Advice for 1st year me.

I’ve had a love-hate relationship with being a Marine and Natural History Photography (MNHP) student. But honestly, it’s all been about finding myself as an artist and figuring out where I fit in. When I applied for the course, I knew deep down it was what I wanted to do. It was the only one I applied for, and I could envision myself on it. Creativity has always been my thing, and I've had a deep love for nature, animals, and the environment. Conservation has been the heart of my art projects, but strangely, it never translated into my photography. I struggled to find inspiration to explore the themes and topics I loved with a lens. Instead, I found myself comparing to others, wondering why my work didn't resemble theirs, and questioning if this was the right path for me. I felt like I didn’t belong on the course, but I’m so glad that I stuck it out and saw the course through!

Something I’ve learned is that while some may see MNHP as restrictive, it can be whatever you make it. Everything ultimately ties back to the natural world. Take my current 3rd-year project, "Picture Perfect" for example. It may seem far from traditional MNHP, with it having a more illustrative style, but it's my way of exploring a well-photographed subject in my own unique way.

If I could give advice to my past self at the beginning of the course, it would be this:

 -  Talk to the lecturers, they have so much support and advice to give and will happily bounce ideas with you to help make your ideas into successful projects.

 -   People are full of amazing stories and ideas, talk to people, collaborate, and learn from each other.

 -   Go book out kit from the stores! It’s not actually scary and the staff are always happy to help.

 -   Experiment and make use of the facilities. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone.

 -   Great projects don’t always require far travels. There's plenty of biodiversity and interesting stories right in your doorstep, you just have to look at it in a different way.

 -   Pick a topic you are passionate about and explore it in as many ways as you can think of, don’t be afraid to dig deeper and re explore old projects/themes.

 -   Remember, almost anything can relate back to MNHP; you just have to get creative with your interpretations and don't be afraid to think outside the box.