A flying visitor to the house of a photography student at Amersham & Wycombe College has proved the inspiration for a nomination in a prestigious national photography competition.

Tim Knight,aged 35 from Aylesbury, is a second year student on the Foundation Degree in Photography & Digital Imaging. Tim’s portrait of a starling preening its wing has been shortlisted in the Lifestyle and Portrait (Single) category of the 2009 Association of Photographers (AOP) Student Awards. Tim hopes the recognition of his work in this competition will help him achieve his ambition to become a professional photographer.

Tim says: “The courtyard where I live is visited by a huge variety of wildlife. As always, great patience was required, but the result was well worth the wait. Knowing that industry professionals have assessed your work, and rated it so highly against the many other entries, is very pleasing.” Tim is not the only mature student on the course and feels that the mixture of ages and backgrounds of the various students is helpful for them all. “You can relate to others who are also seeking new careers and the exposure to a variety of views and perspectives is inspirational,” he comments.

The AOP Student Awards are regarded as one of the premier photographic competitions for students around the UK, attracting over 2,000 entries every year. All finalists have their winning images exhibited in a 2-week exhibition at the AOP Gallery in London, from 27 May – 5 June, as well as being the main feature in the Student Awards Book.

• For more details of the AOP Awards, see www.the-awards.com/SA_About_the_Awards

• For more examples of Tim’s work, see his website at www.archwaysphotography.com

• For examples of other Amersham & Wycombe College students’ work, see www.amersham.ac.uk