Young wildlife photographer sees photo of ‘kissing blackbird’ taken by co-op

A young amateur photographer captured two blackbirds “kissing” on camera and now his photo has been turned into a card and is being sold at a Co-op supermarket.

Ben Pulletz, 21, took six striking photos of animals and nature at his home in Somerset. Among them are rabbits in the meadow, grasshoppers, great tits perched among fields of rosehips and sunny daisies.

The cards will be rolled out in 1,300 stores and the co-op will donate £10,000 to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

He said: “I’m absolutely delighted and to be honest I haven’t fully understood it yet. I couldn’t believe when I first contacted the co-op I got such a positive response.

“I’ve been trying to track down the perfect wildlife photo for years, but I and others thought the idea of ​​having my photo taken by a national chain was ‘photography for birds’.

“I’m particularly pleased that the daisy photo is being used – it’s my mum’s favorite.”

A keen wildlife enthusiast, Mr Platt started taking photos of animals five years ago in the countryside near Charlton Macrell, Somerset, wandering through fields and woodland to get the perfect image. In 2020, at the age of 17, he founded his own photo card company, Feathers & Hills.

He said: “When I left school I didn’t know what to do with myself. I had always loved the natural world and was always taking pictures of sunrises and sunsets with my iPad.

“I picked out things around the local village and waited for the light to appear. I took a photo of rapeseed flowers in a golden light and after taking this photo I was hooked.

“I love nature photography because you can always expect the unexpected. It’s always exciting to go to places that I know are wildlife hotspots because it’s just a matter of time before I see something special. I will never stop believing and always Stay positive.”

In 2021, Mr. Pulletz won the Siena International Prize for his photography in the under-20 category. His work has also appeared in the British Wildlife Photography Awards Book.