Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Stunning images
Ben enters photos in prestigious competition
WHAT started as a hobby while travelling overseas has now turned into a passion for a Broughty Ferry man.
Photographer Ben Hirst has captured some stunning i mages of Tayside which he has entered in a prestigious competition — just eight years after he first picked up a camera.
Ben, 34, has prepared a collection of shots for the Take a View UK Landscape Photographer of the Year competition, which has a prize fund of £20,000.
It is the first year that Ben has entered the competition i n which some of the world’s finest photographers submit snaps taken in the UK.
The 34-year-old has managed to build up an army of followers online with his page Tayside in Pictures amassing almost 15,000 likes.
His work i ncludes shots of Monifieth beach, Broughty Castle and the V&A.
He is now keeping his fingers crossed that judges like his work.
Ben said: “I have lots of friends in the photographic community around the UK who have won categories and knowing their work it will be a mean feat to get into the book.
“I can only keep my fingers crossed that the judges like some of my work.
“Photography is extremely subjective and one photo I might like, someone else might not.”
After splitting up with his girlfriend at the time while in New Zealand travelling, Ben started making his way around the country with a camera.
He added: “I started heading out every night with my camera and taking any photo I could.
“I read the manual, watched some online videos and just fell in love with it — what better place than New Zealand to start.”
Originally from Surrey, Ben moved to Dundee after his parents split up.
He met and married his wife, and the couple found a home in Broughty Ferry.
Ben’s entries for the competition include some of all his all-time favourites, with Broughty Ferry featuring prominently.
He said the Ferry is one of his favourite places to take pictures in Tayside.
“There are some amazing shots to be taken in Broughty Ferry,” he said.
“The whole of Tayside and the east coast of Scotland has an abundance of amazing landscapes and seascapes so photographers here are spoiled for choice.”
The dad-of-two added: “I prefer the photos you have to work for.
“A lot of it is being at the right place at the right time and there is a certain amount of luck involved when getting a photograph.
“I remember being at the Ferry and running along in the rain to get my camera when I saw clouds were form-