Hi, my name is Carol Watson and I am a keen amateur photographer living on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire. I owned my first SLR camera back in the days of film over 30 years ago. At that time I did a photography night class and developed my interest in photography. Sadly over the years work got in the way and I got a little lazy, when I moved across to digital I got a compact camera and generally just used it set on “auto”. My post processing skills were non-existent and all I did in Photoshop was crop images.
When I finished work in the spring of 2015 I decided to take my photography more seriously again. I did a couple of courses at Preston College and joined the Lytham St. Annes Photographic Society. I carried out the role of External Competitions secretary for 6 years and am now the President of the Club. Joining the Club sparked my interest in competition photography, and I believe that entering competitions and salons is a way to help improve our photography. Having had success in Club competitions I started to enter British Photographic Exhibitions and in just over 4 years achieved 5 Crowns (300 acceptances). It took 2 more years to attain my Associateship, a further 100 acceptances and 20 awards.
I gained a Credit with the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (CPAGB) in November 2018 and a Distinction (DPAGB) just one year later. I started to enter international exhibitions in September 2021 and have achieved a Proficiency distinction with the Photographic Society of America (PPSA) and Artiste distinction with the Federation Internationale de l’Art Photographique (AFIAP).
For the last few years, I have been acting as an online advisor for the PAGB Awards for Photographic Merit and in the spring of 2023 I became a judge for the Lancashire and Cheshire Photographic Union (L&CPU). I have also taken on a role as an online instructor for the Photographic Society of America’s Image Evaluation Course.
I currently use an Olympus OM1 and try to get out and and about as often as I can with my husband to take photographs. I love taking landscapes and photographs of flowers but I also try my hand at other things, such as portraits and nature.
I hope that you enjoy looking at the images on my website.