A review of my new African wild dog book Underdogs features in the February 2012 issue of BBC Wildlife magazine. The book fills the much sought after ‘Picture Book Choice’ slot with the following review:

“This is a book with heart. Photojournalist Neil Aldridge’s love of wild dogs shines through his beautiful images and passionate prose. Majoring on the species’ fight to survive – as poignantly illustrated by alpha female Stellar and her pack – this timely book highlights current conservation efforts, and offers a glimmer of hope for the future.”

This review follows a recent online gallery that can be seen on the magazine’s website discoverwildlife.com. The latest issue of BBC Wildlife is out now and features a touching image of lions by Andy Rouse on the cover. There is a special BBC Wildlife reader offer on Underdogs throughout February through NHBS. Underdogs is also available to buy on my website and on Amazon. With a donation from sales made to wild dog conservation, I urge you to please help this highly endangered carnivore by ordering your copy today.

Visit my main website at www.conservationphotojournalism.com

Do you want to take better wildlife photographs? There’s no better way of learning than in the field so why not join me on one of my exclusive photo trips? As a professional wildlife guide and award-winning photojournalist, I take pleasure in showing people the beauty of our natural world. I invite you to join me on one of my photo tours to Europe or safaris to Africa, created to offer you the perfect opportunity to experience some of natures most inspiring places and to learn how to better photograph its wild wonders.

Africa has a diversity of wildlife, breathtaking scenery and stunning lighting that makes it a favourite with photographers. Wanderlust, the world’s leading travel magazine, has selected my Land of Giants African photo safari as one of their top trips for 2012, as seen in their December 2011 issue. This exclusive photographic tour to the Limpopo Valley is led by myself in partnership with carnivore expert Dr Peter Neville. Check out my website for the full safari itinerary, trip information and how to make a booking with my expert travel partners Tracks Safaris.

Done Africa? Perhaps you’re looking for a new adventure? I’ve teamed up with leading Estonian wildlife photographer Remo Savisaar to offer just 6 people the chance to discover and photograph Estonia, one of Europe’s wildest countries. This exciting new 9-day photo tour combines specialist photographic tuition with expert wildlife guiding. So why not take a look at the itinerary we have in store?

With professional training and qualifications in both photography and wildlife guiding, coupled with experirience and an award-winning quality, I believe my photo tours offer the right package for you to improve and enjoy your wildlife photography. Working with leading photographers and guides adds even greater value to your experience. But don’t just take my word for it. Come and see for yourself.

More information on my website at conservationphotojournalism.com

With over 140 wildlife photographs, Underdogs celebrates what is special about the endangered African wild dog. Acute senses, a lightweight body, unrivaled stamina and power in numbers may make the wild dog one of Africa’s most efficient hunters but these remarkable characteristics saw the species fare badly with the arrival of big game hunters in Africa in the late 1800s. This charismatic carnivore has been an underdog in its fight to find its place in a developing continent ever since.

Over three years, I worked closely with trackers and researchers to follow, photograph and understand the African wild dog. The result is a book that explores the ecology of a remarkable species and looks at what makes it one of Africa’s most efficient carnivores. Underdogs also explores the reasons behind the decline of the wild dog and champions the efforts being made to secure a future for the species in South Africa and beyond.

Many of the book’s photographs have achieved acclaim in major international competitions and exhibitions but Underdogs is the first time all of these award-winning photographs can be seen in one place and brought into context.

See more of the photographs on conservationphotojournalism.com

Before I came to my senses and picked up a camera I used to row internationally (yes, that’s right…I used to think that getting up before dawn and training twice a day most of the year was fun). One of the most annoying things about racing was always when an opposing crew would blast out of the blocks, intent on setting a blistering pace from the start and making you play catch-up. I guess it would be like an arch rival throwing a personal best in the first round of the Olympic javelin competition. Well, for me, the year of 2011 has been a bit like that annoying rival. It’s set a standard that’s going to take new efforts to beat.

Another way of looking at it is that 2011 has been a pretty good year. More than two million people around the world will have seen my African wild dog image Survivor from the 2010 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition during the competition’s traveling exhibition. Winning this year’s British Wildlife Photography Awards documentary category for my country shoot portfolio was also a fantastic honour. This win brought another of my conservation stories to the fore shortly after my BBC Wildlife Magazine feature on the badger ‘cull versus vaccination’ debate hit the shelves – and the magazine’s front cover – in the autumn. However, my third conservation photo story to make it into the public domain was my biggest story of all and the culmination of three years of work. In December my African wild dog book Underdogs was published and, well, it’s a little early to say how it’s gone down but no doubt the reviews will soon start trickling in. I also supported the launch of the book with a talk at the Natural History Museum and this talk wasn’t my only event at this world-renowned institution in 2011 as it followed a short series of photo workshops earlier in the year.

After all of that it probably sounds like I haven’t actually done much photography in 2011. And that is largely true. Being a photojournalist I do spend a lot of time in front of the computer and this year a lot of that time was spent writing Underdogs. I did get to some wonderful locations though. Scotland and Estonia both cemented themselves as favourite locations and made their way back into my plans for 2012 based on what I saw, who I met and the shots I got.

