Sam Oakes
Travel & Landscape Photographer

From a young age I have always loved the creative arts, from the written and spoken word to fine art and most of all photography. I have been taking images for many years, which began by capturing live music and continued through university. After graduating I worked as a graphic designer for over a year before deciding to pursue photography as my career. This led to a decision to travel, and document what I saw. My first major trip took me from Russia on the Trans Mongolian Express through Mongolia and onto China. I then flew to Australia and stayed for a year before returning home through Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.

On my arrival back in the UK I compiled my images, in order to supply major stock libraries, and hold several exhibitions around North Yorkshire. Then came the opportunity to work as a tour leader for an adventure travel company. This role saw me lead 14 separate walking, sailing, cultural and wildlife tours, taking in Croatia, the Caribbean and a lengthy spell in East Africa covering Tanzania, Kenya and the unforgettable Mountain Gorillas in Uganda.

I then settled back in the UK and turned my lens onto the stunning landscapes Britain has to offer. In addition to exhibiting and selling my fine art prints, I also run the Natural Light Photography Workshops with fellow landscape photographer Mark Sunderland, teaching small groups the art of landscape photography against the beautiful backdrop of the Yorkshire Dales.