back in the UK creating specialist paint finishes and trompe l’oeil work. She is also a keen photographer with an eye for the unusual and a gift for finding the perfect viewpoint…in addition, she is a superb cook and keen gardener.
Lois and Paul have lived and worked in Italy since November 2003, where they found and renovated and old ruined farmhouse, living the whole year in Italy and doing most of the work themselves. It is set in a wild garden (their outdoor studio), within easy reach of a wide range of habitats from coastal to lake and river, through Mediterranean scrub and ancient beechwood to alpine heights over 2000m.
Paul & Lois usually work together as a team when leading tours. They are our hosts for our exciting visit to the Gargano peninsula in April each year. We expect to add further tours in 2022 which Paul & Lois will host for Greenwings, in Italy and possibly elsewhere.
Back
