Hidden life of red wood ants

Join me on a documentary journey to explore the fascinating world of red wood ants. Through my lens, I reveal their intricate lives, their relocation for safety, and the unseen behaviours that make their colony thrive.

My project involves relocating a colony of red wood ants from an unsafe nesting site at Cannock Chase to a safer location, while documenting the entire process. I’ve been capturing close-up photographs to observe their behavior, and I’m also producing a video that highlights how they move and interact within their natural habitat.

Hidden life 

Living on the edge of Cannock Chase with an interest in nature and conservation has led me to research and visually document a local community conservation project.

My work using macrophotography, field video, and immersed in forest sounds documents the translocation of redwood ant colonies on Cannock Chase. From busy cycle and walking routes to a safer habitat where they can thrive away from heavy human activity, allowing both people and wildlife to share the green space in harmony.

The relocation lends to represent how local government, companies and community groups in Staffordshire, have come together to protect vulnerable ecosystems, whilst creating a sustainable urban green space for the community to enjoy and reconnect with nature.

This in turn explains to my target audience of individuals, communities, companies and policy makers how community led environmental initiatives can collaboratively help make a difference locally and contribute to the wider global challenges we face rather than the fictional attitude that environmental challenges are too big a concern for them to do anything about and lends to educate collectively that sustainability is a shared responsibility.