What do you think?
Rate this book
Journeys in the Wild: The Secret Life of a Cameraman
From Gavin Thurston, the award-winning Blue Planet II and Planet Earth II cameraman, comes extraordinary and adventurous true stories of what it takes to track down and film our planet's most captivating creatures.
Gavin has been a wildlife photographer for over thirty years. Against a backdrop of modern world history, he's lurked in the shadows of some of the world's remotest places in order to capture footage of the animal kingdom's finest: prides of lions, silverback gorillas, capuchin monkeys, brown bears, grey whales, penguins, mosquitoes - you name it he's filmed it.
From journeys to the deepest depths of the Antarctic Ocean and the wide expanse of the Saharan deserts, to the peaks of the Himalayas and the wild forests of the Congo, Gavin's experiences describe much more than just the incredible array of animals he's filmed. He invites you to come inside the cameraman's hidden world and discover the hours spent patiently waiting for the protagonists to appear; the inevitable dangers in the wings and the challenges faced and overcome; and the heart-warming, life-affirming moments the cameras miss as well as capture.
Gavin has been a wildlife photographer for over thirty years. Against a backdrop of modern world history, he's lurked in the shadows of some of the world's remotest places in order to capture footage of the animal kingdom's finest: prides of lions, silverback gorillas, capuchin monkeys, brown bears, grey whales, penguins, mosquitoes - you name it he's filmed it.
From journeys to the deepest depths of the Antarctic Ocean and the wide expanse of the Saharan deserts, to the peaks of the Himalayas and the wild forests of the Congo, Gavin's experiences describe much more than just the incredible array of animals he's filmed. He invites you to come inside the cameraman's hidden world and discover the hours spent patiently waiting for the protagonists to appear; the inevitable dangers in the wings and the challenges faced and overcome; and the heart-warming, life-affirming moments the cameras miss as well as capture.
448 pages, Hardcover
Published December 24, 2019
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
December 27, 2020
There can’t be many people who have not seen one of the BBC’s masterpieces in wildlife documentaries. The gravitas of Sir David Attenborough helps, but what really makes them special, for me at least, is the photography. One of the guys behind the lenses and screens is Gavin Thurston. It is a job that he been doing for over three decades and he is probably one of the best in the world at it. Keeping solvent at the beginning of his career was like walking a tightrope. Thankfully he was saved from debt by a lucky break where he was offered a chance to film an advert. The money from that kept him solvent and meant that he didn’t need to sell his gear and deprive himself of an income.
His list of filming achievements is pretty long, but he has also been lucky too. The films he was making were a success. He has been lucky too, not only has he seen and filmed some of the greatest wildlife moments but it has taken him to the most beautiful parts of the globe. It is not all luxury hotels and five-star service though, as to get that defining shot for a programme, involves sitting up trees covered in bees for hours at a time, got very wet and sunburnt on innumerable occasions, has frozen his arse off at the poles and nearly dying several times, including a tribesman killing a snake as it was coming up behind him.
Thought this was a great book with an insight into the life of a cameraman. I really liked the diary format where he has selected the best entries from the various trips he has had all over the planet. In amongst the exciting and mundane, there are several laugh out loud moments. He has seen some amazing things, and been to every continent and even 1000m to the bottom of the sea.
His list of filming achievements is pretty long, but he has also been lucky too. The films he was making were a success. He has been lucky too, not only has he seen and filmed some of the greatest wildlife moments but it has taken him to the most beautiful parts of the globe. It is not all luxury hotels and five-star service though, as to get that defining shot for a programme, involves sitting up trees covered in bees for hours at a time, got very wet and sunburnt on innumerable occasions, has frozen his arse off at the poles and nearly dying several times, including a tribesman killing a snake as it was coming up behind him.
Thought this was a great book with an insight into the life of a cameraman. I really liked the diary format where he has selected the best entries from the various trips he has had all over the planet. In amongst the exciting and mundane, there are several laugh out loud moments. He has seen some amazing things, and been to every continent and even 1000m to the bottom of the sea.
