About
Bio
Sue Flood is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker, zoologist, adventure travel leader and public speaker. Her work takes her all over the world but she has a special passion for the wildlife and icy beauty of the Polar regions and is one of the very few women professional photographers who returns again and again to Earth’s harshest and most demanding environments.
Her first visit to the Poles happened during her 11 years in the BBC’s prestigious Natural History Unit, working on such global hits as The Blue Planet and Planet Earth, with Sir David Attenborough; on National Geographic and Discovery Channel co-productions and on the Disneynature movie Earth.
Since then, Sue’s travels as a photographer have taken her to hundreds of destinations on all seven continents and found her living with reindeer herders in Siberia, swimming with humpback whales in the South Pacific, working aboard Russian ice-breakers; camping in an emperor penguin colony in the Weddell Sea and seeking out spirit bears in British Columbia.
Sue is proud to be an Ambassador for Julian Lennon’s White Feather Foundation, a Partner Photographer with ‘Girls Who Click’ and is proud to work with Gitzo.
When not travelling, North Wales-born and raised Sue lives in Gwynedd on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park with her husband Chris Graham and is currently developing a suite of photography tours showcasing the natural beauty of her homeland.
Sue Flood
Expedition cruises
Sue was honoured to become a Photo Ambassador for luxury French cruise company Ponant, and will be guiding trips on their incredible new hybrid-electric polar exploration vessel, Le Commandant Charcot, winner of Expedition Cruise ship of the year 2021. Sue was onboard in September 2021 when this ground-breaking ship became the first French vessel to reach the North Pole.
Sue will be guiding many trips on board Le Commandant Charcot, as well as some of Ponant’s other vessels. Please do get in touch with Sue if you’re interested in joining her on voyages to the North Pole, Ross Sea, South Georgia, Weddell Sea, sub-Antarctic islands and, occasionally, somewhere warmer!
Please see here a list of the trips that Sue will be guiding in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Sue Flood and Le Commandant Charcot ©Ian Dawson
Awards
Sue's awards and accolades include
- Winning the climate change category in the the inaugural Science Photographer of the Year with her image 'North Pole Underwater’;
- Winning the 'Place' category in the Earth Photo 2019 competition with her image from Antarctica 'Big Blue Berg’;
- Receiving multiple awards in the International Photographer of the Year, Travel Photographer of the Year, and International Garden Photographer of the Year competitions;
- Gaining the Art Wolfe (best in festival) Prize in the International Conservation Photography Awards;
- Being awarded a Royal Photographic Society silver medal;
- Providing images for a set of British Antarctic Territory stamps
She is also a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, the Explorers Club and the Royal Geographical Society; an Honorary Fellow of the North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA), and was invited to meet HM The Queen at Buckingham Palace at an event celebrating Explorers and Adventurers.
Sue’s image 'Big Blue Berg' was the winner of the Earth Photo 2019 'Place' category
Books and Cards
Cover for Emperor: The Perfect Penguin
Images and insights from Earth’s coldest places are collated in her two books – Cold Places, a salute to a rich variety of Polar people, wildlife and scenery, and Emperor: The Perfect Penguin, a celebration of her favourite bird and its Antarctic home. She also offers deluxe packs of greeting cards featuring images of many different animals/ locations.
For more details or to buy, please head to the shop.
Cover for Cold Places
Greetings card packs
Talks
Sue Flood is an accomplished and engaging public speaker, with experience of presenting live or online to a wide variety of audiences including major international businesses; charities; schools and universities, book festivals, adventure travel and photography shows, conservation gatherings and at events empowering women/girls. She always tailors her talks to suit her listeners and can vary the content/ style to entertain, enlighten, teach, inspire &/or motivate. To find out more, or book a talk, please email: info@sueflood.com
Guided Trips
Sue leads photography tours to many different places, including making bespoke arrangements for private parties or small groups. To find out about upcoming opportunities, please see the Events tab or email info@sueflood.com.
Sue on location with Sir MIchael Palin in Antarctica
Workshops
Sue Flood regularly leads beginners, improvers and advanced wildlife photography events, both for adults and young people, in the UK, abroad and at sea. To find out about upcoming opportunities, please see the Events tab or email info@sueflood.com.
Favourite Things
A few of my favourite things….
I’m very proud to be a Gitzo Pioneer. Gitzo make the best tripods! I use a Gitzo Systematic carbon tripod GT3533LS with the Gitzo series 4 ball-head - super-strong and perfect for my Canon 600mm.
I regularly guide wildlife photography trips for Steppes Travel, who offer some exceptional wildlife experiences whilst supporting local conservation and community projects around the world.
I'm a great fan of the Bushcamp Company in the South Luangwa valley, Zambia. Mfuwe Lodge has been voted the country’s best lodge several times and their small camps are superb! I enjoy guiding private safaris at this location as the wildlife, lodge and people are all fabulous.
My Paramo kit which takes me from the tropics to the polar regions.
I am fortunate to work with the wonderful Stephen Johnson of Copyrightimage Ltd. Stephen is a brilliant editor, retoucher and trainer and I highly recommend him. He edits and prepares my shots and prepared all my files for my books "Cold Places” and “Emperor - the Perfect Penguin” and we regularly teach together on courses at Chester Zoo, along with professional Nikon photographer Cindy Miller Hopkins