British couple swap the rat race for the wilderness by giving up their day jobs to help protect endangered species around the globe



Aaron Gekoski, 33, co-owned a London model agency



Gemma Catlin, 32, worked as a hospitality consultant in the capital



The pair are now conservation photojournalists and film documentaries

British couple swapped the rat race for the wilderness by giving up their day jobs to travel the world, working as conservation photojournalists and filming documentaries about endangered animals.



Aaron Gekoski, 33, co-owned a London model agency and Gemma Catlin, 32, worked as a hospitality consultant in London; opening bars, hotels and restaurants across Europe.



The pair met in Mozambique after Mr Gekoski left London in 2009, and have since had several wild adventures.



New start: A British couple have left behind successful careers to travel the world, working as conservation photojournalists and filming documentaries about endangered animals

Past: Aaron Gekoski, 33, co-owned a London model agency and Gemma Catlin, 32, worked as a hospitality consultant in London; opening bars, hotels and restaurants across Europe

Mr Gekoski, 33, said: 'I met Gemma whilst I was living in Mozambique. She was setting up swish hotels in Europe but had recently retrained in photography, her passion, and decided to make the move to Africa'

They were charged at by wild elephants in northern Mozambique, lived with an Amazonian tribe, swam among killer whales and bull sharks and were chased through Namibia's Skeleton Coast by seal clubbers.

Their new roles have taken them to Africa, reporting on a controversial lion breeding initiative; they shot a shark finning documentary in Mozambique; went on an undercover mission filming Namibia's annual seal cull; chased the 'tortoise mafia' through Madagascar's sacred forests and trained as anti-poaching rangers in Zimbabwe.



The duo launched Ecomentaries in 2012, a production company who work with socially-aware corporations and individual sponsors to make critical environmental films.



Training: Aaron doing ambush training at International Anti Poaching Foundation, Zimbabwe

Union: The pair met in Mozambique after Mr Gekoski, left London' in 2009 and have since had several wild adventures

Documentary: Fisherman pleased at day's catch, shark finning camp, Mozambique

Recently, they shot the documentary 'Grey Matters' in Zimbabwe which documents the plight of up to 50,000 elephants who battle starvation and dehydration each year in Hwange National Park.



Fundraising efforts are underway to finance several projects including stories on India's tiger conflicts, Indonesia's trade in manta ray gills and Madagascar's lemur poaching crisis.



Describing their previous lives, Mr Gekoski said: 'I was 27 years-old, I had a mortgage and a business, which was very stressful and I felt like I was just existing.



'It didn't matter when a model had made it big, whether it was us sending her or another agency, it was very inconsequential.



New life: Miss Catlin with a cheetah in Erindi National Park, Namibia

Venture: The duo launched Ecomentaries in 2012, a production company who work with socially-aware corporations and individual sponsors to make critical environmental films

Natural: An endangered radiated tortoise looks out over cliffs in Lavanono, Madagascar

Day job: Mr Gekoski with a lion in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

'I met Gemma whilst I was living in Mozambique. She was setting up swish hotels in Europe but had recently retrained in photography, her passion, and decided to make the move to Africa.



Reminiscing about their colourful exploits, Mr Gekoskisaid: 'We were filming with the shark fin fisherman and had dived down 20 metres, when the fisherman started hauling their nets up around us. Everything, all our equipment got caught in the net.



'It was pretty terrifying; I had to pull out a knife and cut us free. We were very close to being in serious danger.



'In Mozambique, we saw some commotion in the water and decided to jump in and take photos of what was going on. Ten to twelve killer whales were circling around us but it was the bull sharks that were rushing at us from the deep.



'I was fending off bull sharks with my camera and was too busy shoving my camera into a bull shark to get any photos, it was quite insane.



Harrowing: Miss Catlin's photo of a dead elephant being transported on tractor in Zimbabwe

Caught: The former model with a shark caught on a line in Mozambique

Dawn rise: Four lions at dawn, in Antelope Park, Zimbabwe

'One time, when Gem was filming elephants, she had to seek refuge under our vehicle because there were hundreds of very desperate elephants. She had to roll under the car to get away from them.



Miss Catlin added: 'I guess you could call mine and Aaron's meeting serendipitous. Our strengths and weaknesses compliment one another enormously. All the work and constant moving we do is pretty draining - both emotionally and physically - and having my best friend and partner there with me somehow makes it all feel possible. I guess you kind of have to become each other's home.



'Ecomentaries is our little way of reminding people there are still ways we can make a difference and that we shouldn't wait until it's too late to turn things around.



'It's about understanding the way the world works, how our shifting economy and desires are changing it and if there's anything we can do to help.



'Wildlife is often the focus of our stories, but we mustn't forget it's usually man that has created the crisis. Ultimately, our planet wasn't built to cope with so many people, and the rate in which things are changing is staggering - the land is suffering, the wildlife is suffering and the people are suffering.

