Camera Therapy

Posted Tue 28th Mar 2017 at 12:41
by Josh Myers

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14 year old Josh Myers talks about his passion for photography and the calming effect it has on his TS.

I first started going out with my dad about 2 years ago, when he used to go into the peak district to do wildlife photography, at first it was just a way of spending more time together. I began using one of my dads old cameras and started taking photographs for myself, I found taking photographs and seeing the various wildlife we have around us very interesting. As I got better with the camera and understanding the settings and controls my dad let me have his old DSLR camera which allowed me to get even better pictures. My dad used to share my pictures on social media groups and they always got good comments from people.

I went on a woodland walk with my sister and my grandparents with the intention of photographing Blue bells on one occasion, I saw a family of baby weasels playing in some leaves, I had never seen them before and managed to get some great and close up pictures of them. When my dad posted the images on Facebook they had over a thousand likes and comments in the first 6 hours. One of my weasel pictures was selected by the BBC Springwatch team to be shown on their Unsprung programme.

After the T.V showing we entered 5 images into the British wildlife Photographer Awards competition, 2 of my images were short listed and one of my Weasel images won a Highly commended award, it was also published in their Book and displayed in their National Touring Gallery.

I have for the past 6 or 7 years had symptoms of Tourette Syndrome and in December 2016 I was officially diagnosed with Tourette’s. I suffer with Physical and verbal tics which can be very frustrating and also at times stop me doing certain things. We noticed that when I am out doing photography that my symptoms and tics are noticeably reduced and that the photography is almost like a therapy for me. We applied to the Tourette’s Action Group for their grant, we hoped to use the grant to purchase my own equipment suitable for wildlife photography. The grant was approved and a local Camera shop “Harrisons Cameras” in Sheffield arranged a very sizable discount on a package suitable for my needs. I hope to get the chance this year to create some great images using the new kit.

I research species of wildlife I would like to photograph, where they can be found and what their habits are. I have a real love for seeing Birds of Prey and really want to Visit the isle of Mull to photograph White tailed Sea Eagles and Ospreys.

I would love to pursue Photography as a career and develop my skills so I am able to photograph many different styles. Hopefully it will allow me to travel and see more of the world.

It’s very hard to pick a favourite image I have taken, I recently was invited to Scotland to shoot Sparrow hawks and Red Squirrels from Professional photography hides, I got some great pictures of a Juvenile Sparrow hawk and various other species including Greater spotted woodpeckers and of course Red Squirrels. I also had a great experience last year photographing a Kestrel fledgling at High Bradfield in the Peak District, we managed to get so close it was amazing. However I think the weasel shot which won me my award at the BWPA will always be a favourite picture for me.

Take a look at some of Josh's pictures here.

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