It is always a surprise to discover yet another talent where it is not expected, lurking a little outside and, of course, in Rye. The block of flats on Strand Quay needed their flat doors replaced, a directive from fire inspectors. Jason Benstead from JB Carpentry got the job. As it is a fairly long drawn out job, he has become a fixture everyone chats to about various issues, which includes the environment and danger to wildlife. It turns out his son, Nathan, a young 17-year-old, has become a passionate photographer of anything in nature. He specialises in close-up macro photography of animals in the wild, insects and fungi.
The passion began when he got his first camera at the age of 12 though he says: “I have always been obsessed with nature and insects since I can remember.” He first took his camera on dog walks to photograph any small encounter he came across, may it be a robin sitting on a branch or even a pigeon on a tree. In 2020 Nathan discovered, on Youtube, an amazing macro photographer and was inspired by his work. From that moment on, he saved up and eventually had enough money to buy his own macro lens and immediately examined the garden for tiny insects.
In 2021, Nathan had the opportunity to enter a competition run by the nature charity Naturehood and he was lucky enough to be one of the three winners who got to work as photographer in residence. He said: “This really kick-started my career and allowed me to save enough money to buy professional level camera equipment.” In August 2022, Nathan also entered the BBC Countryfile competition where they chose his image as photo of the month. He has had other successes now he has moved to a professional level and has produced greeting cards of his images, as well as framed or unframed prints. He continues to scan the ground in the woods and forests for fungi and insects, most days starting his search at 4am.
Nathan’s present venture is building his own website to showcase his work and he hopes it will be live at the beginning of 2023. For now he can be found on instagram(@nature.magnified) or twitter@(Nathan Benstead) Anyone interested in his work can contact him on: bensteadnathan@gmail.com
Image Credits: Nathan Benstead , Nathan Bedstead .