NixonScan

Airedale: Terrier and Terrain

This ten-minute film takes a dog-eye view of places in Yorkshire that form part of the history of the AiredaleContinue Reading

Latest Posts

by J. Ashley Nixon August 1, 2022 2

Yorkshire

Yorkshire Day 2022

Salts Mill and the Leeds & Liverpool canal at Saltaire, Yorkshire. © J. Ashley Nixon Happy Yorkshire Day to allContinue Reading

by J. Ashley Nixon July 31, 2022 2

Cultural heritage

Peru in the Parade 2022

A dancer from Raíces del Peru performs the Diablada Puño in the Calgary Stampede Parade on July 8, 2022. ©Continue Reading

by J. Ashley Nixon March 8, 2022 0

Equality

International Women’s Day 2022

Women of energy. © J. Ashley Nixon Today, 8 March is International Women’s Day (IWD 2022) and the theme isContinue Reading

by J. Ashley Nixon February 2, 2022 8

Poetry Yorkshire

Poem for a Haworth Lass

One year after the publication of Cobbled Together, I was working on one of my poems inspired by my MumContinue Reading

by J. Ashley Nixon January 15, 2022 1

Natural heritage

World Heritage, Environmental Change: Book launch and exhibitions

Photographs from World Heritage sites in Alberta, Canada, are featured in a new book by J. Ashley Nixon, published toContinue Reading

by J. Ashley Nixon December 30, 2021 0

Collections

21 pics from ’21

Walking into a new year. Take care as signs may wobble. © J. Ashley Nixon Since 2010, I have assembledContinue Reading

by J. Ashley Nixon November 8, 2021 1

Climate Action Peru

Deforestation, gold, and climate change

Gold mining in the Amazon Basin near Huepetuhe, Madre de Dios, Peru (1998). © J. Ashley Nixon One of theContinue Reading

by J. Ashley Nixon November 1, 2021 0

Climate Action

COP26: Enough of treating nature like a toilet

UN Secretary-General António Guterres didn’t mess around with his opening remarks to world leaders on Day 2 of COP26 in Glasgow.Continue Reading

by J. Ashley Nixon October 31, 2021 1

Climate Action Natural heritage

Waterton National Park forests are net carbon emitters

A fire damaged tree in forest along the Red Rock Parkway, Waterton National Park, Alberta, Canada. October 2021. © J.Continue Reading

by J. Ashley Nixon October 24, 2021 0

Films Yorkshire

Connecting Keighley and cinema

The Picture House, Keighley on the evening of the RATMA International Short Film Festival Awards, October 23, 2021. © SallyContinue Reading

About & Contact

J. Ashley Nixon in Waterton National Park, Canada. © Maria Carmen Nixon

I’m Ashley Nixon, a photographer, filmmaker, writer, and university teacher living in Calgary, Canada. I am a curious explorer and passionate communicator on sustainability, culture and natural heritage.

I grew up in the village of Haworth, in Yorkshire, England, well-known for its connections with the Brontë sisters, its splendid, rugged moorland and cobbled main street, as featured in my book Cobbled Together.

My international business career focused on environmental and social performance management and communications, and I teach writing about photography at Mount Royal University. I am a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society.

I earned my Ph.D. in ecology from Coventry University, studying environmental changes associated with woodland restoration on the beautiful island of Rum in the Scottish Hebrides. A camera and binoculars, notebooks, Lamy pens and field guides tucked into my Fjallraven jacket pockets became part of my regular appearance!

I established Betula Books in 2021 as an independent publisher of photography books exploring sustainability, culture and natural heritage.

Free download of PeruZine with Betula Books Bulletin

It would be great to connect with you via the Betula Books Bulletin for some of the behind the scenes about my work, news and special offers. By connecting, you can download a free pdf copy of the first edition of PeruZine, my series of books about people and places in Peru with a focus on sustainability and culture. You can, of course, unsubscribe at any time.

Please click on the button below to find out more.

Betula Books

Books

My first book Environmental Assessment in Practice (Routledge, 1999) was written while working around the world as an environmental consultant. Developing Communities in Peru (2018) emerged from working in mining and energy in Peru. I have published a history of the Calgary Canucks Rugby Club, photo books about female hockey, pop culture and cosplayers (All Dressed Up) and musical performance (Sledding).

Beyond the Mask is about the Huaconada, an ancient ritual dance in Mito, Peru, recognized by UNESCO for its intangible cultural heritage. Written in English and Spanish, it compliments my documentary film La Máscara y Más, which you can see on my Vimeo site. The full version was featured on Peruvian national television; the short version was a finalist in the RATMA International Film Festival in 2021.

World Heritage. Environmental Change (2022), examines climate change with images from World Heritage sites in Canada.

Photography and films

You can see galleries of my images in my photography portfolio. My documentary films are posted on my Vimeo film site. If you are looking for help or collaboration on photography, films or other sustainability projects, it would be great to hear from you via this contact form.