Lorraine Finney qualifies with The Society of International Nature and Wildlife Photographers

Lorraine submitted her panel and was recently awarded a Fellowship qualification by our fantastic team of qualified judges at our London Photo Convention IFSINWP

Statement of Intent

I came to photography later in life, after my children had left home, which gave me the time and space to study the craft. I enrolled in an online course with the Photography Institute and attended numerous workshops with photographers who inspired me. Many of them noticed I had a natural eye for composition, shape, and form—an ability I believe was nurtured over the years through browsing magazines, books, and watching television.

I’ve always been drawn to patterns—whether in Artex ceilings, curtains, or clouds. Everywhere I go, I seem to find faces or animal shapes in everyday textures. I later discovered this phenomenon is known as pareidolia. You’ll see examples of this in my work: Image 11 resembles an embryo, Image 20 reminds me of a school art class where we blew ink across paper using straws, and Image 4 brings to mind a bull chasing flamingos.

My passion for land and seascape photography evolved as I began to focus more on the intimate details within these genres. Recently, I had the chance to try aerial photography from a small helicopter—with the doors off! I participated in both morning and afternoon shoots, observing how the light shifted throughout the day. It was a dream come true. While I’ve seen many drone-captured aerial landscapes, I was eager to feel the wind in my hair and the thrill of the moment—an experience reminiscent of Jess from Camera Shy by Julia Boggio, though perhaps not quite as dramatic.

Up in the air, I was overwhelmed by the shapes and patterns that seemed to leap out at me. My imagination was in overdrive. The flight path took us over the southeastern region of France, in the Camargue—an area known for its salt flats and nature reserves, where flamingos are abundant, as you’ll see in some of my images.

From the sky, the salt basins form a mosaic of colours that reflect the various life cycles of phytoplankton. These hues added depth and vibrancy to my compositions, enhancing the abstract nature of my images. The vehicle tracks seen in the water are left by salt collectors driving along the man-made roads.

With this panel, I aimed to present a cohesive body of work that offers a unique perspective of the natural world—one that many people may never get the chance to witness in person. It reflects my passion for intimate landscapes and abstract photography. I’m incredibly proud of this collection and would love to see it displayed as wall art or in a gallery setting.

Thank you for viewing my panel. I’m excited to continue exploring new corners of the natural world—and to share what I discover next.

Learn about our photography qualifications.