I caught COVID days before a 5-week work trip to Central America. It turned out to be the best thing for my travel photography career

In late 2020, during the depths of the pandemic, I began working on an epic two-part documentary series about the Ancient Maya Civilisation.

I spent four months alone during the grim winter lockdown, planning a five-week shoot across Maya sites in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. It was my creative baby and a longed-for escape from the misery of lockdown, at a time when travel was banned and only a privileged few could leave the UK.

Then, just ten days before departure, I went to my best friend’s house to celebrate my birthday (I live alone, and she was my ‘support bubble’ person). But along with a lovely gift, she accidentally gave me COVID.

I was devastated. Months of hard work, research and planning had gone into that trip, and now I couldn't go. I sobbed over Zoom to my bosses, but the shoot had to go ahead. So I stayed home, briefed a replacement director from my sickbed, and watched as he jetted off to shoot my film without me.

But I couldn’t let it go. I needed to see the people and places I’d spent so long researching. So, once the edit was finished, and determined to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, I booked a three-month trip to Guatemala and went by myself. That decision turned out to be life-changing. 

At the time, I was a freelance documentary director with a small travel blog on the side. But after returning from Guatemala, I pitched my first stories and images to national publications.

I landed bylines and photo credits in National Geographic Traveller, BBC Travel, Wanderlust, JRNY, The Great Outdoors, BBC Wildlife and more. Just recently, National Geographic Traveller published a Guatemala supplement featuring three of my articles and six of my images – including the cover.

My blog now gets over 100,000 page views a month, many from travelers looking for Guatemala tips. I’ve won awards, been published in most of the major UK travel titles, and I get invited to speak and write about travel photography.

In two months, I’ll be taking the stage at the Royal Geographical Society and am even in talks to lead my own photography tours.

None of it would have happened if I’d made that shoot. So I guess I have to thank my best friend – and COVID!