Mr Nigel William Kendall

As a boy I was raised in New Zealand and came to England with my parents in 1960. From an early age I had a strong interest in aviation, railways and, perhaps surprisingly, wildlife. Naturally enough the long sea voyage from Wellington to Southampton was one of the most exciting times of my life.

In the sixties my love of railways came very much to the fore because, by pure luck, our new home just happened to be close to one of the only purely steam operated railways in the country. Many hours were spent by the lineside toting either my father or brother's cameras, which they generously loaned me during that period. It was a bittersweet experience to witness the last steam giants in their day to day work, and today my photographic archive numbers over 2500 images.

Professionally, I became a magazine journalist after studying graphic design and photography at Bournemouth College of Art, and after 18 years working in London's West End I started my own media business in north west Surrey in 1982. It is during this period that I started writing articles for railway publications such as 'Railway World', 'Steam Days', 'Steam World', and 'Steam Railway'. My steam images began to be admired in the process.

My wildlife interest started coming to the fore following the end of steam and I spent many wonderful hours bird watching with my binoculars and a camera around my neck. It also gave me much solace during the period of my young daughter's serious 20-year illness and disability. My passion for photographing wildlife grew in parallel with my investment in better equipment.

Today I'm a retiree with a wonderful wife and a Cocker Spaniel called 'Toby'. We live in the North Somerset village of Yatton, near the Bristol Channel. The wildlife on the Somerset Levels is wonderful and the opportunities for railway photography (including steam) on the busy Bristol to Taunton main line makes our location highly agreeable for a cameraman with my particular passions and to stretch the limits of his potential.