Alfie Bowen has autism. As a teenager his life seemed so bleak suicide seemed the only way out. The he discovered his exceptional talent for photography...
At school, Alfie Bowen was told he would never become anything or anyone. Growing up with the challenges of having an autism spectrum disorder and generalised anxiety disorder, he faced relentless bullying which led to five suicide attempts, the first when he was just 15.
Life improved for Alfie, who lives at Worlingham, when he moved to a private special educational needs school. He gained eight A-Levels and a place at university. Sadly, the bullying started up again and he left after three weeks. But it wasn't the end for Alfie because somehow, amongst everything else that was going on, he discovered a passion for photography. Now he credits picking up a camera at the age of 16 with saving his life and giving him a dream career.
Alfie is now 23 and a successful fine-art photographer. His images hang in homes around the world, and are on display in 40 galleries. In 2016 he was the Zoological Society of East Anglia Wildlife Photographer of the Year, and he has released his first book, Wild World – Nature Through an Autistic Eye. It's a stunning collection of wildlife imagery that provides a revealing glimpse into the private lives of animals from around the globe, from big cats such as lions, tigers and cheetahs, to chimpanzees, elephants, rhinos, giraffes, eagles, flamingos and more.
"My life-long dream has been to release a coffee-table book detailing my journey with autism alongside my photographs, and I am excited to finally release it," he says. Wild World is the culmination of four years’ work that brings together the very best of Alfie's photographic archives with insightful essays about the plight of today's wildlife. Each of the images in the collection is the result of countless hours that Alfie has invested in achieving the perfect photograph, working largely in wildlife conservancies. He undertakes in-depth research into all his animal subjects and believes his autism helps by giving him the necessary obsession that he often needs to persevere in conditions that are frequently cold, lonely and challenging.
He also believes his experiences growing up helped to shape his art, and he now has a
platform to help change things for others with autism and mental-health conditions.
"No one should be told that they will never amount to anything, or feel that suicide is the only way out,” he says. “Photography provides me with an output for my emotional energy, and I often travel back to the tougher times in my life to provide emotional energy for my imagery.”
It's a creative approach that has caught the attention of some distinguished supporters, including Sir David Attenborough and Sir Richard Branson, as well as opportunities to work with such prestigious organisations as the the World Wide Fund for Nature (formerly World Wildlife Fund), which will be receive part of the proceeds from the book, and the National Autistic Society. He is an ambassador for Clinks Care Farm, Big Blue Ocean Cleanup and Young Bird Photographer of the Year.
In his foreword for the book, wildlife TV presenter and conservationist, Chris Packham, writes: "The photographs are outstanding, and the story behind them inspirational. Given the odds stacked against Alfie throughout his life, this book is a significant success and bodes very well for a continued and very inspiring career as a world-class photographer."
Wild World – Nature Through an Autistic Eye is published by ACC Art Books
