Hi All, My name is Clare Louise Paxford, I am 22 years old and an aspiring photographer. I have always taken a keen interest in photography, I always take my digital camera with me everywhere but it was not until christmas 2007 when I got my first digital SLR that I decided I wanted to take my photography to the next level. Throughout 2008 I went out taking as many photos as possible, trying out the different settings on my camera to achieve different effects in my photography. I also purchased Photoshop Elements version 5 to improve my techniques in the digital darkroom.  

 In October 2008 I began a ten week online course in Digital Photography which gave me the opportunity to build my skills up and also share my thoughts, feelings and ideas on photography with other aspiring photographers. Also with this course I received a copy of Photoshop Elements version 6 to be able to achieve more and better effects in the digital dark room. In March 2009 I received the news that I had passed my Open University course, getting 'well achieved' in both my Visual Awareness and Technical Quality, and achieving an overall course result of 78 out of 100 percent. So where next ? Well as of April 2009 I am looking into having more photography training and still continue to take my camera out for a walk as and when I can. Have also began submitting my photos to local newspapers in my area and have so far had a few photos printed, some of which are located in the gallery. I still continue to submit photos to the local papers and am also now a regular contributer to a local parish magazine (Badsey Parish Magazine). I still continue to look for other ways in which I can gain recognition for my photography.