November 18, 2019
At the start, I thought it was a little slow going. Just a smidge mind you. Another camera operator book dressed up in a fancy cover. I then got into the flow of the book, the way he writes in the moment, connects you with exactly what he is doing and when.....And I was quite simply hooked.
Each tale is another reason why we should protect our little blue marble in the endless dark of the universe, each story provides another reason why we should explore and celebrate our world. As a scientist who has been in the field, to some odd and interesting places, I can't help but respect and admire people like Gavin, dumped into the deep end of a far off location; in some cases getting a disease or two, or almost eaten alive by lions...or snakes...or bears.... or hyenas (so on and so forth, apparently he's featured heavily as a menu item on various animals dinner plans), or even getting mortared by Sudanese rebels (Levison Wood eat your heart out).
Not only a book of travel and adventure, it's a touching book about people. How people treat the environment, how they treat each other, and the stories we carry with us. It's touching, it's thought provoking and its emotional. Some parts of this book grabbed me quite firmly and wouldn't let go for a fair old while.
Go pick it up. It's an absolute inspiration of a book. Talking of inspiration I'm going to go and finish writing my documentary on whales.
(Why are you still here.....go get it! ....also if you can, but it in hardback because it's a really pretty book)
Each tale is another reason why we should protect our little blue marble in the endless dark of the universe, each story provides another reason why we should explore and celebrate our world. As a scientist who has been in the field, to some odd and interesting places, I can't help but respect and admire people like Gavin, dumped into the deep end of a far off location; in some cases getting a disease or two, or almost eaten alive by lions...or snakes...or bears.... or hyenas (so on and so forth, apparently he's featured heavily as a menu item on various animals dinner plans), or even getting mortared by Sudanese rebels (Levison Wood eat your heart out).
Not only a book of travel and adventure, it's a touching book about people. How people treat the environment, how they treat each other, and the stories we carry with us. It's touching, it's thought provoking and its emotional. Some parts of this book grabbed me quite firmly and wouldn't let go for a fair old while.
Go pick it up. It's an absolute inspiration of a book. Talking of inspiration I'm going to go and finish writing my documentary on whales.
(Why are you still here.....go get it! ....also if you can, but it in hardback because it's a really pretty book)
May 26, 2020
"Discovering the complexities of the natural world is addictive". Indeed, Gavin, indeed!
This book was fascinating. Full of unbelievable anecdotes from decades of work, some absolutely hilarious, this book left me in complete wonder. It was very informative and made me so curious to learn more - I googled so many things while reading this. I discovered the Duiker, which is a small antelope-like animal found in Congo, sometimes eaten by chimpanzees.
Also, I learnt the illegal wildlife trade is the fourth most lucrative criminal business and estimated to be worth £14 billion a year. £14 billion!!! This is insane and really saddened me.
Finally, "I'll either go home very fit or in a body bag" is definitely a motto I'll remind myself of when I go on adventures!
100% recommend if you like nature or wildlife documentaries and behind-the-scenes.
This book was fascinating. Full of unbelievable anecdotes from decades of work, some absolutely hilarious, this book left me in complete wonder. It was very informative and made me so curious to learn more - I googled so many things while reading this. I discovered the Duiker, which is a small antelope-like animal found in Congo, sometimes eaten by chimpanzees.
Also, I learnt the illegal wildlife trade is the fourth most lucrative criminal business and estimated to be worth £14 billion a year. £14 billion!!! This is insane and really saddened me.
Finally, "I'll either go home very fit or in a body bag" is definitely a motto I'll remind myself of when I go on adventures!
100% recommend if you like nature or wildlife documentaries and behind-the-scenes.
May 9, 2020
A really enjoyable read thanks to Gavin's sense of humour, his great stories and his insight into the natural world.
