Jess Findlay: Canadian Wildlife Photographer Profile

Jess Findlay is a Canadian wildlife and landscape photographer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is best known for his moody, habitat-focused images of birds and mammals in the Pacific Northwest, and his work has won awards in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition run by London’s Natural History Museum.

Findlay blends two styles that are often kept apart. Instead of tight close-ups, he likes to show an animal in its home: an owl leaving a barn, a loon on a lake, a nightjar hidden in leaves. His goal is to give wildlife a sense of place. You can read more internet star biographies on famous people profiles on GrandPeoples.com.

Who is Jess Findlay?

Jess Findlay is a full-time nature photographer, guide and teacher. He was born in Vancouver and grew up in Burnaby, just outside the city. As a kid, he spent a lot of time hiking and birdwatching with his family around the Pacific Northwest.

His father was a hobbyist nature photographer. That early influence helped turn Jess’s love of the outdoors into a passion for photographing wildlife and landscapes. He started taking photos in his mid-teens.

Outside photography, he is a climber, trail runner and mountaineer in southwestern British Columbia. Those skills help him reach remote spots that many photographers never see.

What awards has Jess Findlay won?

Findlay’s first big win came early. In 2011, he was named Nature’s Best Youth Photographer of the Year, an award from Nature’s Best Photography. Winning images from that competition are shown at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

Since then, he has been recognized several times in Wildlife Photographer of the Year, one of the most respected nature photo contests in the world. This table lists his verified results.

What are Jess Findlay’s best-known photos?

Three of his award-winning images show how he works. Each one depends on patience and on knowing how the animal behaves.

Pauraque Study (2014)

On his first visit to a state park in southern Texas, Findlay heard a male pauraque calling. The next morning he found one asleep on the ground. He crept within a few meters and filled the frame with its brown, black and gold feathers, which blend into the leaf litter. He wanted viewers to notice the fine details first and only slowly realize what bird they were looking at.

Fitting the Bill (2018)

This photo shows a common loon parent holding a damselfly nymph in its beak to feed its chick. He took it in the Cariboo region of British Columbia. Young loon chicks struggle to swallow even small fish, so parents feed them insects and plants in shallow water during their first days.

Edge of Night (2024)

For Edge of Night, Findlay photographed a barn owl leaving the hayloft window of an old barn in the fields outside Vancouver. He watched the owl for several nights. Then he set up an invisible beam that fired a flash as the bird flew out, and used a 30-second exposure to catch the glow on the clouds. The shot finally worked on the tenth night.

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Where has Jess Findlay’s work been shown?

His photos have hung in some major museums. His work has been exhibited at:

• The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
• The Natural History Museum in London, U.K.
• The Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria, Canada

He has also given talks for Cunard cruise lines and at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles. His photos have appeared in a number of magazines.

Does Jess Findlay teach photography?

Yes. Teaching is a big part of his work. He offers one-on-one guiding and lessons for beginners, intermediate shooters and experienced photographers.

He also runs small group workshops in British Columbia with fellow photographer Connor Stefanison. These include Winter Birds of Vancouver, Birds of the Okanagan, Ultimate Loons and a Manning Park trip in the Cascade Mountains. Subjects range from owls, eagles and hummingbirds to loons with chicks, grebes and red foxes. In the past, he has also led workshops in Ecuador, Peru and Costa Rica.

What gear and brands does Jess Findlay work with?

Findlay has partnered with several outdoor and camera gear brands. They include F-Stop Gear, which makes camera backpacks, Cotton Carrier, Tragopan photography blinds and CamTraptions, which makes camera trap equipment. His award entries list Canon cameras, such as the Canon EOS 5D Mark III and EOS 7D Mark II, paired with a 100 to 400 mm lens.

Conclusion

Jess Findlay is a Vancouver-based Canadian wildlife and landscape photographer who began shooting in his mid-teens. He won Nature’s Best Youth Photographer of the Year in 2011 and later earned Highly Commended results in Wildlife Photographer of the Year in 2014, 2018 and 2024. His images, known for showing animals in their habitat, have been shown in major museums, and he now shares his skills through workshops across British Columbia. More biographies of famous people are available on GrandPeoples.com.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Jess Findlay from?

Jess Findlay is from British Columbia, Canada. He was born in Vancouver and grew up in Burnaby, just outside the city. He is still based in Vancouver, and much of his work focuses on the wildlife and landscapes of the Pacific Northwest.

What does Jess Findlay photograph?

Jess Findlay photographs wildlife and landscapes, with a strong focus on birds. He likes to show animals within their habitat rather than in tight close-ups. Owls, loons, grebes, hummingbirds and mountain scenery all appear often in his work.

Has Jess Findlay won Wildlife Photographer of the Year?

He has been recognized in Wildlife Photographer of the Year several times. His images were Highly Commended in 2014 and 2018, and his barn owl photo Edge of Night was Highly Commended in the 2024 People’s Choice Award.

What was Jess Findlay’s first major award?

His first major award was Nature’s Best Youth Photographer of the Year in 2011. The honor comes from Nature’s Best Photography, and winning images are displayed at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

Can you take a workshop with Jess Findlay?

Yes. Jess Findlay offers private guiding and small group workshops in British Columbia, often with photographer Connor Stefanison. Trips cover winter birds around Vancouver, spring birds in the Okanagan, loons in remote lakes and Manning Park in the Cascades.