Steve Bloom

Steve Bloom is a writer and photographer who specialises in evocative images of the living world. Born in South Africa in 1953, he has lived in England since 1977.
His concern for the environment is strongly evident in his books. He strives to blur the lines separating different living species and show their sentience. His photographs of people reveal a compassionate understanding of his subjects, evident in his books Living Africa and Trading Places: The Merchants of Nairobi. He has won numerous international awards for his work, including The Power of Photography Award, The Golden Eye of Russia, the Lucie Awards, and the Best Photo Book (Germany).
Steve Bloom frequently reinvents his creative approach to his work. His work in Apartheid South Africa, poignant and edgy, reveals the alienation of a country on the cusp of change; placing Bloom among the select few photographers who caught the mood of the time. His venture into animal photography was a continuation of his exploration of different genres of photography, and it struck a chord with the general public. His goal was to use images to communicate with the masses, and take photography exhibitions outside galleries. This was done in spectacular fashion with the publication of Untamed in ten languages for its first edition, and the staging of the first major outdoor exhibitions. The free outdoor exhibitions, promoting environmental issues, are major events staged in conjunction with city authorities, and attract visitor numbers in the millions.
His return to photographing people resulted in the book Living Africa, published in nine languages in its first edition. More recently, Trading Places - The Merchants of Nairobi is a book that features an engaging community and its street art.
Steve Bloom is an accomplished speaker, and has lectured at venues such as The Royal Geographical Society, The Natural History Museum, The Edinburgh Book Festival, Travellers Tales Festival, BJP Vision, Focus on Imaging and Wildphotos. Forthcoming appearances include the Durham Book Festival and the Bath Festival of Children's Literature. More on his speaking engagements at http://www.stevebloomphoto.com/talks.html
AUTHOR'S WEBSITE: www.stevebloomphoto.com