April 21, 2020
This book is incredible I think for readers from all generations. Journeys into the Wild conveys the vast range of emotions that people go through whilst experiencing the true nature of Earth. As a young person that hasn’t yet experienced the world as much as I intend to, I believe the book has sent me on a sort of Bildungsroman, leading me to see the power of humanity and the nature that surrounds us all. As well as this, it is written with humour, hope and experience, making it thoroughly enjoyable :)
January 5, 2020
The stories are very interesting. I like watching the documentaries, so it is very interesting to read the perspective from the cameraman. A tough life, but filled with adventure.
April 3, 2021
What a brilliant book, it flows smoothly and covers decades of work around the world by Gavin. Each anecdote is not only interesting and amusing it also gives insight to the ever changing world, educating readers on people, animals and our need to protect the planet
December 8, 2019
I have one grievance about this book. It isn't ENOUGH! MORE! I want to read more! I want to know more. I want to hear ALL about it! Great book. My dream vocation, and even the scary bits just make me want it even more. Can't ever happen but while I was reading this, it was just a little bit like it was...
February 6, 2020
Wonderful book! Brilliantly written. I recommend it to anyone that likes watching nature documentaries. You'll be pleasantly surprised!
Very good for learning about our planet and what we are doing to it too (sad part).
Very good for learning about our planet and what we are doing to it too (sad part).
June 20, 2020
Wonderful travel stories from one of attenborough’s camera men. From the northpole to the deep ocean. He was there. It is more than just a making of, because you also get the life of a freelance cameraman and travelling in difficult countries as bonus.
October 10, 2021
5 Stars
I don't think I can sum up in words how much I enjoyed reading this book. As a huge wildlife lover, birder, amateur wildlife photographer and someone that has worked for wildlife charities, I am the exact target market for this book and I thoroughly enjoyed every single story. Gavin Thurston has obviously had an incredible career in willdife filming and he succinctly takes us on his journey from the start of his career in the 80s to his most recent filming for netflix. The changes he has seen both within filming and in the natural world was wonderful to read.
The book is split up into short diary entries and through them he tells us stories and recollections of his many trips as a wildlife cameraman. The writing is great and really engaging with a lot of humour and funny tales. The stories are not only funny but exciting, sad, joyful and even scary. Gavin has seen many incredible wildlife spectacles but also been put into danger and very tough situations to film these scenes for our viewing pleasure. I knew from my small experience in wildlife photography how hard it can be but I have been left with even more respect for the work these cameramen and women, producers, fixers, presenters and diectors do.
I HIGHLY recommend reading this book if you have ever watched a David Attenborough programme (so...everyone) or have an interest in wildlife. I have been left wanting even more and this book was a real treat for me to read. I really could not recommend this book more!!
I don't think I can sum up in words how much I enjoyed reading this book. As a huge wildlife lover, birder, amateur wildlife photographer and someone that has worked for wildlife charities, I am the exact target market for this book and I thoroughly enjoyed every single story. Gavin Thurston has obviously had an incredible career in willdife filming and he succinctly takes us on his journey from the start of his career in the 80s to his most recent filming for netflix. The changes he has seen both within filming and in the natural world was wonderful to read.
The book is split up into short diary entries and through them he tells us stories and recollections of his many trips as a wildlife cameraman. The writing is great and really engaging with a lot of humour and funny tales. The stories are not only funny but exciting, sad, joyful and even scary. Gavin has seen many incredible wildlife spectacles but also been put into danger and very tough situations to film these scenes for our viewing pleasure. I knew from my small experience in wildlife photography how hard it can be but I have been left with even more respect for the work these cameramen and women, producers, fixers, presenters and diectors do.
I HIGHLY recommend reading this book if you have ever watched a David Attenborough programme (so...everyone) or have an interest in wildlife. I have been left wanting even more and this book was a real treat for me to read. I really could not recommend this book more!!
October 6, 2020
Gavin Thurston is one of the relatively hidden geniuses who works behind the scenes to create the documentaries that have defined how we see and understand our planet. I don’t think you can overstate his contributions and achievements – and this is alluded to in the introduction by Sir David Attenborough. At the start of his career nature television was still about understanding how to tell stories about animals and environments. Now he is producing work that is at the forefront of how we understand our impact on our planet.
