I'm always working to enhance my skills and one way of doing this is to submit images for competitions to be marked by a panel of industry professionals in the Guild of Photographers. I entered in June and was pleased to hear yesterday that I achieved my first Silver Bar!

The Silver Bar image 'Blues Singer' was from a shoot covering a gig with the Blues Collective. I'm delighted to be awarded a Silver Bar for this one because it's a personal favourite as to me it sums up the passion the guys in the band put into their music. I love dancing to the Blues Collective  - great blues band with a mix of music - worth going to hear (or you might catch them at St George's Sunday market in Belfast).

I also got another two Bronze Bars this month. The two Bronze Bar images were from a shoot a few months ago with Karma Hair Design in Ballyclare. A fun afternoon with a creative team of stylists - Dee Taylor, Erin Eakin and Nicole Dempster and MUA Megan Taylor. Model Alice Christie