His warm, charismatic nature and empathy for others made him popular with all he encountered, and his promotion to Deputy Head Prefect in Faulkner’s was testament to these characteristics, and a responsibility that he took great pride in.
Harry swam for the College, captaining both junior and senior teams, and became an essential cog of the burgeoning water polo team. He had many passions, most beyond the classroom, but ultimately travel and photography were his foremost pursuits as a pupil.
He seized all opportunities to go on school trips, improve his technical skills, acquire new lenses or enhance his understanding of the medium. His photographs within his EPQ project on the effects of light and motion in landscape photography revealed the sheer level of raw practical talent that he had. In the space of one year, he travelled to Ethiopia, Los Angeles and New York on school trips cordig the skyline, the culture and the people.
Following Bradfield, Harry applied to East London University as an undergraduate in Photography. Feeling unchallenged, he left after one year seeking travel, opportunities to volunteer in orphanages and work alongside photographers and like-minded friends in countries such as Switzerland, South Africa, Peru and Indonesia.
In between excursions he continued to undertake small photography or film related jobs and attended the MET Film School on a six-month course in practical filmmaking.
It was here that he realised and nurtured his interest in wildlife conservation filmmaking, attending conferences at the Royal Geographical Society and networking with professionals in the industry, such as the Born Free Foundation. Last summer Harry was invited to Bali as a cinematographer to work on a feature length documentary investigating the trade in Indonesian songbirds. He remained there for four months alongside his friends with whom he collaborated on the film, documenting the plight of birds.
Not long before he died I received an email from Harry and his fellow filmmakers seeking support for the making of the film, shortly followed by a lovely postcard thanking me for my small donation.
Sadly, this was my last communication with Harry but knowing that his photographs, film footage, hard work and passion for conservation has been lovingly and painstakingly recorded in his documentary, currently in its final stages, and that his friends, colleagues and family continue to promote his passions and gifts, keeps his memory and achievements very much alive.