In this book Thurston tells an avalanche of stories about his career path from junior in the nature wildlife filming industry to the one of the most experienced and honoured camera people in the business. He talks about everything from how to capture an exploding television for a music series and flyover shots for Glastonbury, through to sitting on the side of a mountain filming owls from a cave whilst being consumed by insects. From filming vampire bats through to elephants and being stalked by lions. I laughed out loud at a couple of the stories, and was gripped by reading about the financial pressures of working as a freelance and later crossing a war zone. I learned a lot and, for example, I never knew the literal translation for panda bear. There is a lot in this book, and I’m in awe at how much of our planet he has travelled across
Overall, it is a great book and a must read to find out a deeply personal story of the challenges and the hidden creativity of a master camera person.
In this book Thurston tells an avalanche of stories about his career path from junior in the nature wildlife filming industry to the one of the most experienced and honoured camera people in the business. He talks about everything from how to capture an exploding television for a music series and flyover shots for Glastonbury, through to sitting on the side of a mountain filming owls from a cave whilst being consumed by insects. From filming vampire bats through to elephants and being stalked by lions. I laughed out loud at a couple of the stories, and was gripped by reading about the financial pressures of working as a freelance and later crossing a war zone. I learned a lot and, for example, I never knew the literal translation for panda bear. There is a lot in this book, and I’m in awe at how much of our planet he has travelled across
Overall, it is a great book and a must read to find out a deeply personal story of the challenges and the hidden creativity of a master camera person.
November 21, 2020
This was a really interesting book. I really enjoy photography and I loved getting such interesting snapshots (no pun intended) into the work that goes on to create these amazing documentaries.
Gavin has obviously seen and done so many amazing things and reading about his scrapes and near misses with both animals and humans was really fascinating.
Ironically 'Journeys in the Wild' makes me want to 'watch the movie' in the sense that there's now a number of these programmes I'd like to watch that I haven't already.
The book also brought home the fact of how this world is being destroyed by humanity and how animals and the environment are suffering for it. It was heartbreaking to read about the orangutans in particular, who are displaced and killed due to deforestation. Gavin does end the book on a message of hope, but it is difficult to feel this way at times. I hope it reminds people to do what we can to reduce our environmental impact, and to push for governments to do more too.
Gavin has obviously seen and done so many amazing things and reading about his scrapes and near misses with both animals and humans was really fascinating.
Ironically 'Journeys in the Wild' makes me want to 'watch the movie' in the sense that there's now a number of these programmes I'd like to watch that I haven't already.
The book also brought home the fact of how this world is being destroyed by humanity and how animals and the environment are suffering for it. It was heartbreaking to read about the orangutans in particular, who are displaced and killed due to deforestation. Gavin does end the book on a message of hope, but it is difficult to feel this way at times. I hope it reminds people to do what we can to reduce our environmental impact, and to push for governments to do more too.
June 28, 2020
This book is a very special glimpse behind-the-scenes of the goings on in the natural world that not many people will be lucky enough to witness in their lifetime. Through diary entries you follow Gavin's career and share once in a lifetime moments, written in a way that you feel that you are witnessing them too. There's funny, laugh-out-loud moments but also times of heart-racing, near death experiences.
I enjoyed the little insights into working alongside David Attenborough, it's nice to know that he truly cares about highlighting the need to improve the world for everyone and everything to co-exist in harmony.
I learned so much from this book and my family were loving my 'fact of the day' throughout reading this one. I don't usually reread books but I'll definitely be coming back to this one!
I enjoyed the little insights into working alongside David Attenborough, it's nice to know that he truly cares about highlighting the need to improve the world for everyone and everything to co-exist in harmony.
I learned so much from this book and my family were loving my 'fact of the day' throughout reading this one. I don't usually reread books but I'll definitely be coming back to this one!
July 22, 2020
I am not usually into non-fiction, and I never thought I would be interested in the life of a cameraman. But the documentaries he has filmed are among my favourite ever and so I thought "hey why not". Best choice ever. This books is very well written, funny, cynical at times and yet hopeful. And this man has lived quite the life! I found myself being scared for him, excited, anxious, sad and sharing his small victories and defeats as though they were my own. It has been an amazing read and i would heartily recommend it to everyone I know.
