Lou Luddington
Creating stories through nature photography and writing from the heart
You’re here because you treasure the natural things in life.
You wish to be wowed by beautiful images and compelling stories about the natural world crafted with both expertise and heart. This is a vision we share, to live and love and work in a way that is deeply connected and in harmony with the natural world, and particularly the sea.
By following a path that lights me up I’m committed to sharing real-life stories where the ocean and nature are at the core.
I’m so glad you found me!
Hi there!
I'm Dr Lou Luddington and I believe in the power of storytelling to change hearts and minds for the good of the planet. With breathtaking photography and heartfelt words, I bring you nature's stories.
I'm a nature lover at heart, a thoughtful observer with a draw to the ocean.
Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK is where I call home. It’s here I’ve found huge inspiration in the rich wildlife of spring and summer and the drama of autumn and winter. Always seeking to spend time in quiet places, you’ll find me freediving in the kelp forests, exploring rock pools at low tide, kayaking to offshore islands or in the surf, riding waves.
Although I’ve been documenting wildlife with my camera since childhood, the turning point came when I realised the power of photographs as art and as a tool for inspiring positive change. By making images that stir deep emotions I can get people to fall in love with the natural world and feel compelled to protect it.
My mission is to inspire deep love and compassion for the natural world, leaving no doubt that we must protect it.
Since 2018, I’ve been crafting content that draws on all my knowledge, expertise and skills to share with the world. A lifetime of nature nerding combined with a PhD in marine biology and 15 years working in marine monitoring and education have served me well! My photography and writing feature in international magazines and online publications and blogs (check out my published work for examples) and in 2019 my first book Wondrous British Marine Life: a handbook for coastal explorers was published by Pesda Press.
In the same year, I held my first photographic exhibition 'The Sea From Within' at a local gallery, and one of my images was awarded Highly Commended in the British Wildlife Photography Awards 2019. In October 2023, I was awarded an environmental arts commission for a new project, Becoming Nature, that explored the power and meaning of nature connection for Pembrokeshire nature lovers through photography and writing. This project was a thing of beauty!
Right now, I'm loving my role as science lead and ocean storyteller for Reflections, a digital platform dedicated to sharing science-based stories about the ocean. Launched in January 2025, Reflections draws on an international team of writers, photographers, videographers and scientists to create stunning, emotive stories.
Gallery
Topside
Waiting for waves, Whitesands beach, Pembrokeshire
Nature's sculptures. This image was awarded 'Highly commended" in the British Wildlife Photography Awards 2019.
The anemones mouth. Part of my exhibition 'The Sea From Within' in 2018
Portuguese Man of War in its natural habitat offshore in the Canary Islands
Puffins on the water at Skomer Island with the St Davids peninsula in the background
Limpet in detail. The cone shape and shell ridges improve streamlining allowing heavy waves to wash over them, an adaptation to the high energy environment they call home.
Whimbrel-osaurus.I spotted this whimbrel clambering over rocks in morning light as I wandered along the shore. The glow and rough texture of the fossil-filled limestone and dark shadow cast by the cliff above gave the scene a primeval feel.
Teasel backlit in morning light in the Algarve, Portugal
White stork nesting on a roof top in Lagos, Portugal
A pair of chough in flight over Ramsey sound, Pembrokeshire
Auks cloud the air at sunset in north haven, Skomer Island
Northern gannet circling over Ramsey sound, Pembrokeshire
Atlantic puffin warming up its flight muscles in south haven, Skomer Island
Golden bladders. Bladder wrack glowing in low winter sunlight on Whitesands beach, Pembrokeshire
Juvenile Lesser Antilles Iguana enjoying a life of refuge on Iles de la Petite Terre, Guadeloupe. These iguanas are critically endangered.
Winter swell piling in to the west coast of Portugal
Underwater
A shoal of Salema or dream fish foraging in evening light, Radazul, Tenerife
Elkhorn coral thriving in the Soufriere & Scotts Head Marine Park, Dominica. These corals are critically endangered.
Trompetero in distress, La Gomera. Over the course of a week thousands of these small fishes swam around clearly disoriented and injured then washed up on the beaches of La Gomera dead. Cause unknown.
Freediver Omar Mourade walking the under surface. Its another world down there, Radazul, Tenerife.
Bold arrows. A shoal of juvenile yellow mouth barracuda, Radazul, Tenerife.
Furbelows kelp looking shabby in autumn, Pembrokeshire
Guillemot underwater and ascending from a dive. These birds have been recorded at depths of 180 metres. Skomer Marine Conservation Zone, Pembrokeshire
Freediving among the corals and sponges of the Soufriere and Scotts Head Marine Park, Dominica.
Common dolphin bow riding up-close, Brittany, France.
Barrel jellyfish Rhizostoma pulmo basking in the rays, Trefin, Pembrokeshire
Stingray foraging, Iles de La Petite Terre, Guadeloupe.
Comb jellies hunting. Each casts their sticky tentacles like a net trapping plankton. They are then reeled in and wiped across the mouth to remove the catch, Caerfai, Pembrokeshire
Moon jellyfish, north Pembrokeshire
Grey top shell nestling among hydroids growing on kelp and illuminated by natural light, Hen & Chicks, Pembrokeshire
Catostylus tagi, a type of barrel jellyfish that we came across in a great bloom while sailing near Cascais, Portugal. They get flushed out of the Tagus estuary by the tide and are a sight to behold in evening light underwater.
Giant butterfly ray taking flight, La Graciosa
Monochrome
Projects
Art commission
In September 2023 I was awarded a SPAN arts Love Stories to Nature environmental arts commission for some new work entitled Becoming Nature.
Nature Time. Hanna, Whitesands beach.
Becoming Nature explored the power and meaning of our connection to the natural world, using photography, poetry and prose, to profile nine local Pembrokeshire nature lovers in a cherished place in nature. From surfers, swimmers and freedivers to naturalists and gardeners, the aim was to capture how being in these places opens our hearts and provides a deep sense of well-being that is vital to our health.The result was a Love Story to Nature from each person, made up of a triptych of images plus accompanying haiku poem and heart-centred captions. These were curated into a thoughtful, visually stunning talk with accompanying live music from local acoustic band Glas Captains. This was shared at three events in Pembrokeshire during 2024. In addition, still images and natural sound recordings were crafted into a video that was shared on social media.
A new book?
An on-going project for 2025 is the curating and publishing of my next book Wild Atlantic Life: a book of nature photographs, paintings, haiku poems and prose inspired by a 3 year voyage free diving and sailing the North Atlantic.Gathering and binding together the most poignant moments from this voyage, in the form of photographs, watercolour paintings, stories and poems, I share my love of the natural world in the hope that you will be wowed too.
I'm currently looking for a publisher to support this project ...
Family, La Gomera, Canary Islands (image from Wild Atlantic Life)
Published work
'Plagued by sea urchins' published by Reflections
Article published in Oceanographic Magazine
My book published by Pesda Press
Column published in Oceanographic Magazine issue 18
Feature article published in Yachting Monthly
Column published in Ocean Paddler magazine
Column published in Oceanographic Magazine
Column published in Oceanographic Magazine issue 20
Column published in Ocean Paddler magazine
I wrote a series of articles for Finisterre's The Broadcast that follows our 3 year voyage as liveaboard sailors:
Sailing Light
Life in Motion
The Crossing Part 1
The Crossing Part 2
Caribbean Cruisin'
Homecoming
Ground Rush