“I glanced in the mirror and saw a huge, deadly creature crawling out of my shirt. I've never disrobed so quickly in my life.”

Guy Edwardes is a nature and travel photographer based in the UK whose work has been featured in a variety of news publications. He has published two books and also runs photographic workshops.

• “We were literally running for our lives. If one of us had tripped, there’s nothing we would have been able to do.”

• “Our guide told us there was a bear cave 300m away. We didn’t take him seriously. It was a miracle we survived”
• “I had to walk slowly to minimise the flow of blood and the subsequent venom travelling through my body.”

How did you get into photography?

I studied nature conservation first, then decided to turn my photography hobby into a career and enrolled on a degree course.

Soon after that I was taken on by a major photographic library, so I was making an income from my photography by the time I graduated – my initial studies of nature conservation came in handy as well.

Which image means the most to you?

Back in 2014, I took a workshop group on a night-time shoot to Sycamore Gap in Northumberland to capture the starry sky behind the famous tree. Little did we know that we were about to capture a stunning display of Northern Lights. Now the tree is gone that shot is sadly never to be repeated.

• The story of the Sycamore Gap tree – and what happened after it was felled
• Best walks in Northumberland National Park

What has been the most difficult landscape to photograph? 

I love winter landscapes, but find snow-covered scenes some of the most difficult to photograph. The snow simplifies the scene but also creates dark voids that can ruin compositions. In the UK, snow doesn’t last long, so it’s vital to act quickly while it’s pristine, which always feels a bit rushed.

Have any species challenged you? 

I enjoy photographing slime moulds, which can be well under 1mm tall. These tiny subjects require high magnification lenses and a technique called focus-stacking to achieve front-to-back sharpness.

I sometimes need to combine more than 100 images to capture the detail. The slightest breath of wind can mean restarting the whole process.

• It’s a slimy, brainless creature that stalks prey, navigates mazes and creates elaborate transport networks more efficient than our own
• Fantastical image of slime mould encased in a raindrop among winners in close-up photography challenge

Where would you still like to shoot?

As someone who generally prefers colder climates, I was surprised to fall in love with the humid rainforest environment of Costa Rica years ago. My hope is to be able to photograph more of the incredible natural diversity in Central and South America.

Any unexpected experiences to share?

I was once in a wood, not far from the main road, photographing fungi with two photography workshop clients. I’d been lying on the ground to show them the benefits of photographing mushrooms from a low angle.

While I was down there, a police car stopped and two officers walked over to see what we were doing. It turned out a passing motorist had phoned 999 to report two men burying a dead body!

What has been your most memorable encounter with wildlife?

Watching orcas hunting eider ducks just a few feet in front of me in the crystal clear waters along the coastline of Shetland was a most unexpected and memorable experience. This was several years ago, when there were far fewer reported orca sightings in Shetland than there are today.

• “No other predator is able to challenge them” – this deadly, intelligent ocean killer works in a team to stun, submerge and launch at its prey
• 10 deadly, mind-blowing and simply ingenious ways whales and dolphins hunt and kill their prey – from bubble net fishing to wave washing

Is there a shoot that proved too costly? 

I’d always wanted to photograph Iceland’s braided glacial rivers, so I arranged to take aerial shots from small aircraft in several locations.

Unfortunately, Icelandic weather had other ideas. Strong winds and rain meant I managed only 30 minutes in the air all week – in less than ideal conditions.

Have you had a close shave in the wild?

Working in rainforest environments, I’m aware there are venomous spiders around. One morning, I was getting dressed and glanced in the mirror, only to see a huge wandering spider slowly crawling out from inside my shirt. I don’t think I’ve ever disrobed so quickly in my life.

• World's most venomous spiders: Are these deadly spiders as fearsome as their reputation?
• Meet the tube web spider, a British spider that can pierce skin with its fangs

Any advice for budding photographers?

Occasionally I see an image I can attribute to a particular photographer without even looking at the credit. Try to find a specialised niche or work on developing your own photographic style to allow your images to stand out from the crowd.

Which one piece of kit would you never be without?

At the risk of stating the obvious, it’s my current Canon R5mkII camera body. Having started out using 64 ISO film and manual focus, the latest technology impresses me every day, especially autofocus and its ability to lock onto and track the eyes of extremely fast-moving subjects. Being able to shoot at 12,800 ISO is another huge advantage. 

Guy is a UK-based landscape and nature photographer. See guyedwardes.com.