Member Article

Yorkshire photographer in the frame again

A talented Yorkshire photographer, who won the prestigious Guild of Photographers Documentary Wedding Image of the Year 2014 award, beating thousands of other entrants across the country, has been short-listed for this year’s award.

Suzy Mitchell, whose studio is at the foot of Ilkley Moor, said: “I was elated to have my image chosen as the Documentary Wedding Image of the Year last year and to put Yorkshire on the map in a fiercely-contested competition. I am now equally thrilled to have reached the final of the same competition this year.

“I am lucky because Yorkshire offers the most stunning landscapes, providing amazing opportunities for outdoor photography, including Bolton Abbey Priory where the winning image was taken last year.”

“This year’s image was also taken outside Bolton Abbey immediately after local couple Lauren and Ryan had been married. Ryan spontaneously produced his mobile phone to take a selfie and I was delighted to capture the moment,” explained Suzy.

The Guild is a highly-respected UK-based association for photographers which has members from overseas as well. Each year it runs an on-line monthly photographic competition with awards being given each month to the very best of the entries.

During the course of 2015, the competition attracted nearly 10,000 entries in four categories, and this week the Guild’s Judges have selected just 10 images in the various genres from the very best of the monthly entries, to go forward to the annual Final. Suzy’s image is one of those.

Guild Director Lesley Thirsk explained: “One of the Guild’s aims is to drive standards and creativity amongst photographers. Our monthly competition certainly does that, for the standard of the entries we see each month is quite staggering. To have an image recognised by the Guild in the monthly competition is difficult enough, so to have an image selected as being one of the best 10 in a category for the end of year Final is a quite remarkable achievement, and shows just how talented a photographer Suzy is.”

Suzy said: “I love photography and put a lot of effort into developing my skills. One way I do that is to enter the Guild’s competition. It helps me push myself. The images I see getting awards each month are inspirational, so knowing just how high those standards are, to have one of my images selected as one of only 10 to go through to the Final from the whole year’s entries is really, really exciting. I was delighted when I found out.”

The overall winner will be announced at a lavish Awards night in a magnificent Jacobean mansion in Cheshire on 6th February.

Suzy was born in Sheffield and practised as a solicitor, before studying photography at college in Leeds and setting up Suzy Mitchell Photography 11 years ago.

Looking back, Suzy said: “Changing paths completely from the legal world to becoming an entrepreneur with a creative business was an exciting, if somewhat daunting, step but one which I’ve never regretted. I’m very much a people person and love the relationships I’m able to build with my clients.”

Suzi has now created a hugely successful portrait business in and around Yorkshire, specialising in weddings and fine art children’s portraiture, shot almost entirely on location.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Beaumont .