My Story

Welcome to my website, which is dedicated to all those who battle with mental illness. It has grown from a small seed sown in the depths of depression and I have grown with it. I strongly believe in the concept of ‘action before motivation’ when your mind is troubled, and I know that utilising the gift of creativity can help you through the darkness. I hope that my photography and other artwork will serve as an example of what can be achieved.

My passion for photography began when, as a child, I would spend many hours in a makeshift darkroom waiting for my images to magically appear on the paper. I have always loved to capture the beauty in our world, and my cameras are faithful friends that help me to see. My first single lens reflex camera was a Zenith B, which is a bulky Russian camera with no light meter. This meant that I had to gauge the light myself, and in doing so I grew to understand my camera and the fundamentals of photography.

Adobe Photoshop is my darkroom now; you will no longer find prints swimming in my bath or inhale the smell of acetic acid as it fills the air. I miss those smells as much as I miss watching images slowly appear in the developer, but I could never go back to that long drawn out, hit and miss approach! My digital playground allows me to develop new techniques, and I love to paint with light using the screen as my canvas. The possibilities are limitless.

I love combining different mediums (both traditional and digital) to create original artwork. These include the use of coloured pencils and inks, as well as my Apple pencil and a graphics pen and tablet to produce drawings and paintings on my iPad and on the computer.

Please click here to read my personal chapter in Coping with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder by Professor Kevin Gournay, Rachel Piper & Professor Paul Rogers.

AWARDS and ACHIEVEMENTS

Associateship of the Royal Photographic Society

Bird Photographer of the Year (International)

2025: finalist (7 images shortlisted)

2022: finalist (9 images shortlisted)

2021: finalist (11 images shortlisted)

2020: highly commended and commended (4 shortlisted)

2019: 3 images commended (5 shortlisted)

2016: runner up (creative imagery)

British Photography Awards

2025: shortlisted

2023: finalist

British Wildlife Photography Awards

2026: finalist (4 images shortlisted)

2025: highly commended (13 images shortlisted)

2024: finalist (5 images shortlisted)

2019: highly commended (3 images shortlisted)

2017: finalist (5 images shortlisted)

2016: finalist (5 images shortlisted)

2015: finalist (4 images shortlisted)

2014: finalist

2013: finalist (4 images shortlisted)

2012: highly commended (7 images shortlisted)

2011: finalist (3 images shortlisted)

European Wildlife Photographer of the Year

2026: finalist (2 images shortlisted)

2022: highly commended

2017: finalist (3 images shortlisted)

2016: finalist (2 images shortlisted)

International Garden Photographer of the Year

Year 16: commended

Year 15: highly commended

Year 13: highly commended

Year 12: commended

Year 11: finalist

Year 8: finalist

Year 7: finalist

Year 6: highly commended

Year 4: highly commended

Year 3: finalist

Nature Photographer of the Year (International)

2026: finalist (awaiting results)

2019: finalist

2018 finalist (3 images shortlisted)

Scientific American Photography Awards

2021: finalist/ selected for 2022 calendar

WildArt Photographer of the Year (International)

2021: gold award (abstracts)

2021: highly commended (monochrome)

Wildlife Photographer of the Year (International)

2024: finalist (3 images shortlisted)

2022: finalist

2018: finalist (2 images shortlisted)

2016: finalist (2 images shortlisted)

2015: finalist (2 images shortlisted

2009: finalist (5 images shortlisted)

2008: finalist

PUBLICATIONS

Bird Photographer of the Year Collection 5

Bird Photographer of the Year Collection 4

Bird Photographer of the Year Collection 1

British Wildlife Photography Awards Collection 13

British Wildlife Photography Awards Collection 12

British Wildlife Photography Awards Collection 10

British Wildlife Photography Awards Collection 4

British Wildlife Photography Awards Collection 3

European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2022

International Garden Photographer of the Year 13

International Garden Photographer of the Year 6

International Garden Photographer of the Year 4

International Garden Photographer of the Year 3

WildArt Photographer of the Year 2021

Coping with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Gournay, Piper and Rogers

Hertfordshire Life October 2016 (artist’s profile)