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Morley Read

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Location:: Ecuador, South America
Website:: www.morley-read.com
Joined On:: 14 Jan 2008 23:20
Artist Bio:: Morley Read PhD is a freelance biologist, stills photographer and videographer currently resident in Ecuador, South America.

From the biological point of view there is an exceptional diversity of habitats in this country, ranging from snowcapped volcanoes, cloudforest and lowland rainforest within easy reach of my home. One of my areas of specialist interest is herpetology, particularly frogs. Ecuador has the highest amphibian biodiversity per unit area than any other country in the world. I currently carry out contract work as a biological consultant, mostly for oil companies working in the Ecuadorian Amazon, but am devoting an increasing amount of time to photography.

My first filming experience was with Super 8 film when our expedition to Trinidad was selected as finalist for the BBC Natural History Unit Mick Burke Award. Our film “The Herpetology of Trinidad” was broadcast in 1979. Following this I continued working with the Natural History Unit on an occasional basis, as a researcher and contributing specialist sequences in 16mm film, mostly shot in Trinidad where I carried out my PhD research.

In 1986 I directed and filmed “Iere Land of the Hummingbird” for the Trinidadian company Pearl and Dean Caribbean Ltd, the first TV wildlife documentary to be produced by a local company.

Worked nearly full time for a year in 1988 and 1999 as a researcher and cameraman for Partridge Films, London and Genesis Films, Oxford, mainly for the series “The Sexual Imperative”.

Resident in Ecuador since 1990, contributed footage for the BBC Natural History Unit production “Big Oil” and as researcher and coordinator for “Flames in the Forest”, Nexus Films, London. I received the semi-finalist award in the 2000 Animal Behaviour Society Film Festival for my work as cameraman on the documentary “Frogs the Movie” produced by Survival Anglia. I shot many of the key sequences for this programme, this time on video, using the Canon XL-1, in Yasuni National Park, Ecuador.

Most of the SD clips in my portfolio were shot on the Canon XL-1 between 1998 and present. For the last year or so I have been shooting HD, currently using the Canon HV30. I also have an extensive archival collection of material shot of Hi8 (mostly not online) from 1990 to 1998 documenting expeditions to remote and interesting places in Ecuador, and my experience with Indian tribes in the Amazon.

If you don’t find what you need in my portfolio I am available for contract, both for video and stills.

I am also happy to receive small groups of biologists/photographers. We have accommodation available for max 2 people within easy striking distance of many prime habitats. For instance, the Jatun Sacha Reserve where most of my recent clips were shot, is only 4 hours drive from here.