Sam

Conservation photographer and writer

Cheryl-Samantha Owen is a photographer and writer based in Africa.

Sam holds a BSc in Environmental Science from Imperial College, London and a MSc in Conservation Biology at the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute, University of Cape Town.

The journey from science to photojournalism began when Sam realized that her photographs could do more to protect our planet’s precious resources than her scientific scribbling. She is interested in documenting environmental issues and the social issues that are woven through them.

Born in Kenya, Sam has lived on the African continent and explored its oceans for most of her life. Sam is fluent in Kiswahili and has worked extensively in East and Southern Africa. Organisations she has worked for include Fauna and Flora International, Conservation International and the Save Our Seas Foundation.

Sam is currently spearheading a photographic campaign to protect some of Kenya’s last coastal wilderness, where the rich biodiversity and traditional cultures are in danger of being lost forever.

sam@samowenphotography.com