Farmer-turned-Photographer wins Fotospeed’s Photographer of the Year 2018

Amy Bateman has been announced Fotospeed’s Photographer of the Year at the Photography Show for her shot of wild ponies, winning over £2,000 of printing gear.

Fotospeed have announced their second Photographer of the Year at this year’s Photography Show.

Farmer-turned-Photographer Amy Bateman has been chosen by Fotospeed as their Photographer of the Year 2018. Her winning photo shows a silhouetted herd of Fell ponies on The Helm, near Kendal in Cumbria, lined up by the water’s edge.

Amy’s image, which was captured on the spur of the moment thanks to the fact that she always has her camera with her, has been on display on Fotospeed’s stand throughout The Photography Show alongside the other winning images from the last year of Fotospeed’s #fsprintmonday competition. As winner of the competition, Amy will be receiving:

• A Canon A2 printer
• £500 worth of high quality Fotospeed inkjet paper
• A day of one-to-one bespoke tutoring with award-winning photographer and photography journalist, Doug Chinnery, including breakfast, a dawn shoot, and a workshop on colour management, Lightroom, and printing.

Amy, who took the photo while walking her dog, moved to Kendal to live on her farm after leaving a career in Physiotherapy in London. The winning image, she said, was thanks to a split second decision to take out her camera – which she always carries with her – and snap the ponies in their formation. “I took up photography about 2 years ago for something to do after I gave up work to look after my children. I took a digital camera course at our local arts centre, and that’s how everything started. Now I take my camera with me everywhere. Physio, Farmer, Photographer – if it begins with an F sound, I can do it!”

“Most photographers are rubbish at discerning what’s a good photo, and so posting on social media is a great way to get feedback or reassurance that a certain technique works. Entering competitions like #fsprintmonday is an extension of that – there’s a lovely, super friendly community.”

Getting involved in photographer communities online has helped Amy gain some recognition for her work, and as a result she’s started up her own photography business and begun selling prints. “A lot of local people have started asking me to take photos and make prints for them, so I purchased my first printer at the show last year,” she said. ”I’m all set up and have been selling mostly black and white prints, but I want to start offering more, so the prize is really going to help with that. And to have a one-one-one workshop with Doug Chinnery is really amazing – he’s so well respected that he’s the kind of photographer you hold in awe.”

Toby Herlinger, Sales and Marketing Director at Fotospeed, said “This is our second year running the Fotospeed Photographer of the Year awards, and we’re so impressed with the entries we receive every week. Amy’s photo embodies exactly what the competition is about – ordinary photographers sharing a special moment with others, supporting each other, and discovering more about the world of photography and printing. We’re proud to give her this award and very pleased to be able to support her in her photographic journey.”