A PHOTOGRAPHER registered blind has received an award for his hard work in overcoming difficulties.

Ian Kitchin, 75, from Rishton has been member of the Disabled Photographers’ Society (DPS) for three years and has recently been awarded their Associateship status.

The St Albans Road resident has been a member of Accrington Camera Club for around 20 years and is currently serving as the president.

He lost the majority of his eyesight more than 10 years ago but still manages to be an accomplished photographer despite the difficulties he faces.

Mr Kitchin said: “I was very proud to receive this award, it’s a great boost.

“My father was an amateur photographer, so it just seemed natural for me to follow in his footsteps.

“It was since I was around 10 or 11, I’ve done it all my life.

“It’s about recreating where you’ve been and what you’ve seen.

“It’s creating memories.”

The father-of-three lost sight in one eye in 2001 before losing most of the sight in his other eye four years later, although doctors managed to stabilise it.

The Disabled Photographers’ Society is a registered charity formed in 1968 to help make photography accessible to those with disabilities.

They awarded Mr Kitchin Licentiateship last year, which was recently upgraded to Associateship.

This came after submitting a panel of 15 photographs called ‘Within a Mile of Home’.

This was made up of scenes around the area such as the M65 motorway, war memorials and Rishton Festival.

Mr Kitchin said: “I used to love photographing trains and railway locomotives but that became a bit more difficult after losing some of my sight.

“It coincided with when the digital age came in.

“But I found using a magnifying glass on the back of the camera helped me see everything.

“Being part of a club photography can be quite competitive, which has obviously helped me improve since I’ve won this award.”

The next award Mr Kitchin can reach is Fellowship, which he is being encouraged to do by colleagues.

Harry Emmet, vice president of Accrington Camera Club, paid tribute to Mr Kitchin and his photographic style.

He said: “He is somewhat of a traditional photographer.

“He’d deliberately see things in his immediate surroundings rather than going all over searching.

“He had quite a good awareness of his surroundings."