This wildlife photographer’s animal portraits are stunning – and she’s at The Photography & Video Show

Having opened on Saturday, The Photography & Video Show 2026 is rocking and rolling – and on Monday we’ll be treated to a speech by Lara Jackson-Turner, a conservation biologist and wildlife photographer with a knack for snapping incredibly beautiful animal portraits.

While Jackson-Turner is no stranger to capturing a killer moment, what really strikes me is her ability to transform often savage subjects into warm, almost friendly beings.

And if you want people to care about the natural world and the furry foes we share it with, then, arguably, showing animals in their best light is the best way to create an inter-species connection.

However, a conservation biologist at heart, Jackson-Turner’s mission goes way beyond simply snapping an animal’s best angles. She’s a zoologist with ample experience in the field helping to protect wildlife in remote and challenging environments.

Her projects include managing dolphin research in Zanzibar, ten months of conservation work in Kenya, as well as wildlife data collection in South Africa.

Getting back to her photos, Jackson-Turner is a Nikon ambassador and uses the Nikon Z9, the flagship 45MP full-frame professional camera with a stacked CMOS sensor.

Having a Z9 in hand puts Jackson-Turner in a good position to capture great wildlife shots. But, for me, it’s her clear understanding of light and how it affects the colors and mood of a scene that makes her animal portraits so eye-grabbing.

Jackson-Turner enhances this approach in post-production, dodging and burning select portions of her frames to further outline the subject’s expression. I particularly like how, time after time, she seems to capture poignant moments.

If you’re keen to hear Lara Jackson-Turner speaking at The Photography & Video Show, you can catch her at the Motion Studio Stage on Tuesday 16 March from 12:15 for Women in Wildlife – where she'll be joined by wildlife content creator Roxy Hemadani and wildlife cinematographer Sophie Darlington ASC.

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