AUB Academy photographers to feature in Arts by the Sea exhibition

AUB Academy course: Digital Photography – Essential Techniques

Colin Grieve, 71, is an amateur photographer who enrolled at AUB to gain a deeper understanding of his camera's manual controls and settings.

Studying under tutor Kat Carlin, Colin discovered a world of new technical approaches, built lasting friendships with fellow creatives, and developed a keen appreciation for viewing and sharing creative work.

“Being part of the exhibition is a little daunting but at the same time exciting — the same feeling as at the start of the course! I’m particularly looking forward to seeing other people’s work.”

• Busy Street (Amsterdam): With many cycling subjects passing by Colin used the opportunity to experiment with panning photography. A shutter speed of 1/20s captured a cyclist travelling with intent, accentuated by a softly blurred background.
• Tranquil Lake (South Korea): A lucky shot taken in the early morning light. Drawn into the lake through a natural arch in the trees, the photograph captures a rich variety of scale, shape, and colour in the water’s reflections.
• Tranquil Sea (Branksome Beach): Taken during a local beach visit with his grandchildren, Colin used a tripod, a 10-stop ND filter, and a long shutter speed of 50s to transform the waves and shore break into a calm, smooth surface. (This image also served as the subject for a watercolour painting by Colin on another AUB course).
• Emerging (Aberystwyth): Capturing his wife emerging from the shore break, Colin’s shot focuses on the movement of white water swirling around her feet, anchored by the striking visual impact of a red umbrella against the coastal scene.

AUB Academy course: The Complete Photography Course (SEG Award – Level 2 Certificate)

Katie Hamer enrolled at AUB to build confidence in using a manual digital camera. Having previously studied film photography and darkroom processing, she wanted to move away from relying on her camera phone and find an in-person course.

Commuting from Winchester for Wednesday evening and weekend sessions, Katie studied under tutor Jason Bascombe, gaining experience in studio lighting, location shoots and post-production. Looking ahead, she hopes to develop her skills further through a specialist pet photography course.

“I’m very excited to be involved in the Arts by the Sea exhibition, to have the opportunity to showcase my photography as part of a vibrant creative community where we are all encouraged to think big and be the best we can be.”

• Sushi Nocturnal: Featuring Katie’s model, Sushi, as she develops her pet portraiture skills. Applying her studio lighting knowledge from AUB to build a home setup, Katie experimented with working against a dark background, yielding dramatic results and establishing a potential signature style.
• Sushi Black and White: Posed by Sushi, this portrait overcomes the challenge of capturing a pet’s direct gaze into the camera lens. Originally shot in colour and processed into black and white using Adobe Lightroom, the image highlights contrasting fur and prominent whiskers while softening the background.
• Origami cats with the Tea House, Compton Acres: For her final SEG unit, Katie researched creative ways to photograph paper origami artefacts within local Japanese gardens. To overcome scaling challenges, she combined location shoots with home studio captures – replicating the outdoor lighting conditions before layering them in Adobe Photoshop to produce a dream-like image.
• Origami cats on the Rhododendron Walk, Sir Harold Hillier Gardens (Reserve Feature): An extension of Katie's exploration of origami within English Japanese landscapes, taken during springtime along the Rhododendron Walk. The piece layers landscape photography with home studio captures, carefully replicating natural outdoor light to seamlessly blend the compositions.

AUB Academy courses: Digital Photography – Essential Techniques; Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop for Photographers; The Complete Photography Course (SEG Award – Level 2 Certificate); Simply Drawing!

Following a nearly 40-year career as a structural engineer, David Perkins enrolled in AUB’s evening and weekned courses to explore creative expression particularly through photography, ahead of his retirement.

Embracing rigorous research, technical workflows, and creative experimentation under the mentorship of both Kat Carlin and Jason Bascombe, David's architectural and narrative photography has improved and earned international recognition.

“It is a privilege to be invited to take part in this exhibition with a group of like-minded amateur photographers, all of whom have benefited from studying at AUB. It is a great opportunity to be able to present our work to the local community in the town centre with the support of Jessica Toale’s office, and hopefully encourage others to follow the same learning path.”

• Pure Vista: A composite image blended from three Dorset photographs, inspired by Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles. Representing Tess’s naïve view of the world looking back towards Duncliffe Woods, the piece blends fine art and literary storytelling. This is one of three photographs from the same series selected for the open exhibition at Beecher's Gallery, Ross-on-Wye.
• Receding: Captured during a group shoot at Swanage, this architectural study explores repetitive patterns and light beneath the lifeboat launch ramp. The piece received an Honourable Mention in the Architectural category at the international Minimalist Photography Awards 2026.
• Beacon: Taken near Andenes Harbour in northern Norway, this layered composition contrasts a stark harbour beacon against textured rock faces, deep shadows, and distant mountain silhouettes.
• Boscombe Pier (reserve feature): A dramatic black-and-white study capturing the clean, post-war concrete curves of the Grade II listed entrance building at Boscombe Pier set against a stormy Dorset sky.

