Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Torie Hilley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Torie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

Ever since I was little, I was fascinated by science and nature. But I also loved art. I was constantly playing outside and always drew my own thing (I never colored within the lines). My parents enrolled me in every nature and art class for as long as I could remember. I even volunteered at local wildlife rehabilitation centers in high school and through college and started painting when I was 12. I continued these passions throughout my life and received a degree in Animal Science and Minors in Biology, Equine Science, and Studio Art from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in California.

After my degree, I was offered a job as a Principal Researcher studying the behavior of lions for a small nonprofit in Zimbabwe and Zambia. As a researcher, photography plays an important role by identifying individual animals and documenting any interesting behavior. It was here, when I started to develop an interest in photography. Since lions tend to sleep about 20 hours a day, I started photographing birds around me to pass the time.

During my time in Zambia, I met my future master’s degree supervisor where he told me about the amazing new program at the University of Sussex in Brighton, England. It was a Master of Research (MRes) in Animal Behavior, which I always loved and been involved with since I was a kid. My contract with the nonprofit was ending so I took a chance and applied to the program. It was probably the best year of my life, albeit it still kicked my butt! But up until this point, animal behavior and wildlife research were always my priority, and painting and photography were a side hustle.

However, the African wild dog changed all of that.

It was during my master’s thesis research in South Africa when I realized the power of imagery. I was studying the behavioral ecology of the African wild dog (aka painted dog), but my friends and family thought I was studying feral dogs. This was shocking! So, I sent them as many photos as possible explaining that they are the second most endangered carnivore in Africa and their populations are continuing to decline. Now, they educate their friends and family on this endangered carnivore!

As I continued my research career, I began to realize that my passion for the African bush was due to capturing the behavior of predators and other wildlife through my lens. Anything I couldn’t capture on camera, I painted. I felt that I could spread more awareness and send a message about endangered species more effectively through imagery. I then made the decision to dedicate my work to wildlife conservation in 2020.

Since 2021, I’ve learned from some of the best wildlife photographers, like Tin Man Lee, Federico Veronesi, and Sebastian Kennerknecht, so that I could improve my photography to evoke more emotion from my viewers. I’ve now traveled to Alaska to photograph the brown bears, Kenya to photograph the beautiful African wildlife in Amboseli and Masai Mara, Patagonia to photograph the pumas, back to Zimbabwe to photograph the painted dogs in Mana Pools, and Mongolia to photograph the manul cat (aka Pallas’s cat).

Now, I’m exploring the world of wildlife conservation photojournalism to bridge the gap of the visual arts and the sciences. I’m using my background in behavioral ecology and research to bring more awareness of small conservation organizations, endangered species, their unique behavior, and our human-wildlife connectedness through my photography and oil paintings.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

It was during my master’s degree that I realized the power of imagery. I was studying the behavioral ecology of the African painted dog in South Africa, and to my bewilderment, most people thought I was studying feral dogs. This sparked something in me – to start spreading awareness of the second most endangered carnivore in Africa through my photography and artwork. Now, I have shifted gears in conservation: from wildlife research, where most people don’t read scientific articles; to visual arts, where most people are moved by a powerful image, which can lead to action. It was the African painted dog that inspired this change, and I’m continuing to spread awareness of other endangered and lesser-known species through the visual arts.

Beyond technique, my background in wildlife conservation (BSc in Animal Science, MRes in Animal Behavior) and fieldwork across Africa studying lions, painted dogs, leopards, and cheetahs give me a deep understanding of animal behavior, anatomy, and movement—essential for creating authentic, compelling, and ethical wildlife imagery. I have a deep respect and passion for wildlife, and all my images were ethically taken (I never stress or bait wildlife).

I provide truly original work where all my paintings are from my own images. Also, my photography not only invokes strong emotions from the viewer, but also a sense of awareness of endangered or lesser know species. Each piece has their own story, and by purchasing a piece, the collector becomes a part of that story. I also donate 10% of my annual proceeds to smaller conservation organizations who are doing incredible work on the ground. I have original oil paintings, Limited Edition Reproductions, as well as Limited Edition Fine Art Photography Prints. All work is from my personal encounters in Africa, Alaska, Patagonia, Mongolia, and more. I also offer commissioned work as well.

For aspiring photographers and artists, I offer tailormade consultations over zoom where I can help with any kind of struggles – from photo editing, website setup, marketing your work, prints, pricing, painting techniques, and more. These consultations are at the client’s own pace. I also offer a FREE 30min zoom call to go over what your needs are and how I can help. To learn more, visit my website at toriehilleyfineart.com.

