Hadfield photographer up for award

A Hadfield photographer has been shortlisted for the Pet category of the 2020 British Photography Awards.

Jessie Lee specialises in dog and equine photography, so it’s no surprise that the star of her shortlisted shot is 10-month-old Chocolate Labrador, Nellie (pictured). Holding her is Jessie’s partner, James, in Bankswood Park.

She said: “On the day of the photo, we were just taking Nellie on a walk. It was golden hour so I decided to take out my camera. The sun was so gorgeous that the photo is completely unedited.

“The shot is special because it sums up how James and Nellie feel about each other and because they’re in silhouette, other people have told me they can relate and imagine their own partners and pets.”

The nomination came as a complete surprise to Jessie, who was scrolling on Instagram before she stumbled across her own photo in the shortlist.

Her love for photography began at 14, after her mother bought a camera to take photos of Jessie and the horses she kept.

Her mum's efforts were so blurry that Jessie decided to take up the camera herself, going on to study photography at college.

Jessie stated: “I prefer animal photography, if it’s not the happy faces of the people, then I love the bond between animals and owners. I get children that just love their dogs and love telling me how much they care about their pets.”

Her plans for the future are to do more silhouette shots, including a family scene, and a photograph of horses galloping along the beach.

Votes for the Pet category can be cast here, with all entry donations going toward a charity of choice: https://www.britishphotographyawards.org/competition/categories/pet

You can find more of Jessie's work on her website at https://jessieleephotography.co.uk/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jessieleephotographyuk/