Photographer’s Sir David Attenborough memories

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Photographer’s Sir David Attenborough memories

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As national treasure Sir David Attenborough celebrates his 100th birthday, a wildlife photographer has recalled what it was like to work alongside him in some of the world’s most remote parts.

Ben Osborne, from Shropshire, said it was a “privilege” to join Attenborough in South Georgia, in the South Atlantic Ocean, while filming the Life in the Frieza series.

“We stayed up way too late, drank more red wine than we should have and the conversation was incredible,” he said, reflecting on the evenings after filming.

The six-part documentary, filmed in 1993, explored the natural history of the Antarctic continent.

The image shows a film crew working among a large colony of penguins on a mist-shrouded rocky hillside. A large camera crane extends above the stage as crew members stand and operate the equipment, surrounded by hundreds of penguins clustered on the grounds. — The team spent six weeks in Antarctica working on the wildlife documentary. [Ben Osborne]

During filming, the crew braved freezing conditions and encountered more than 200,000 penguins and elephant seals, Osborne told BBC Radio Shropshire.

“It made my job easier,” he said. “At the end of each photo shoot, he would ask, ‘Well, are these the photos you need of this place? If not, let’s go get them.’ He made sure I had what I needed and wanted.”

Osborne described Attenborough as “a really lovely person”, adding that he was both thoughtful and considerate.

“He understood the importance of publicity images for BBC Wildlife magazine and the press. He made my life so much easier by being incredibly thoughtful and generous with me – it was a real privilege.”

Ben Osborne carries outdoor gear and camera gear in tall grass with a large colony of penguins stretching across the landscape behind them, with mountains and a glacier in the background under a clear sky. — Osborne described Attenborough as ‘thoughtful and considerate’ [Ben Osborne]

Born on May 8, 1926, Attenborough is responsible for some of the world’s most famous natural history programs, including Life on Earth, The Private Lives of Plants and The Blue Planet.

Osborne added: “We got on really well, he was a great guy. We all looked at him as: ‘he’s quite old so we have to take care of him’, but he was having a great time and was adapting perfectly to all the conditions.”

“We would sit every evening in the cramped salon of the yacht and talk about everything. Listening to his stories was an honor and a privilege for me, and sometimes I couldn’t believe it.”

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