Photographer Andy Farrer is passing on his love of nature by planting a tree for every job he undertakes.
By Chris Hockley
Planting a tree with every order!
An award-winning Purbeck photographer is passing on his love of nature by planting a tree for every job he undertakes.
Swanage-born Andy Farrer, 51, decided to embark on the scheme after witnessing dramatic deforestation during his travels around the world, which has increased his fears over habitat loss and climate change.
A tree will now be planted for every order he receives for his evocative photographs, every workshop or personal tuition session he runs and every professional printing job he carries out at his studio in Corfe Castle’s Sandy Hill arts complex.
Deforestation in Madagascar
Andy, who specialises in landscape and wildlife photography, said: “I got my love of nature as a kid, birdwatching and walking along our wonderful Jurassic coast. And I’ve been lucky enough to continue an outdoor life as a career, showcasing not only Dorset but countries I have visited all over the globe.
“I’ve seen first-hand the deforestation in places like Brazil and Madagascar and I’ve seen the opposite in the dense woodlands of Finland. It made me intrinsically aware of how important trees are and how important it is to maintain this fragile planet for future generations.”
Award winning photographer
Andy was named Landscape Photographer of the Year in 2015 in an international competition entered by thousands of his peers – and has been shortlisted on several more recent occasions. His winning photo, “Bat’s Head in the Snow,” is a wintry view of the headland west of Lulworth Cove.
For his tree-planting, he uses the services of London-based company Treeapp. Payments he makes digitally are passed to teams in Britain and across the world who employ local people, including farmers, to run nurseries and plant saplings. The firm has planting and carbon-offsetting links with far larger organisations than Andy’s, such as Virgin, Marriott and the NHS.
Andy said: “It’s a nice idea that aligns with my upbringing and my values.
“It seems to me that trees are being chopped down all over the place. So if I can at least stem some of that and make a positive difference in my own small way, then why not?”
