I thought I would end 2017 by moving my website to Zenfolio (very impressed so far), which would also give me the opportunity to create my first blog post. So what better way to start then with a round-up of my photographic achievements throughout the year. At the start of 2017 one of my resolutions was to enter more photographic competitions. Ultimately I didn't enter as many as I had hoped for but I did enjoy entering the weekly #WexMondays competition, held by Wex Photographic, where I ended up joint 56th in the UK with 4 photographs shortlisted in the weekly top ten. A bit of fun that also forced me to be creative throughout the year.

So my three main achievements for 2017 are:-

Shortlisted for the International Garden Photographer of the Year.

My photograph titled "rooms with a view" has been shortlisted for the International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY) competition in the category "Greening the city", the category in which I was previously highly commended back in 2013. I'm currently waiting to hear if my image has been commended, highly commended or category winner.

Rooms with a viewA high-rise apartment block in Portsmouth overlooks a tall tree located in the park below, a complimentary mixture of man-made and nature.

Highly Commended in the IET International Engineering Photography Competition.

My photograph titled "Gateway to another dimension" was Highly Commended in the IET International Engineering Photography Competition, in the 'Design and Production category. The photo is currently on display in the Mountbatten Room at the IET London venue in Savoy Place for a year, alongside the competition winners and other highly commended photographs.

Gateway to another dimensionThe passenger tunnel at Kings Cross Station, London, which lights up and 'follows' people as they walk through it. Normally it's a mixture of colours, but on the day I was there it looked impressive in monochrome.

Amateur Photographer Online photo of the week

My photograph titled "abstract simplicity" was selected as Amateur Photographer online photo of the week, from all photos submitted via their social media channels. The photo was printed in the 26th August 2017 edition of the magazine. I received a large, impressive permajet print of the image as my prize.

Abstract SimplicityA touch of colourful abstract simplicity from Bilbao - this is actually a shot of the Guggenheim museum but not often photographed.

I hope to continue entering competitions throughout 2018, so it'll be interesting to see what that brings!