OUR photographer profile gives the chance to meet members of our popular Worcester News Camera Club.

This week it's the turn of Richard Purvis, who started taking pictures as a hobby but within a few short years has ended up making waves with the The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and rubbing shoulders with celebrities like Leo Sayer and Bob Geldof.

FOR anyone who enjoys taking pictures as a hobby, Richard Purvis is an inspiration.

An electrician by trade, his passion for photography was ignited by a chance opportunity to capture a picture of birds nesting in an unusual place.

He said: "It was three or nearly four years ago.

"A friend of mine from a Worcester roofing company came out to look at a job for me and we saw these birds nesting in an ornamental cannon and he said, 'that would make a great picture.'

Mr Purvis took the picture of one of the birds flying out of the cannon and was so pleased with the result that he decided to invest in a good quality camera.

He said: "I liked taking pictures but I was spurred on to get a decent camera. A friend suggested I joined a camera club so I joined Digibox thinking I would learn something from a club that's been running for 50 years and I went from there really."

His wildlife pictures were soon picked up by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and featured on BBC Springwatch.

He said: "I love taking the nature shots.

"I've got a real passion for pictures of birds in flight, capturing that moment of movement. That spurs me on."

In another chance coincidence, Mr Purvis was invited by friends involved with the organisation of the Sunshine and Mello festivals in Upton-upon-Severn, to take his camera along to the events.

He's now the official photographer for Sunshine Festival, Mello Festival and the Concert of Legends festival, held in Worcester last year, on behalf of SC Entertainments.

He said: "I was invited to try and take pictures and it's a bit similar to the idea of the birds and movement, trying to capture an artist on stage with flashing lights and smoke machines. It's a tricky thing to get it right."

His presence at the festivals opened up new channels for him as he rubbed shoulders with stars such as Bob Geldof, Martin Meredith of UB40 and struck up a particular friendship with 1970s singer Leo Sayer.

He has since been asked to take pictures at the singer's recent concert and was given an all-area access pass to mingle back stage.

Recently, he has branched out again into autosport events and became the official photographer for Terry Grant Stunts at Autosport International.

There he was able to capture a picture of former Formula 1 World champion Nigel Mansell meeting double amputee racer Billy Monger.

Mr Purvis, who runs his own business General Electrical Maintenance Services, now has more than 11,500 followers on his page @rjpphotographyuk on Facebook and Instagram.

He hopes one day to be able to turn his hobby into a profitable venture but his love for nature pictures, the spark that started his photography journey, is still burning strong.

He was recently rewarded again when the RSPB Love Nature page revealed one of his pictures was in its nine most popular images on Instagram last year.

He said: "It's gone a big full circle that I've met all these famous people and now some follow me on my personal page and comment on my wildlife photographs. It's quite surreal.

"The only training I've had is what I've learnt from Digibox. It's all come from joining a camera club and talking to people."