Luke Nelson is a South African wildlife filmmaker and all-round outdoors person who has worked on some of history’s best known documentaries on the natural world, including the BBC’s Planet Earth III and Netflix’s Penguin Town. He’s also a runner who sees running “as much a part of life as eating.” We caught up with Luke in a rare moment between filming trips to learn more about his approach to nature, filmmaking, meditation and running.
Mount to Coast: We had a brief chat in South Africa, and you mentioned staying up in a tree for over ten days just for a shot. What led you to become a wildlife photographer?
Luke Nelson: I grew up outside the city on a game reserve surrounded by wildlife and nature. From an early age I developed an affinity for the outdoors. My father was a documentary filmmaker and spent most of his days outside immersed in nature and observing the world. Occasionally I skipped school and he took me along for the ride, where we learned about the birds, bees and everything around me. He showed me a solitude and an appreciation out there that I find hard to describe. The outdoors was life and I've known no different since being five years of age.
Without a doubt that’s why I moved in the direction I did, towards wildlife film making. After leaving the game reserve we moved into the city for a few years and I quickly realized how lucky I was to have grown up for a part of my life in a disappearing world…The wilderness. I decided to study film with my sister who is also now a conservation filmmaker (our first sibling photo together is us standing smiling infant of an elephant) and after studying I worked traveling all over Africa, from the jungles of Gabon, Plains of Botswana and the beaches of Madagascar. However certain I was about the wilderness and being outside in it, I still wasn’t certain if filming in it and making a career of it was the right thing for me. I didn’t want to just idly follow in my fathers footsteps. I took some time to think about this, but had an epiphany one day: after 60 days in Madagascar, filming Indri lemurs and all sorts of other wildlife, tired, broken, sleep-deprived, I was somehow still elated to be there. Why was that? Because I truly enjoyed the adversity of this career as a challenge – it can't all be easy and maybe I needed to make it harder for myself to know if this truly was what I wanted. There’s a small industry for wildlife filmmaking in Southern Africa, but it’s much less developed than that of UK, where Bristol, a small city in the south west, is called “The Green Hollywood.” So I moved to the UK and lived hand-to-mouth trying to infiltrate David Attenborough’s inner circle of filmmakers. I wanted so badly to work on some of his next films and with the people making them! I had barely any money but still I persisted. After exhausting every connection to this industry I had from South Africa, I was trawling the internet for a way in and an ad appeared on my job search at the best wildlife filmmaking unit in the world – the BBC Natural History Unit. Eventually I got the job, filming for David Attenborough’s Planet Earth 3, going all over the world for over three years. This was my springboard into the upper echelons of the wildlife documentary filmmaking world and I've been filming amazing wildlife ever since. That initial struggle gave me a resounding appreciation for everything around me. It's a tough industry with a lot of competition, but patience, persistence and resilience are what helps.
Now I spend a lot of time in some really bizarre places, sometimes places you wouldn’t have even heard of before. I’ve spent days in a tree trying to get a single shot, that’s for sure, or recently, spending 18 days underground in the world’s largest cave – Han Song Dong, a massive system in northern Vietnam only recently discovered – with no connection, just a small team and a lot of cameras.
If you are interested in a slice of my life then watch Planet Earth III, Extremes, or the Deserts and Grasslands episode. I appear in the behind-the-scenes section, talking about my experience.
Mount to Coast: Your work often requires you to spend extended periods alone in the wild. What do you do to cope with the solitude during those times?
Luke Nelson: At home I am an extremely sociable person – I grew up in a big family where there was always a lot going on, so I'm probably making up for that with the solitude I'm getting later on in life. Nothing compares to the solitude I get from sitting in a hide or waiting on top of a mountain to see a glimpse of an elusive rare animal. I suppose I cope because it's a great balance for me – it affords me the time to think and ponder all the world's problems and forget them all at the same time.
Furthermore, to be able to go to these places and see the things I do while they still exist is a dream. It’s hard not to be present when you're completely surrounded by nature.
However, let me caveat this with saying that at times I may struggle. I have developed practical mechanisms to help myself cope: it’s the little things, like a nice coffee or herbal tea brought from home. Most days I get up extra early to yoga or journal, I take stills and wander around the villages I pass through while everyone sleeps. Small moments to myself go a long way. Finally, I always manage to run in the most beautiful and remote parts of the world. One week I might be running in 100 percent humidity, the next in snow, and that’s something I find fascinating. All of this centers me and is why I can stay focused and present out here; it's a once in a lifetime situation for me, almost all the time.
Mount to Coast: What do you enjoy doing when you're not working? Is there a significant contrast between your daily life and your work?
Luke Nelson: I’m a busy person and often just don’t stop. There is a lot I want to achieve in this life, but I enjoy the same things when I am not working or traveling and at home. So I tend to excessively train, run, climb, see friends and family and get outside as much as I can – some would say I spoil myself when I'm home. For the most part though, my head remains in the wilderness even when I am home.
Mount to Coast: Regarding running, your energy is infectious – and running 20 kilometers continuously in 40-degree (104-degree Fahrenheit) weather is remarkable. In South Africa, outdoor activities are beloved – how do you perceive running compared to other sports?
Luke Nelson: I found running in the mountains of Cape Town and it was pivotal for me. I was struggling with my mental health and it gave me the balance, strength and energy I needed to cope with the noise. It was an escape, a mediation. Those first impressions left a lasting impression on me and I'll never let go of that. It’s been fundamental in my life ever since as the baseline for everything I'm able to achieve or manage. I do a lot of other sports: climbing, surfing, trail running, tennis, squash and a few others. No sport is inferior in my eyes but running is my go-to constant: I see it as much a part of life as eating. There is no other option for me, it keeps me on track like nothing else.
Mount to Coast: When did you start meditating, and what does meditation mean to you?
Luke Nelson: I have a strong yoga practice routine which I turn up for daily, wherever I am in the world. The practice always includes some form of meditation at the end (Shavasana) – a small moment to just check in with yourself.
Aside from this meditation is something I turn to when things get too busy in my head – a quick five minutes can really solve this and set an intention going forward. I tend to do this more when I am at home and I need to reset.
As for when I am out in nature by myself, meditation is a massive part of being able to be out here. A daily occurrence of awareness of surroundings: I sit up straight, cross my legs, close my eyes and listen to all that is around me. It’s probably a big part of why I love doing what I do and why I appreciate it so much – essentially the wilderness is my meditation.
Mount to Coast: You recently shot with us in Cape Town and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience – the scenery and the warmth of the people left a lasting impression on us. What are your impressions of Mount to Coast?
Luke Nelson: The shoot was a truly joyful experience, even with the lack of sleep. I can see the brand is eager to listen and the first products are already so well crafted. I'm eager to see where they take it from here – I can sense some really smart innovation and design on its way.