ABOUT

BACKGROUND

David Higgs’ work has received a number of accolades including the duPont-Columbia Award for ‘excellence in broadcast reporting’ and an Emmy Award for ‘outstanding journalism’, Amnesty International’s prestigious ‘Human Rights Press Award’ and an MBE for ‘services to the environment and journalism’.

David is regarded as one of Britain’s most experienced wildlife, human rights and reportage photographers. He has also written extensively on a wide variety of issues ranging from child exploitation to wildlife conservation.

Born and raised in Australia he read zoology at Adelaide University before completing his degree and graduating in Britain, where he is now resident. He also has a Post Graduate Certificate in Education and a Master’s degree in Advanced Energy and Environmental Studies.

His passion for the outdoors, wildlife and photography was born out of a childhood spent in the Australian bush. Later, as an experienced climber, mountaineer and member of expeditions to the Himalayas, the peaks of East Africa and the Peruvian Andes, he was inspired to begin a career in photojournalism.

David’s photographic portfolio first came to the attention of the world’s leading photo editors following a three month mountaineering expedition, tackling some of the most ambitious routes in the Peruvian Andes and led to his first assignment for the Sunday Times Magazine. As part of a specialist Sobek rafting team, he made the first ever descent of the Zambezi River by inflatable boat. Braving crocodile attacks, landmines, capsizes and rampaging hippos, he managed to successfully document the expedition, despite losing much of his photographic equipment to the river. David’s clients include most of the world’s leading publications including National Geographic Magazine, LIFE Magazine, and Sports Illustrated.

The climbing, survival and photographic skills David developed, during those early years, have proved essential when working in extreme environments. These have ranged from tropical jungles to deserts and from ocean depths to aerial photography. After several years as a highly successful advertising, commercial and editorial photographer David founded The Environmental Press Agency (TEPA). This enabled him to focus all his energy and talent on communicating his love of adventure, passion for the environment and wildlife, and to expose human rights abuses, particularly those that impacted children. Since its inception TEPA has also developed considerable expertise covering a wider variety of themes, such as sport, science and technology.

OUR MISSION

TEPA specialises in creating and syndicating complete features on a range of issues to the world’s press, initiated and produced in-house to award winning standards.

For 25 years our mission has been to:

• increase awareness and understanding of environmental, wildlife and humanitarian issues

• bear witness, document and report what we see and what we find in order to bring about positive change.

• provide breath-taking photography and compelling journalism to persuade mass media to increase their editorial commitment

• fund-raise for relevant charities through mass media publication

100% of all money TEPA raises contributes directly to increasing awareness of wildlife, conservation, environmental and human rights issues.

OUR PROJECTS

Humanitarian:

David has worked in war zones in conjunction with the International Red Cross, operating theatres, accident and emergency wards, specialist paramedic teams and has flown over 1,000 hours with RAF and Navy emergency search and rescue helicopter crews.

David received Amnesty International’s prestigious ‘Human Rights Press Award’ for his investigation of child slave labour. This was published in 25 countries and featured on BBC television news. 

As the sole location director, cameraman, producer and reporter, David received an Emmy Award for ‘outstanding journalism’ for the HBO documentary ‘The Sport of Sheikhs’ ( link:  https://vimeo.com/30325810 ) reviewed by the New York Times as the ‘best, most provocative work ever’.  His investigation of the trafficking and abuse of young boys used as child camel jockeys in the United Arab Emirates eventually brought about a ban on camel racing’s child exploitation.

As founder of The Environmental Press Agency David was awarded an MBE for ‘services to the environment and journalism’. 

Wildlife:

TEPA has raised awareness and funds for …

·      Chimpanzee conservation with Dame Jane Goodall

·      The Sumatran Orang-utan Conservation Programme (SOCP) and Orang-utan Information Centre (OIC)

·      The relocation of 1,000 elephants, threatened with a mass cull, from Zimbabwe’s drought stricken Gonarezhou National Park

·      Siberian and Bengal tiger conservation

·      Project Onçafari and jaguar conservation in Brazil

·      The UK Seahorse Trust

·      The rehabilitation and release of captive dolphins and orcas to the wild

·      The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, anti-poaching and the ivory trade

·      British Divers Marine Life Rescue

·      Sperm whale conservation in the Azores

·      Iberian wolf conservation and UK Wolf Conservation Trust

·      UK bat conservation

·      The conservation of ‘critically endangered’ Australian wildlife, including project Koala Rescue

·      The Cheetah Conservation Fund

Education and Professional Training

·      B.Sc.(Hons) Biological Sciences

·      Post Graduate Certificate in Education

·      M.Sc. (Advanced Energy & Environmental Studies)

·      Emergency First Aid (Rescue Emergency Care Scheme)

·      Mountain Leadership

·      ROYAL NAVY Air 319 Under Water Escape

·      BBC Location Broadcasting

EXPEDITIONS