I also offer local, in-person photography workshops in and around Ventura County, CA. During these workshops, we will go over the fundamentals of photography, such as settings, in-the-field techniques, and how to practice ethical wildlife photography. My favorite day workshop that I offer so far is a full day on Santa Cruz Island of the Channel Island National Park, right off the coast of Ventura. Here, we will take a boat to the island where we will encounter dolphins and whales, and then we will be met by the cute and charismatic island fox and island scrub jay – both endemic to the Channel Islands. Once on the brink of extinction, the island fox population is now stable thanks to the quick work of passionate scientists and conservationists. It’s a wonderful day full of island beauty and fantastic island fox encounters – perfect for photography.

I’m currently working on offering tours both within the US and Internationally, for photographers as well. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter via my website to stay in the loop.

I had my doubts if I could be a good photographer and make an impact, since I didn’t start my career in photography. But when I started receiving awards and recognition in the past few years, I was reassured that I can make this career change work. I couldn’t be prouder!

My photography has been published in: National Geographic’s book, Spectacle, Two Remembering Wildlife books: Remembering African Wild Dogs and 10 Years of Remembering Wildlife, The Nature Conservancy, National Wildlife Federation, BBC Wildlife Magazine, The Guardian, The Times, Forbes, Photo Vogue, Bored Panda, the cover of Explorer’s Against Extinction’s annual calendar, and counting.

My photography has also won several awards, including: Category Winner in the Siena International Photo Awards (SIPA) and National Wildlife Federation Photo Contest, Runner Up Photographer of the Year in Explorer’s Against Extinction’s Focus for Survival, Honorable Mention in The Nature Conservancy Photo Awards, Highly Commended in Nature Photographer of the Year Awards, and an Exhibited Finalist in BigPicture Photo Awards.

My paintings and photography have also been physically exhibited in The Brick lanes Gallery in London, BigPicture Exhibit in the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, Siena International Photo Awards Exhibition in Italy, Nature Photographer of the Year Exhibition in the Netherlands, Explorer’s Against Extinction Focus for Survival in London, BigPicture Interactive Earth Day Event in the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, and Photo Vogue Festival with Vital Impacts in Milan, Italy. Also, I’ve had my work in online exhibitions with Artists for Painted Dogs, Art for Rhinos, and Vital Impacts Online Annual Print Sale with a portion of proceeds donated to wildlife conservation.

I’m an ethical wildlife photographer and always put the animals’ welfare first. I never bait or stress the animal for a photo. I’m also exploring the world of wildlife conservation photojournalism to bridge the gap of the visual arts and the sciences. I’m using my background in behavioral ecology and research to bring more awareness of small conservation organizations, endangered species, their unique behavior, and our human-wildlife connectedness through my photography and oil paintings.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

My whole career journey has tested my resilience! However, I knew that it wasn’t going to be easy. First, being female isn’t easy in the male dominated wildlife conservation and photography worlds, for obvious reasons. Also, I was forced to become a bush mechanic, instead of a wildlife researcher in Botswana, where I had to repair fully open, broken-down car in front of lions, leopards, elephants, and water buffalo – by myself. This tested my tolerance and threshold for life threatening situations. Then my resilience was tested when I decided to pivot in the wildlife conservation world: from research to the visual arts, especially when everyone’s work was winning awards and gaining recognition, and I wasn’t.

But all these tests, just made me more determined to succeed. I pushed past the discrimination and stood my ground when my integrity was challenged. I then gained the courage to walk away when my life was threatened one too many times in the bush – all because of an old unreliable car that prevented me from doing my important research on the predators of the Okavango Delta in Botswana. Then I persevered by pivoting to the visual arts and leaving all my research education and studies behind because I witnessed the power of imagery and how it can promote change. The lack of awards and recognition didn’t stop me either. I took a chance and invested in myself by learning from the best photographers, and then entering as many photo competitions as possible, which worked out in the best possible way.

There were, and still are, many moments in my life where I wanted to give up and questioned if all of this was worth it. Allow yourself to feel that. Then ask yourself, “what would you do instead?” For me, science, wildlife research, conservation, and the visual arts are all my passions – and I realized that I am bound and determined to combine all of these to make a positive impact on the world. It’s still not easy, but it is so rewarding.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to spread more awareness of small conservation organizations, endangered and lesser-known species, their unique behavior, and our human-wildlife connectedness through my photography and oil paintings. I’m currently exploring the world of wildlife conservation photojournalism to bridge the gap of the visual arts and the sciences. I’m still using my background in behavioral ecology and wildlife research to achieve this, which provides a unique edge that other photographers may not have.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://toriehilleyfineart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/torie_hilley_fineart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/torie.hilley
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/torie-hilley-0526aa61

Image Credits

All images are taken by me, including the images of my paintings and of me standing on the top of the research car tracking the African painted dogs in Botswana.

My friend, Louis Brad, took the image of me in front of the Torres del Paine in Patagonia, Chile.