Claire Thomas is an award-winning Welsh photojournalist and fine art photographer now based between the UK and Egypt. A graduate in Politics from the University of the West of England, her photojournalism work first focused on issues surrounding political and military conflicts, human rights, and humanitarian and environmental crises. From within the camps that emerged from the refugee crisis in Europe to the frontlines in the battle against ISIS in Iraq, Claire has covered a range of stories in various countries, contributing images and photo essays to leading newspapers, magazines and news agencies worldwide such as The New York Times, The Sunday Times, Geographical Magazine, The Guardian, National Geographic Magazine, Greenpeace Magazine, Al Jazeera and Newlines Magazine, among others.

Since she left Iraq in 2019, her word focuses on visual storytelling that explores social justice, cultural heritage, and the ways people live in connection with their environments and animals. In that way, she reconciles her passion for wildlife in general, and horses in particular.


From Wales to Wyoming to the war — whether she’s embedded in Iraq or riding in the West, for photojournalist Claire Thomas, it’s always been about horses. [Ellise PIERCE, 2022]

Years later, that same instinct for capturing life in close relationship with the natural world took her to western Mongolia, where she first travelled in October 2019 to document the lives of Kazakh eagle hunters in the Altai Mountains. This journey marked the beginning of an ongoing body of work exploring nomadic culture and the unique interdependence between people and animals in extreme landscapes. This work is now becoming a book.
A keen horse rider, motorcyclist, adventurer and nature enthusiast, Claire uses her lens to stir curiosity, evoke empathy, and spark compassion. From fine art to editorial, Claire’s approach to photography is rooted in her passion for storytelling, seeking to reflect the realities of life in a compelling, engaging and artistic way. In pursuit of powerful and honest imagery, her work seeks to convey a concept or emotion that goes beyond the image itself, providing a deeper insight into the stories and a connection with the subjects. It invites viewers into unfamiliar worlds with care and respect, opening space for deeper understanding of the people, places, and relationships that shape our shared human story.

From women learning to be midwives in Afghanistan to eagle hunters in Mongolia, from the Rockies of Wyoming to refugee camps in Calais; Claire Thomas has photographed the world. […] In the Altai mountains of Mongolia, she has marched with tribes people and learned about Kazakh eagle hunters. Her photography has helped put on record such ancient traditions threatened by urban growth and climate change—all a long way from her home village of Idole, a few miles outside Carmarthen. But she said: "I think we always hope that our work makes a difference. And I think collectively it does. If there were no photographers, if there were no storytellers, the stories wouldn't be heard." [BBC]

Photo credit: Ryan Whalen©