Profile

Exploring the smaller side of Wildlife

My name is Alex McCarthy and I'm a wildlife photographer living in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales.

I have always had a passion for wildlife and this has been a constant inspiration throughout my work as an illustrator and photographer. From the illustrations of sea animals in my children’s book, In Search of the Blue Whale; to my photographs of the tiny creatures that make up 99 percent of animal life visible to the naked eye, no creature is considered too big or too small for admiration.

I work out of my home studio in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, where I live with my wife, daughter, fox terrier and french bulldog.  When not working in my studio I will ride my motorbike to nature reserves, with rucksack full of camera gear balancing precariously on my back! When I’m not out with my camera stalking insects I volunteer in wildlife conservation projects run by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales. I hope that the images in this website will help highlight the beauty and importance of insects and the environment on which we all depend.

"All life is linked together in such a way that no part of the chain is unimportant. Frequently, upon the action of some of these minute beings depends the material success or failure of a great commonwealth."

John Henry Comstock
Insect Life: An Introduction to Nature-Study and a Guide to Teachers, Students, and Others Interested in Out-Of-Door Life (1887)
Gallery

Latest works from the Gallery

Latest from the Blog
+

Moth Monitoring at Kenfig Nature Reserve

Volunteers are essential to the management of Nature Reserves. Kenfig Nature Reserve has two groups...
November 30, 2023
+

Primordial Soup

Whenever I visit Kenfig Nature Reserve’s waterlogged terrain during the early spring months, I’m reminded...
April 28, 2023
+

A Question of Life or Death

Green wings give excellent camouflage against vegetation, making Brimstones difficult to spot against leaves. So...
March 29, 2023
+

Is it ethically acceptable to kill and preserve insects?

I know of many photographers who have no qualms about killing and freezing insects in...
January 30, 2023