Local author and nature photographer Alan Waterman is inspiring audiences across the region with a series of talks about his personal journey to publish his first book, ‘Woodland Wild Flowers’.

Natural history enthusiast Alan, who lives in Clearwell, embarked on a regional speaking tour about the book and his progression as a photographer earlier this month, with a debut talk to members of the Bristol Photographic Society.

The members were given an insight into Alan’s journey towards becoming a published author, from the first photos he took of annual holidays with his father’s Box Brownie to his first experiences with digital cameras and the blogs and websites he created about wildflowers, culminating in the publication of the book last year.

‘Woodland Wild Flowers’ contains more than 170 pictures and descriptions of woodland flowers, the majority of which were taken by Alan in the Forest and Wye Valley.

As a former teacher “of sorts”, Alan, who has previously led hundreds of students on natural history walks, is used to public speaking but says that his debut talk was still “a little daunting”, with a host of award-winning and experienced photographers in the audience.

After the book was published last March, he was approached to give talks by two local groups and subsequently put together a presentation - with the help of fellow Forest photographer Keith Jones - featuring a final montage set to the song ‘Wildflowers’ by Tom Petty.

He gave a presentation via Zoom to the Gloucester Naturalists last month and and is set to visit Newport, Tenbury, and Ross on Wye along with the Bream Horticulturists in the coming weeks.

Alan’s passion for wildflowers grew after he moved to the Forest from Norfolk 9 years ago and purchased his own patch of woodland near Catbrook.

At the same time he joined Forest of Dean Camera Club, which allowed him to combine his natural history experience with a fledging photography skillset, and he soon began blogging about the woodland and the wildflowers found there.