Photographers Against Wildlife Crime - Britta Jaschinski

When I first met today’s guest I was a fresh-faced Conservation Biology undergraduate student with hopes and dreams of doing my bit to save the planet. Britta Jaschinski seemed like some kind of rock star to me. She spoke of going undercover at wildlife markets with cameras stashed in her handbag, using her photography to break down wildlife crime rings and had strong morals she obviously lived by. I wanted to be just like her!

Artwork by Jasmine Hortop

I got the chance to spend more time working with Britta and her amazing photography after the charity I was working for at the time gave her a grant to cover a story on wildlife confiscation areas at airports. The photographs she produced were genuinely spellbinding - artistic and powerful. I’d never seen anything like them before and I’ve been following her career since. I attended a talk at a photography festival where she made pretty much every single person in the room cry - her presence and storytelling abilities really are second to none.

Since we met many moons ago, Britta is now a Wildlife Photographer of the Year award judge and has published two books, collaborating with other photographers. This episode discusses her journey to where she is today, bumps in the road, and is packed with the optimism and inspiration I really badly needed this week.

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