“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

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Welcome to my Creative Expeditions. This is the 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.
Close-up of a sleeping owl with detailed feathers against a black background.
A black and white Unsplash logo.

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

Editorial photography

Close-up of a sleeping owl with detailed feathers against a black background.
Cover of a book titled 'Horsefly Dress,' featuring a close-up image of a sleeping owl.
View the publication
View the publication
Close-up of a chameleon showing its textured skin and yellow-green eye.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Event photography

A rapid image of people moving in a gym environment with long exposure and motion blue.
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.
Five people seated on a stage in a panel discussion, with a large screen behind them displaying text, and a window in the background. They are engaged in conversation, some holding microphones.
A group of children and adults, walking outdoors on a grassy hill under a blue sky with scattered clouds, with one adult pointing into the distance.
A senior lecturewr 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

Arizona Apparel logo with a stylized green aloe vera plant and black text 'Arizona Apparel'.
BookTrust logo with teal-colored open book icon and the slogan "Inspire a love of reading"
Text on a white background that says, 'changing the environment' in bold black letters.
Earth.org logo with black text on a white background
The logo of Falmouth University includes the university name in bold black letters.
The logo of the Nature Conservancy featuring a green globe with white outlines of continents and the organization's name in black text.
The logo of the London School of Economics and Political Science, featuring red and black text.
Logo for Island Studies Journal featuring stylized waves and a mountain.
Logo of the ONE OCEAN Foundation featuring a stylized wave and a red and blue circular design.
Part of the logo of the United States Department of State.
Colorful logo with rounded shapes and the words 'Life New' in black text underneath.
Partial view of a logo with orange dots forming a swirl and black text reading 'Reuters'.
Logo for the World Economic Forum with a stylized globe and the text 'World Economic Forum' and 'Committed to Improving the State of the World'
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'.
Part of the logo for the University of Cambridge, featuring a red and gold shield with lions and fleurs-de-lis, and the text 'UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE' in black.
UN Environment Programme logo with blue text 'UN Environment' and a blue circular emblem of a globe encircled by olive branches.

Rough cuts

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.

Research Projects & Brand Guidance

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.
A slide from the RENEW brand management document. This slide features a colour palette with layout suggestions.
Sheet of a branding presentation showcasing the logo design and layout requirements.
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.
A digital graphic with icons representing iconic British wildlife for use as bullet points within brand documents.
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.
A presentation slide with multiple versions of the RENEW logo, showing different colors and orientations. The slide discusses logo design options, partner logo lockup, and the phrase 'Renewing biodiversity through a people-in-nature approach'.
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: 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.

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

Above: Interviewing small business entrepreneurs for Falmouth University. At the point of this interview Big Data Specialist George Watson was embarking on a new career with SKY. Footage, interview, audio, transitions and final edit: S N Pattenden

Editorial illustration

A digital illustration of a range of characters from the illustrator S N Pattenden.
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. Various royalty free. Final edit & transitions: S N Pattenden Animation: Revolve Media.