Perhaps I have been a little harsh on 2011 calling it the ‘annoying rival’. After all – coming back to my racing – I remember that there never was a better feeling than coming from behind to beat an opponent. I guess in my celebration of the year that has passed I am just a little daunted at the work that lies ahead of me to make 2012 even better. But then that’s the nature of wildlife photography. Boundaries are being pushed and new markers set in the sand all the time not only by technological advances in equipment but by the techniques and wonderful imagination and innovation of other photographers.

So am I up for the challenge to put 2011 in its place? You bet! With Wanderlust-approved photo safaris in Africa, a brand new photo tour to Estonia in conjunction with Remo Savisaar and some ambitious projects to test my photography, equipment and field skills all in the pipeline, 2012 already looks like it’s going to be a fantastic year. So happy new year and stay tuned…

Keep up to date on my main site conservationphotojournalism.com

Tying in with this week’s controversial announcement by the Government that Badger culling trials are to commence in England in 2012, my photographs of badger bTB vaccination trials are now available online through NHPA and Photoshot. Search on either site for ‘badger vaccination’ to find the images available or  contact me directly.

The shots were taken as part of a BBC Wildlife Magazine cover story tackling the ‘cull versus cure’ issue back in the autumn. The feature looked into the Badger Vaccine Deployment Project being undertaken by Fera as a trial to understand the viability of vaccinating badgers (instead of or alongside the proposed cull) to protect cattle from bovine tuberculosis (bTB). An edit of this portfolio can be seen on my website and on the magazine’s website discoverwildlife.com.

Learn more on my main website conservationphotojournalism.com

Done Africa? Looking for a new adventure? I have teamed up with leading Estonian wildlife photographer Remo Savisaar to offer just six people the chance to discover and photograph one of Europe’s wildest countries. This exciting new 9-day photo tour combines specialist photographic tuition with expert wildlife guiding.

Join us as we travel from the capital Tallinn to the Baltic coast and Saaremaa Island where excellent birdlife, coastal landscapes and vast forests await us. After leaving Saaremaa we will head east in search of beavers, bears and bogs. For a full itinerary, head over to my website.

With the tour limited to just six guests, Remo and I will have the chance to work both with the group as a whole and with each guest individually to develop specific skills and interest. Estonia is an exciting location full of opportunities for photographers of all levels. At the end of my first trip I didn’t want to get on the plane home and we’re confident you’ll feel the same. So why not take a look at the itinerary we have in store?

Bear & Marsh Harrier images © Remo Savisaar – visit Remo’s website

More information on my website at conservationphotojournalism.com

Don’t miss out on the chance to get a signed copy of my new African wild dog book Underdogs at a special pre-publication rate. With 23% off the retail price, you can order online via my main website at conservationphotojournalism.com and donations from sales will be made towards valuable conservation work aimed to secure a future for this endangered species.

You can also see selected pages from the book on my website. Underdogs will soon be available through selected booksellers at the full retail price.

See more on my website www.conservationphotojournalism.com

Wanderlust, the world’s leading travel magazine, has selected my Land of Giants photo safari as one of their top trips for 2012. A feature in the December 2011 issue details their 50 best new trips for 2012, which includes this exclusive photographic tour to Africa’s Limpopo Valley led by myself and carnivore expert Peter Neville.

Peter and I are offering just six guests per trip the opportunity to join us on this safari combining specialist photographic guiding with expert carnivore insight. Being home to Africa’s true giants - big cats, great herds of elephant, huge baobab trees, large birds of prey, the striking kori bustard (the world’s heaviest flying bird), the ostrich (the world’s largest bird), the massive eland (the world’s largest antelope) and the giraffe, world’s tallest mammal - the Limpopo Valley is rightly known as the Land of Giants.

There are two dates for this photo safari to the Limpopo Valley in June and July in 2012. Check out my website for the full itinerary, trip information and how to make a booking. I hope to welcome you to Africa’s Land of Giants in 2012…

Find out more on my website conservationphotojournalism.com

A portfolio of 16 shots from my new African wild dog book Underdogs is live on the BBC Wildlife Magazine website DiscoverWildlife.com. The gallery and captions provide an introduction to the species and to the wider story told in Underdogs, which is available for pre-ordering. Just like in this online gallery, the book aims to tell the story of a struggling species while celebrating what is a truly remarkable predator.

The Underdogs project has been three years in the making and was created with the assistance of the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Carnivore Conservation Programme. With a donation from sales going towards African wild dog conservation efforts, Underdogs aims to make a real difference to the future of this endangered carnivore. Order your copy on my website before the 13th of December and you will receive a signed copy and a special pre-order discount. Please also share this link with anybody you know who could just be interested in making a difference to the future of this charismatic carnivore.

Order your copy of Underdogs at conservationphotojournalism.com

If you haven’t yet ordered your signed copy of my new book Underdogs at the special pre-publication rate, be sure to join me at the Natural History Museum in London on the 13th of December. My free Nature Live talk about the endangered African wild dog will be the last chance to pick up a copy of Underdogs for just £25 (as opposed to the sales price of £32.50).

This event will also be a chance to learn about the ecology of this remarkable predator, the reasons behind the species’ persistent decline in numbers and the conservation efforts being made to secure a future for the wild dog in a developing Africa. It will also be a chance to have your questions answered and get your book signed. So join me on the 13th at the Natural History Museum or, if you can’t make it, order your signed copy today to make sure you don’t miss out on this offer. And remember, a donation from sales will be made towards African wild dog conservation efforts.

Visit my main website at www.conservationphotojournalism.com