Des Ong

Des is a professional wildlife photographer based in the UK. Born in the tropics, he grew up with a fascination for animals and plants, which led to the study of marine biology. His love of art also began from an early age, with watercolour paintings being his main pastime throughout his teenage years. Wildlife photography is a combination of these two passions – it is his artistic expression of the natural world.

Even though Des feels most at home in the rainforests, he is equally adapted to the cold northern environment. As such, he is a tour leader to a variety of destinations from the snowy tundra mountains of Norway to the hot arid landscape of southern Madagascar.

Aside from galleries, Des’ work can be seen in many publications and commercial use. He has been highly commended in numerous competitions such as California Academy of Sciences’ Big Picture Natural World Photography Competition, International Garden Photographer of the Year, Friends of the Earth Renewable Energy Photo Competition, and British Wildlife Photography Awards (BWPA). He was also shortlisted for Wildlife Photographer of the Year, European Wildlife Photographer of the Year, as well as International Wildbird Photo Competition.

Des conducts workshops and trains photographers of all levels, as well as delivering presentations internationally. He is a keen advocate of primate conservation, fundraising through his artwork, specifically the limited edition trio “Primates“. He also channels some of the proceeds of his tours to this endeavour. Most of all, Des is a perfectionist forever chasing for the illusive ultimate image.