Young wildlife photographer sees ‘kissing blackbird’ picture snapped up by Co-op

Ben Pulletz is often found wandering through the countryside in Somerset trying to get the perfect shot

The photographer was able to capture a rare image of two birds close together (Ben Pulletz)

A young amateur photographer who captured two blackbirds “kissing” on camera is seeing his shot turned into a card and sold in the Co-op supermarket.

Ben Pulletz, now 21, captured six striking images of animals and nature around his home in Somerset. Among them were a rabbit in a meadow, a grasshopper, a great tit perched among rose hips and a sunny field of daisies.

The cards will be launched in 1,300 stores and the Co-op will donate £10,000 to the RSPB.

Ben Pulletz, now 21, captured the striking images of animals and nature around his home in Somerset (Ben Pulletz)

He said: “I am absolutely delighted and, to be honest, it really hasn’t sunk in yet. I can’t believe that I would have had such a positive response from Co-op when I first reached out to them.

“I have been trying to track the perfect wildlife photographs for so many years, but the idea of a national chain taking up my images would have been seen by me and everyone else as ‘one for the birds’.

“I am especially pleased that the daisy photograph has been used – it is my mum’s favourite.”

The cards will be launched in 1,300 stores and the Co-op will donate £10,000 to the RSPB (Ben Pulletz)

A keen wildlife enthusiast, Mr Pulletz started taking pictures of animals in the countryside near Charlton Mackrell in Somerset five years ago, wandering through fields and woodlands to get the perfect image. In 2020, at the age of 17, he set up his own photo-card business, Feathers & Hills.

He said: “It first started when I left school and didn’t know what to do. I always loved the natural world and was always taking photos of the sunrise and sunset on my iPad.

“I picked out things around my local village and then waited for the light to appear. I took an image of rapeseed in the golden glare and after that picture, I was hooked.

The 20-year-old photographer said his daisy photograph is his mum’s favourite (Ben Pulletz)

“I love nature photography as you can always expect the unexpected. Being out in places where I know are wildlife hot spots is always exciting, as it is only a matter of time before something special comes into view. I never stop believing and always stay positive.”

In 2021, Mr Pulletz won the Siena International Award for his photography in the Under 20 Category. His work has also featured in the British Wildlife Photography Awards book.