A DISABLED photography student has been recognised after one of her snaps wowed the judges in a national competition.

Emma Bristow, who studies photography at Trafford College, is in a wheelchair but has found creative ways to take photographs.

The 17-year-old from Urmston said: “How I take pictures from my chair is quite inelegant. I move my chair into position then I hold my mobile phone with my legs.

“This is how I took the photograph that was exhibited.”

The photograph is of a back street in Manchester and Emma submitted it this year’s national Young Advocate photography competition.

As well as wowing the judges in the competition, the photograph has been displayed in Derby Hall.

The photograph also landed the first year BTEC student the Creative Arts Student of the Year Award at Trafford College.

Emma added: “The photo was taken on the spur of the moment when we went down that back street trying to find good images when on a field trip.

“We got a bit lost down the back streets in Manchester when I saw the image and just thought, it’s not what you see every day, so I took the photograph.

Field trips are an integral part of Emma’s BTEC Photography course, which uses classrooms, dark rooms and workshops within a multi-million pound Creative Arts block at the Altrincham Campus.

“As a wheelchair user, it’s nice that the college is a newly built building with accessibility in mind,” the former Flixton Girls School pupil added.

“I decided to enter the competition after encouragement from my support worker and tutors, friends and family.”

Every year students are given access to competitions across Trafford College’s range of BTEC, A-Level and apprenticeship pathways as part of their professional development.

In the future, Emma would like to become a freelance photographer.

Advising future students, she said: “I would recommend FE to others. It is lots of fun and can be so rewarding if you are willing to put in the work.”