AUB Academy course: Digital Photography – Essential Techniques

Gary’s photography explores the beauty, character and atmosphere of the world around him. His work covers a diverse range of subjects and approaches, from wildlife and nature to atmospheric and more creative imagery. He enjoys experimenting with photography and seeing familiar subjects from different perspectives, often seeking out those details and moments that others might overlook.

For Gary, photography is about exploration and discovery. Whether close to home or further afield, he enjoys seeking out new subjects, environments and perspectives, with a particular eye for finding something others may not notice and capturing it in his own way.

Gary’s often found in nature reserves across Dorset and Hampshire photographing spectacular wildlife including white-tailed eagles and ospreys hunting at Blackberry Point in Stanpit Marsh, Dartford warblers at Morden Bog, and short-eared owls at Sixpenny Handley. One of his favourite spots for wildlife watching is Blashford Lakes, Ringwood. 

• Confrontation (Scotland): Perched quietly on a moss-covered branch, a sparrowhawk fixes the viewer with an intense, direct stare from its bright orange eyes.
• Echoes of Salisbury (Salisbury): A dramatic low-light study taken in the winter cold, capturing blurred car headlights cutting through pitch-black darkness against historic Salisbury paving stones.
• The Watcher in the Sky (Sixpenny Handley): An owl captured mid-flight as it banks hard against the winter sky, highlighting its steady gaze and piercing yellow eye.
• Seconds After (Blashford Lakes): A vivid action shot of a kingfisher on a perch seconds after catching its prey, with water droplets spraying off its head and metallic feathers set against a deep blue backdrop.

AUB Academy course: Digital Photography – Essential Techniques

Philip Woodward, 55, is a Poole-based business owner who runs a local heating and plumbing firm. Having first picked up a film camera under his father’s guidance, Philip spent years self-teaching through books and practice before enrolling at AUB to fine-tune his understanding of digital camera settings and technical controls. His passion spans travel, wildlife, and nature photography, capturing delicate textures, reflections and fleeting moments.

“I’m really pleased to have been included in the exhibition. Photography is something I’ve enjoyed for many years, starting with what my dad taught me on his film camera... I took the AUB course simply because I wanted to improve my photography, so to now have a selection of my photographs displayed in Jessica Toale’s office space is something I never expected. I’m really quite proud of it.”

• Reflection at Polonnaruwa (Sri Lanka): Captured on a Fujifilm X-T3, this striking black-and-white double portrait captures a Toque Macaque drinking amongst ancient ruins, its mirror reflection emphasising symmetry, texture, and expression.
• Working Harbour (Poole Quay, Dorset): Taken from a low viewpoint across calm waters, this image reflects the weathered fishing boats, cranes, and gear of Poole Quay, broken by small splashes of vibrant colour amidst overcast tones.
• Holding On (Canet-en-Roussillon, France): A crisp macro photograph depicting a delicate butterfly holding fast to a wind-blown flower on a bright summer day.
• Testing the Air (Sri Lanka) (reserve) : A detailed study of a water monitor lizard paused in dense vegetation, its curved blue-grey forked tongue extended to sample the surrounding air.

AUB Academy courses: Digital Photography – Essential Techniques; The Complete Photography Course (SEG Award – Level 2 Certificate); Acting – an Introduction

Rachel Woodward Carrick discovered photography 18 months ago when she enrolled on a weekend course at AUB as a complete beginner. Having long questioned her artistic abilities after an unsuccessful Art O-Level over 40 years earlier, she found in photography an unexpected creative outlet.

Following her weekend course, Rachel completed AUB's evening programme, developing technical skills and artistic confidence. A passionate advocate of lifelong learning, she hopes her images act as a reminder that it's never too late to learn something new.

“I took up photography 18 months ago to push myself outside my comfort zone and see whether I had a creative side waiting to be discovered. What began as a personal challenge quickly became a genuine passion, so having my work selected for this exhibition feels both very exciting and incredibly rewarding. I would never have imagined that one day I would have my work exhibited and I’m hugely grateful for the opportunity. I hope it encourages others to try something new, whatever their stage of life.”

• Pier’s End: An evening class shoot at Bournemouth beach provided an opportunity to explore black-and-white imagery for the first time. This monochrome composition juxtaposes the futuristic lines of the pier's zipline tower with the decorative structure of a fairground ride, set against a lone figure.
• When I’m (almost) 64 #1: The first of 63 partial self-portraits exploring the changing landscape of the body at 63 years-old. The tightly framed image captures an eye, closely observing textures and tonal variations that reflect the photographer's age.
• When I’m (almost) 64 #11: A monochrome portrait study from the same self-portrait series portraying features of a 63-year-old body. The close-cropped composition highlights the texture and character of the ageing human form with understated objectivity and directness.
• Waves: Taken from an elevated viewpoint, this coastal landscape highlights successive bands of surf, tracing the curve of the Saunton Sands shoreline beneath a bright June sky.