June 30, 2020
This was a welcome change of pace and a unique story. If you've ever watched Nature programs/films and wondered how the photographers got those shots, this is your book. Gavin does a great job describing the long hours/days/weeks it sometimes takes to get the perfect shot. It's interesting, never boring and exciting. When I first saw a remark about the book, I said that looks different - It didn't disappoint.
January 2, 2021
This is such a great book if you love animals and nature documentaries. Gavin has lived such an interesting life all over the world which makes for amazing reading. It made me laugh out loud, made me bookmark things I couldn't wait to tell other people, and really made me think about what humans are doing to the world. I especially enjoyed the Attenborough mentions and I'm very jealous that Gavin spent so much time with the legend himself.
February 22, 2020
A very enjoyable read.
Ever wondered just what it takes to bring the images we love on Blue Planet and other wildlife shows? This book will certainly open your eyes to the process.
It certainly reinforced my knowledge that as much as I love taking photos of wildlife, the life of a wildlife photographer is not for me. I will continue to enjoy my hobby.
Ever wondered just what it takes to bring the images we love on Blue Planet and other wildlife shows? This book will certainly open your eyes to the process.
It certainly reinforced my knowledge that as much as I love taking photos of wildlife, the life of a wildlife photographer is not for me. I will continue to enjoy my hobby.
May 29, 2020
This book was amazing! I loved reading about Thurston's journeys in the wild all over the world. His storytelling skills and humour made me feel a part of his journey. This book increased my awareness and appreciation of what goes into capturing naturing on camera so that ordinary people who can't, can witness it at home.
June 27, 2020
This book was such an insight into the life of a wildlife cameraman. As someone who loves natural history this book showed me just how difficult a career in this area is. Extremely witty writing brings you back to the present moment and his crazy adventures had me hooked. This book renewed my love of nature and brought me to places I can only dream of visiting one day!
December 15, 2020
Wasn't sure I would enjoy this Christmas gift but once I got into it I found it a throughly and well written tale. Following a diary format, it gives a tremendous insight into the high's and low's of a cameraman. Anyone wishing to enter this industry should read this book first. A good balance of humour, excitement, danger and boredom (no the read - the job).
February 18, 2020
I loved this book. Fascinating insight into the world of wildlife filming. A kind of book version of all the behind the scenes at the end of David Attenborough documentaries. A charming read. Highly recommend!
March 15, 2020
So many stories that are familiar from watching BBC wildlife documentaries over the year, Gavin’s book gives the behind the scenes view. Full of amazing adventures, travel to the most remote parts of the world and plenty of danger along the way.
March 26, 2020
A wonderful book, I'm sad to finish it! Hugely entertaining and very well written. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a good 'no way!' story. Also gives a great new perspective on the goings-on behind the scenes of nature documentaries.
June 17, 2020
To paraphrase a description in the book: It's like a whole book of that 15 minutes at the end of the show where you see the behind the scenes tales of how the shows are shot. A very apt description for a very well written book.
August 27, 2020
Wonderful book. Wish there was photos for each stories. There are some photos. But Gavins' descriptions of the places and stories felt like you were there in person. Highly recommend for people who love reading travel books or memoirs.
August 29, 2019
Great read. An entertaining, informative read about the behind the scenes adventures of some the best known natural history programs.
September 16, 2019
Excellent read
Gavin explained much about his wildlife photography and it was very eye opening. He has an excellent sense of humour too.
Gavin explained much about his wildlife photography and it was very eye opening. He has an excellent sense of humour too.
October 30, 2019
Excellent book! So interesting to read the lengths to which these nature cameramen go to, to get the sequences in nature documentaries.
February 14, 2020
Really enjoyed listening to this on my commute. Having him relate his adventures gave me even more appreciation for nature as well as put my modern day inconveniences into perspective.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews