Object Art Lab

“In the Southern Ocean where the waves are not destroyed by breaking on any beach, the great swells produced by the westerly winds roll around and around the world.”

― Rachel Carson, The Sea Around Us

↓↓↓

Welcome to Creative Expeditions.

This is the content production work of Simon Nicholas Pattenden, a photographer, communications designer and artist with over 20-years of multimedia experience and creative practice.

Photography & film

An aerial view of a person paddleboarding on turquoise water with a visible sandy bottom.

Close-up of a sleeping owl with detailed feathers against a black background.

“S N Pattenden is in the top 10% of Unsplash contributors gaining 8.5M views and >45K downloads.”

Editorial photography

Cover of a book titled 'Horsefly Dress,' featuring a close-up image of a sleeping owl.

View the publication

Close-up of a chameleon showing its textured skin and yellow-green eye.

Close-up of a chameleon with vibrant green and yellow textured skin and large yellow eyes.

Close-up of a yellow and black chameleon on a plant stem, with a blurred background.

View the publication

Close-up of a colorful damselfly with iridescent blue and green body and intricately veined orange-brown wings perched on a leafy plant.

Close-up of a colorful dragonfly perched on a leaf with a blurred green background.

View the publication

A close-up of a praying mantis perched on a green grass stem, with a blurred green background.

Close-up photo of a small brown insect perched on a green plant stem, with a blurred natural background.

View the publication

Bird with a green caterpillar in its beak perched on a branch in dry grass and plants.

A brown bird perched on a branch holding green insect in its beak, surrounded by dry grass and plants.

View the publication

Close-up of honeybees working on honeycomb in a hive, with a blurred background of natural outdoor setting.

Webpage header of the University of Cambridge and the Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP) with a background image of bees on honeycomb, featuring an article titled "The role of locally determined contributions in tackling climate change" dated September 13, 2023.

View the publication

Event photography

A rapid image of people moving in a gym environment with long exposure and motion blue.

Audience attending a presentation in a large, architecturally detailed room with high arched windows and wooden beams. A large screen displays images of various birds and a caption about new arrivals in the UK since 1900.

Group of children and adults participating in a conservation activity in a grassy field, with some planting or clearing vegetation, under a partly cloudy sky.

Multi-award-winning authors Dara McAnulty and Mike Barfield join scientists Regan Early and Helen Tan, Early Years Area Lead for Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire on stage for the RENEW X BookTrust Biodiversity Storytelling Summit 2024.

Children enjoying a guided exploration of the Dartmoor landscape.

A senior lecturer giving a presentation about biodiversity in front of a large screen displaying maps and text.

A surfer riding a wave in the ocean, pulling in tightly to the wave.

Online credits

Text on a white background that says, 'changing the environment' in bold black letters.

Seal of the University of Exeter with a castle and a book in the center, surrounded by a circular text that reads 'University of Exeter' and Latin phrase 'Luceat Semper Fides'.

Building narratives

Rough cuts: A short sketch working with an Apiarist in North Cornwall following the relationship between a keeper and his hive.

Rough cuts: Seasonal Change. Saturday 22nd August 2026: Beautiful B-roll. Walking the incredible coastline of St Agnes, Cornwall.

Above: Animated snippets: How do you communicate the axis of human health and changes in air pollution over a lifetime?

Above: Animated snippets: Designing and producing retro animated sequences to illustrate interventions to reduce air pollution and its impacts.

Video snippet: Games and play are potent ingredients when combined with design thinking strategies. Content creation for Cornwall School of Business at Falmouth University. (2020)

Above: The pixel worship series: Childhood heroes: Sergey Bubka. Footage: Athletics Archive. Montage: S N Pattenden

Research Projects & brand guidance

Case study: RENEW Biodiversity Programme, University of Exeter & the National Trust.

The brand strategy for this critical multi-partner research project centred around its bid statement (funding application) and logo, which came with a unique set of challenges. This commonly happens on big research projects like RENEW, where messaging such as biodiversity renewal is time-critical. Research moves fast, and Brand Managers often need to respond quickly and resiliently.

Two people walking with backpacks in a forest during autumn, with a dog on a leash, sunlight streaming through colorful fall foliage.

Color palette chart for RENEW with various color swatches and a motivational quote 'Not all heroes wear capes' in colorful hand-drawn style.

Text excerpt showing different font styles used to write the phrase 'Biodiversity underpins everything we do,' including Extra Light, Thin, Light, Regular, Semi Bold, Bold, Extra Bold, Black, and Extra Black.

Multiple versions of a poster showing a forest scene with people hiking, featuring the text 'RENEW' and 'Renewing biodiversity through a people-in-nature approach,' along with logos of the University of Exeter, National Trust, UK Research and Innovation, and the Natural Environment Research Council.

Two people hiking with backpacks along a forest trail in autumn, surrounded by colorful fall foliage, with a small dog walking ahead.

Above: Multi-partner project brand management with a little extra seasoning.

Asset design

Above: Presentation assets: Poetry by local school children. Guidance by leading poets. Conservation through immersive workshop experiences.

Above: Internal communication design. Uniting over 100 researchers on multi partner projects.

Conversations with change makers

Above: Award winning Author, Zoologist, Illustrator and Campaigner, Nicola Davies discusses the 2023 RENEW x BookTrust Biodiversity Storytelling Summit. Footage, interview, audio, transitions and final edit: S N Pattenden

Above: Award winning Author, and Founder of Mango Lime Publishing, Marva Carty speaking at Kew Gardens, London. Footage, interview, audio, transitions and final edit: S N Pattenden

Above: The brilliant Sue Hendra writer and illustrator of over 100 books for children. Footage, interview, audio, transitions and final edit: S N Pattenden

Above: Professor of Poetry John Wedgwood Clarke. Footage, interview, audio, transitions and final edit: S N Pattenden

Above: Operational Biodiversity Programme Lead at Lloyds Bank, Cheryl Jones. Footage, interview, audio, transitions and final edit: S N Pattenden

Editorial illustration: The source of all storytelling…

A digital illustration of a range of characters from the illustrator S N Pattenden.

A colourful cartoon-style illustration with the text 'What would we be without the sea?' With a dead fish, a rat farting out of a baked bean can, an octopus waving a flag made from a bank note, and a bottle containing a toxic material bobbing away.

Above: Ideas everyday. Character sets from the sketchbooks. Illustrator: S N Pattenden.

Collaborative working

Above: CBI Economics x RENEW. Footage: Various royalty free. Final edit & transitions: S N Pattenden

Above: Sustainability projects don’t get much bigger than this. The INHERIT Online course (2019) EuroHealthNet x University of Exeter. Footage: Various royalty free. Final edit & transitions: S N Pattenden Animation: Revolve Media.

Above: Social Media Strategy: Researchers at the Environment and Sustainability institute at the University of Exeter join forces with The Wildlife Trust’s 30-Days Wild Campaign. The team designed a novel research project to better understand our connections to nature and natural places. Footage: Royalty free. Edit & transitions: S N Pattenden.