LOCAL photographer Emma Stokes has been given a nationwide showcase to display her talent as she starts up her own company.
Emma scooped The Daily Telegraph’s Big Picture competition for travel photography last month, and at the end of last month, and won a £400 Nikon D3400 camera.
“The standard is very high so I felt very chuffed if a little surprised,” said Emma. “The photo was taken on a the beautiful black sand beach in Jokulsarlon, Iceland also known as ‘Diamond Beach’ because of the large boulders of ice which travel there from the glacial lagoon where waves leave them stranded on the black sand.
“It is truly remarkable. On this particular day the waves were big, and setting up a tripod for a shot was like Russian roulette.
“This one ice boulder caught my eye because of the stunning surface pattern, and with the low winter sun it provided a wonderful opportunity.
“Filters were used to slow the shutter speed in order to capture the wave movement and also to reduce over-exposing from the low sun.”
Emma lives in Tonbridge with her husband Chris and two children, Annabel,
11 and William, nine. She worked in London for 20 years as a data manager in the oil and gas sector before being made redundant last year, So she decided to start her own business last year selling framed prints
and cards featuring landscapes. She said: “My love of photography has been with me all my life but since I was redundant I have really found it a life-changing experience.
“Following some positive feedback from friends and family of landscape photos I took last year, I took the leap and started my business selling at local Christmas markets, which was received well. This year I will continue that, and I will be at Tonbridge Farmers Market on March 11.”
To view her work, visit www.facebook.com/emmastokesphotography/
