The wildlife photographer ‘lifting the bonnet’ of Sherwood Forest with microscopic images

A microscopic photo of fungal mycelium taken at Sherwood Forest [Image: Alex Hyde]
By Callum Wright and Issy Feculak
A wildlife photographer is bringing the hidden beauty of Nottinghamshire’s iconic nature reserves to life through a series of unusual microscopic and close-up images.
Alex Hyde, originally from Surrey, has travelled to locations around the world, from Derby to Indonesia, taking photos of wildlife and feats of nature.
Now based in Derbyshire he regularly travels over the border to Nottinghamshire, where he is capturing the natural beauty of places like Sherwood Forest and Clumber Park.
His work is now the subject of two local exhibitions, which show some of the best examples of his approach to taking a closer look at nature.
Alex says there’s still plenty to be discovered about the world through photography.
“It’s fascinating that within a stone’s throw of here [Sherwood Forest] we’ve got some really big Midlands cities, but you come here and it’s another world,” he said.
“It’s a place that’s so important to so many who need this time with nature, me included.”
Alex has been interested in wildlife since the age of two, and eventually became a full-time professional in 2007.
While his ventures have taken him into tropical rainforests and beyond, he says there is hidden beauty in Nottinghamshire nature. This week he agreed to show Notts TV how he finds inspiration among on the Sherwood Forest floor.

“As I peel the dead leaves back it’s like lifting the bonnet on the forest, seeing how it all functions” he said, revealing some fungal mycelium within the ground before taking a photo.
“While this might not look much visually, it represents something that’s so important, there is life here you’ve just got to know where to look for it.
“The camera is a tool for which I can explore the natural world, allows me to visualise objects that are so small we can’t see them with the naked eye.”
As well as taking photos Alex has set up exhibitions and given talks about wildlife and nature throughout Nottinghamshire.

Part of what he wants to teach during these talks and exhibits is the importance of conservation, and he believes photography can be a key part of that.
“Photography has a central role in conservation, if we don’t know what something looks like we’re unlikely to care about it,” he said.
“The decision makers who decide where money goes to fund these big projects, we need good pictures of these creatures, whether they’re big or small.”
Alex has two exhibitions currently running in Nottinghamshire: ‘Sherwood Up Close’ which can be found in Hucknall Library until March 27 2025, and ‘Fungi Up Close’, found at Worksop Library until February 27.
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