"Dragonflies with Paul Ritchie" by Aaron Cook

Wildlife photographer Paul Ritchie's love of remarkable winged insects.

Commended Eden Shorts 2015

Aaron Cook's Dragonflies with Paul Ritchie is a short film that shares a wildlife photographer's knowledge of photographing a remarkable and wondrous insect.

Nigel Marven revealed how close he came to putting it into his top five:

We had a long discussion about whether this should have been one of the commended films. It really made me want to get out and identify dragonflies in my garden!

Springwatch presenter Michaela Strachan enjoyed how Aaron brought a talented wildlife lover to the fore in his film:

It is always great to showcase someone who's passionate about wildlife and this is an interesting way of doing it. The incorporation of both stills and moving pictures was fantastic.

Wildlife photographer Paul Ritchie.

Wildlife photographer Paul Ritchie.

Aaron first met Paul while walking his dog, and could see how meticulous he was in photographing his subject. First becoming interested in dragonflies while out exploring the New Forest, Paul wanted to capture the little "beasts" on camera to share his experiences with others.

Having approached Paul and introduced himself as a cameraman, Aaron reached out a few weeks later to suggest that they make a short film together.

Aaron admits: "we met up not really knowing what would come of the project [but] we both thoroughly enjoyed the experience of making a film about dragonflies and have decided to make another film in 2016".