Sandra Ramp of SR Portraits Photography in Coalville has been crowned Midlands Regional Photographer of the Year in the Master Photographer's Association (MPA) 2022 regional awards.

Entrants compete within their respective geographic areas and have to score highly for both creativity and technical skill in order to win accolades.

The standard is always high and the 2022 competition raised the bar even further as each image was scrutinised by three judges, each one of them a highly respected "Fellow" of the MPA.

Sandra won a host of titles competing against hundreds of entries.

This photo won Sandra the overall award from the MPA

She came away with trophies for Overall Midlands Photographer of the Year, Portrait Photographer of the Year and Maternity & Newborn Photographer of the Year.

As well as that, Sandra collected merits in both the Children's and Maternity & Newborn categories.

This month has been a triple celebration because, as well as winning the awards she is also celebrating being in business for 10 years and launching her new branding #photosmadewithlove.

Sandra said: "It hasn't been easy creating a home-grown business without any experience of being self-employed, all whilst raising a family at the same time.

"However, all the hard work is absolutely worth it when I see what I've achieved over the years.

"Working from home allowed me the freedom to spend time with my boys, and the awards I've won are an amazing testimony to the work I put into perfecting my photos.

"I feel so proud when I look back at everything that's been accomplished and I'm massively grateful to all my wonderful customers.

"I decided to specialise in newborns early on and dropped all my other work around 2014.

"It was a very risky move to take, but I'm so pleased it paid off and now I'm well known as the local 'baby whisperer'!

"I absolutely love working with all the tiny babies, most of them just a week old, and never tire of being as creative I can be with all the props and set-ups."

Ray Lowe FMPA, Chairman of the MPA commented: "The standard of photography we have seen this year is outstanding.

"Despite the reduced opportunities for shooting due to the pandemic, our members have once again proved that they are at the top of their game by producing world-class work."

Speaking after the awards, Paul Cooper FMPA (Director of qualifications) said: "The regional awards are always fiercely contested, and so to win the overall title is a massive achievement that requires consistency across a range of images.

"Sandra should be incredibly proud of her well-deserved title".