There’s plenty of nature in this one too...

A PHOTOGRAPHER has made a charity calendar for the fifth year running.

Simon Booker, from South Stoke, hopes to sell around 150 copies of the calendar, entitled Strictly Nature, in aid of the Stroke Association.

Mr Booker, who works in sales and management, has been photographing wildlife in his spare time for about five years and started raising money for the charity after suffering a sudden stroke in May last year.

He sold about 100 calendars last year, raising about £200, and has raised another £1,500 via different photography ventures.

Mr Booker, 60, said: “I am doing some wildlife speaking appointments with the WI and have actually just been selected as an official WI speaker. I do photography at a golf course and I sell greetings cards and take photographs at the local 10km runs and ask the organisers to make a donation.”

He has already sold more than 20 copies of his 2024 calendar, which features pictures of wildlife and a couple of landscape photographs. Most of his pictures were taken around South Stoke and Moulsford and at the Warburg nature reserve in Bix.

His favourites images are one of a mallard duck, which is on the front cover, and another of an otter.

Mr Booker said: “Everyone was like ‘Woah’ with the mallard but the otter picture is special to me. I had to put so much effort into getting it. It was taken at Withymead Nature Reserve in Goring, which is very small and funded by charity donations.

“I sat for five mornings and didn’t see much until suddenly there were some ripples in the water and two otters came right up to me. They were so close I could have taken a picture with my iPhone but I had my big camera and tripod.

“One left but another popped his head out the water and took a look back and I got the shot right.”

He chose the calendar photos based on their quality, his personal preference and their popularity on his social media accounts.

Mr Booker said: “I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to quality as I like them sharp and those ones seem to be popular. That’s my thing.

“I only use the best quality ones because they have got to be really good. It took me a whole evening to select the ones I wanted.”

Mr Booker, who is married with three children, said some local shops had agreed to sell the calendar.

“I’ll just see how many I sell,” he said. “I’ve already sold about 20 and maybe I will sell 150.”

To buy a calendar, visit https://stokerpix.square.site/
product/stokerpix-2024-charity-calendar/3