Ashley Franklin Wins Gold Award!

Last year local photographer Ashley Franklin came second in Landscape Photographer of the Year, at the Society of Professional Imagemakers Awards.

This year Ashley has won his first Gold award in the Society’s monthly competition, where photographers enter a single image against those of other members.  The award winning photo is featured above.

This award, for September, means that he may well be shortlisted for Landscape Photographer of the Year, which he won in 2011.

Ashley has a focus on mists, and runs an annual workshop, with Burton photographer Wayne Brittle, in the D’Orcia Valley in Tuscany which is renowned for dawn mists in the latter half of May.

Mists also feature in his Belper Calendar. The mist which he has chosen for the February image is the first black and white photograph to be included in the Belper Calendar in 11 years.  Ashley told us, “I am also fond of the June image which shows a rare evening mist on The Chevin. I really feel I have produced my best ever Belper Calendar, especially as it reflects the life of Belper and surrounding area, as well as the landscape.”

The calendar includes montages of the Food Festival, Belper Goes Green, the Central Methodist Church’s Christmas Tree Festival and, for the month of August,  Belper in Bloom winners.  November features the unveiling of Andy Mayers’ Sacrifice sculpture.   Ashley said, “We also have Belper in the snow, The Chevin in the Spring and Autumn, a carpet of dandelions at Heage Windmill, and a glorious sunset at the Horseshoe Weir.”

The calendar is £9.95 and available from Today’s Express, Hallmark, Hall of Frames, News Corner, Fresh Basil, Central Methodist Church, Milford Social Club and the King William and Holly Bush Inn in Milford & Makeney.  They will also be available at Transition Belper’s “Green Exchange” this Saturday.