OUR PHOTOGRAPHER PROFILE GIVES THE CHANCE TO MEET MEMBERS OF OUR POPULAR WORCESTER NEWS CAMERA CLUB. THIS WEEK IT’S THE TURN OF LIZ COWLEY, WHO HAS RECENTLY HAD HER 200TH PICTURE PUBLISHED IN THE WORCESTER NEWS

LIZ Cowley first took up photography as a way to focus on the positive side of life.

The hobby quickly turned into a passion that has seen her pictures featured in the pages of this newspaper as well as through other media outlets.

She recently celebrated having her 200th picture published in the Worcester News - a keyhole view from the Cathedral, pictured on page 17.

Her new target is to have 500 pictures published before 2020.

She said: “I started when I was 21 and I was going through anxiety. I was encouraged by a friend of mine who said, ‘let’s see if you can find a hobby to help you.’

“My Mum and Dad bought my first camera for my birthday, before then I’d only ever used a disposable camera.

“I wanted to try a hobby that could help me focus on the good things in life not the bad things.”

Liz said members of the church she attended first challenged her to use her photography as a way to get to know more people.

She said: “My starting point was people so I could get more confident with talking to people.”

Now, she is a regular member at Worcester Baptist Church, in Sansome Walk, and she says people there have also been a great support.

She said: “They’ve encouraged me to keep going.

“When I moved to the church I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with my life.

“By giving me words of encouragement they helped me to keep going with my photography. I’ve got two pictures displayed there.

“The minister has been fantastic watching me grow and inspiring some of my work.”

Two of the pictures on this page feature the Worcester Baptist Church - chosen by Liz to show the special relevance the church has played in her success.

Liz who suffers from dyspraxia, a co-ordination disorder, says her photography reflects the way she sees things in a different or quirky way.

She particularly loves to take pictures of nature and Worcester.

She said: “I love watching animals and wildlife because they do silly things and make me laugh.

“I love walking around Worcester and taking pictures.

“I have dyspraxia so I see it in a different way so I’m a bit quirky.”

Liz, now 33, says it’s in the last three years that she’s really seen her photography flourish.

She said: “I’ve had pictures on BBC Midlands Today, I’ve had a calendar published and entered competitions.

“It’s been part of my journey, to have the confidence to do it.”

She started by setting herself a target of having 20 pictures published in this paper and then built up to 50 and so on.

Recently, she’s joined the Worcester News Camera Club on Facebook.

She said: “I love seeing what people put on the group and I love the interaction with people and seeing what people see of Worcester. It fascinates me.

“I really love being part of the group. It gives me such a confidence boost. People encouraging and supporting each other.”

She wants to take her photography forward again over the next few years - with a plan for another calendar in 2019.

There’s no doubt, though, that readers will see a lot more of Liz’s pictures published in the Worcester News in the future.